Why is it blue?

Imagine a world where Muslims and Jews lived in peace, where Muslims today are proud of Jewish traditions and culture. There is such a place - the “blue city of Morocco”, Chefchaouen. The tradition of painting the city blue is believed to have originated from the Jewish and Muslims residents who were exiled from Spain over 500 years ago. The Bible, in the Old Testament, instructed Jews to include a blue thread on their prayer shawls. Blue also represented the sky and the oceans. At some point residents thought the color blue would protect them and they began the tradition of painting the walls in shades of blue. Their paint is made from limestone dissolved in water, powdered pigment added to make colors. Many walls are painted halfway up. A guide told me that women could only reach that high. Women wear traditional garb, skin covered. Almost all covered their faces to avoid being photographed. I was told that to photograph a woman’s face would be to steal her soul. Most men wore the same garb, without concern for the intrusion of a camera. With Morocco a Muslim country, with few Jews still living there, why do Jewish traditions continue in Chefchaouen? Perhaps there is no answer other than the blue remains.