At the Edge of the Earth: Cities around the Strait of Gibraltar
At the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, the continents of Africa and Europe are almost attached to each other, as they are separated only by a few miles, and the two landmasses are separated by a small opening called the “Strait of Gibraltar,” which was known in ancient times as the “Pillars of Hercules.” According to mythology, the two continents were part of one continent until the hero Hercules divided it. In ancient times, this strait formed a point of connection, not separation. Through this article, we will discover the history of the cities located in the Strait of Gibraltar.
From the legend…
Cave of Hercules
During ancient times, people believed that the world was a flat disk, that Mauretania and Spain were the last inhabited lands, and that the Strait of Gibraltar was the last spot on the planet. As for the “Pillars of Hercules,” that is, the two mountains on both sides of the strait - which are likely to be the Rock of Gibraltar on the north and Mount Moses on the south - they were a sign for travelers informing them of their arrival at the far end of the known world. The Cave of Hercules, in which he spent the nights of his travels, is located near Tangier, and is considered a famous tourist destination.
The cities of this strait played the role of protectors of the civilized world thanks to their location. The Greeks were fascinated by these distant cities, so they made them the subject of some of their legends, and mixed them with some local Berber legends.
According to one of their legends, Syphax, son of Heraclius, founded Tangis (Tangier) and named it after his mother, the daughter of the Mauritanian king Atlas. According to some sources, the Garden of the Hesperides was located in Lyxus, the same garden where Hercules went in search of the famous golden apples. The ruins of the city of Lixus - near modern Larache - contain many frescoes depicting legendary scenes.
...to history
The city of Tangis is considered the oldest city founded by Phoenician merchants in this strait, around the eighth century. The origin of this name goes back to the Amazigh word “Tingit”, which means water mass. Thanks to its strategic location, Tangis quickly became a vital and important port for the Phoenician trade routes.
Sailors and merchants: Phoenician colonies in North Africa in Lixos (Larache), Abella (Ceuta), Rosader (Melilla), and others along the southern Atlantic coast.
Statue of Hercules Gaditanus
Another Phoenician colony was established opposite the city of Tangier on the Spanish side of the strait. Before that, the site undoubtedly served as a seasonal port, but the first people to set foot on that land and inhabit it in the seventh century were most likely Carthaginian in origin. It should be noted that the names of the Phoenician city “Gadir” and the coastal city of “Agadir,” which was founded by the Phoenicians, have the same linguistic root. Then the name of the city, “Gads,” of Roman origin, changed to “Gadix” and then to “Cádiz.” The city was famous for the presence of the temple of the Phoenician god Melqart in it. Who was known among the Greeks and Romans as Hercules.
During the seventh century, the Carthaginians took control of the Phoenician colonies around the strait. In addition to Carthage and Leptis Magna, Tangis represented one of the most important ports in the Carthaginian Empire. Cader also held the position of the main Carthaginian city in Spain, until the founding of New Carthage (Cartagena). It is likely that the expeditions of the great Carthaginian explorers departed from Tangis and Kadir. If the presence of the Phoenicians extended south until they reached Agadir, the influence of the Carthaginians did not exceed the city of Lyxos.
The Straits cities played a modest role during the Punic Wars: the Romans attacked Africa from Sicily. Before launching his military campaign against Italy, Hannibal made a sacrifice to Melqart/Hercules in the Temple of Kadir.
After the Second Punic War, the cities of North Africa were annexed to the Kingdom of Mauritania, but Tangis preserved its Punic heritage, and continued to mint bronze coins with Punic inscriptions. During that period, King Bagha founded the city of Tamouda (Tetouan).
The city of Lixos reached the height of its prosperity under the rule of the Mauritanian King Juba II, and became a major economic center thanks to its industrial facilities, which are considered the largest of their kind in the Mediterranean basin. The city's economy also relied mostly on fishing and grape growing.
After its annexation to the Roman Empire, the city of Tangiers became the capital of the Mauritania-Tangier region. The city grew and its influence expanded, and its size exceeded the historical capital of Mauritania, Volubilis.
Roman amphitheater at Lixos
In addition to Tingis, Lixus, Abella (later called Ceuta), and Rosadere became Roman colonies. These cities were strongly influenced by Roman civilization, while the rest of the Mauritanian regions harbored hostility to Roman rule. Regarding its economic activity, this region specialized in selling salted fish, especially the city of Ceuta.
Moreover, Tangiers and Lixos emerged as major centers of Christianity in the Mauritania of Tangiers. In the late third century, the Mauritanian Christian martyrs were killed in Tangis. Until this moment we can see the ruins of the former church in Lixos.
In the fifth century, the Vandals, who had previously been in Spain, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and occupied North Africa. After a few centuries passed, The Muslim army of the Moors crossed the strait from the opposite direction to invade Spain.
The modern name of “Gibraltar” goes back to “Gibraltar”, in reference to Tariq Ibn Ziyad, the commander of the Umayyad army in Spain. Since that time immemorial, all successive invaders have entered through the port of Tangier, all the way to the European colonists in the modern era. The cities of Ceuta and Melilla bear witness to this intertwined history of the region located between two continents, as they are the last remnants of the Spanish presence in North Africa.
It is worth noting that long before Tangier emerged as an international metropolis in the twentieth century, the cities of the Strait were always known for the multiplicity of their tributaries and the diversity of their interests, as they were commercial ports open to the world. Over the centuries, these cities received many refugees fleeing persecution on both sides of the Strait: Catholic Christians expelled by the Vandals, Muslims and Jews who were expelled from Spain, and anti-colonial activists as well. Therefore, this strategic location is the basic component around which the unique identity of these cities was formed: they are African cities close to Europe, decorated with their cultural pluralism and civilizational diversity, and distinguished by the values of tolerance and coexistence.
Source: websites