The highest peak of each Chefchaouen tribe

In Chefchaouen province, a tribe cannot be understood without its mountains. Peaks are not just altitudes on a map: they are natural boundaries between territories, pastures and landmarks that people mention when they talk about their land. So one simple question helps to understand the whole region: what is the highest peak of each tribe?

The ranking below is based on 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 topographic maps, and on commune maps showing the boundaries between tribes. Altitudes are approximate and may differ by a few metres from one source to another.

The ranking, from highest to lowest

Based on 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 topographic maps and commune maps showing the boundaries between tribes. Altitudes are approximate.

You may notice there are thirteen tribes but only twelve peaks. The reason: Jbel Lakraa is the highest peak of two tribes at once, the Beni Zejel and the Akhmas. Its summit is a natural boundary between the two territories, with one slope belonging to each.

The peaks above 2000 metres

Only three tribes have a highest peak that reaches or exceeds 2000 metres. First comes Jbel Lakraa, at about 2159 metres, the highest peak of the western Rif and of Talassemtane National Park. Then Jbel Tizirane, at about 2106 metres, the highest peak of the Beni Khaled. Then Jbel Talousis, at about 2005 metres, in the Beni Selmane lands, which is also shared between two territories.

Worth noting: Jbel Tissouka, at about 2122 metres, is the second-highest peak of the western Rif after Lakraa, but it does not appear in this table, which lists only the highest peak of each tribe rather than every high summit.

The middle peaks: between 1400 and 1800 metres

In the north-east, Jbel Ketam rises to about 1781 metres in Bni Rzine, a high Ghomara territory of scattered villages and difficult tracks. Next come two almost twin peaks: Jbel Taqlabt, at about 1726 metres, in Beni Mansour, and Jbel Bab el Qarn, at about 1722 metres, in Ghzaoua, both of them shared peaks.

Then Jbel Chouamat, at about 1585 metres, in Mtioua, where the mountains approach the coast, and Jbel Tassift, at about 1441 metres, in Beni Smih.

Lower peaks, more varied landscapes

Altitudes drop in the other tribes, but their peaks keep their local importance: Jbel Lalla Mekka, at about 1270 metres, in Beni Kerrir; Jbel Dar Maimoun, at about 1235 metres, in Beni Bouzra; and Jbel Beni Baroun, at about 1207 metres, in Beni Ziat. At the bottom of the ranking is Jbel Zaouiat Sidi Youssef, at about 913 metres, the highest peak of the Beni Ahmed in the south of the province.

That gap of more than 1200 metres between the top and the bottom of the ranking sums up the diversity of the province: from the limestone massifs of Talassemtane to the hills and lakes of El Mansoura commune in the south.

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