Blue-Washed Hill Town

Blue-Washed Hill Town is an original illustration set in Rif Mountains, Morocco. It lies in mid-latitudes, where the climate is mediterranean — hot dry summers, wet winters.

A stepped alley climbs between walls, stairs and doors all washed in layered shades of blue. One brightly hand-woven blanket hangs against the blue. Potted plants crowd the steps, and the noon light overhead is hard and white.

Why are the walls repainted with tinted lime every year?

Lime wash tinted with pigment is a maintenance habit as much as a colour choice — reapplied every year, it disinfects, waterproofs and reflects heat, and the tint is whatever mineral is locally cheap. Stepped alleys too narrow for vehicles mean the town was built on a slope for defence and never widened. Woven wool hanging outdoors says cool nights despite the hot day.

Terpano is a free daily geography puzzle. You study one original illustration, place a pin on a borderless terrain map, and see how close you were. There is no account and no sign-up; progress stays in your own browser. It plays in 11 languages.