Actually, it was at the port that the next round of my negotiations began on tickets and the possibility of a trip to Moroccan Tangier.
I crossed the embankment and there it was, the port. I check where the ferry boarding takes place and walk towards one of the large buildings. Approaching the entrance to one of the buildings, I notice a large number of ticket kiosks. I entered the building and there was a whole anthill of dark-skinned Moroccans. There is a noticeably small number of tourists. Long rows of kiosk are covered with standard signs - Ceuta-Tanger.
Communication with most sellers ends very quickly, “But ingles.” And those who understand something immediately lose interest in me when they learn that I have already bought a ticket and only want to “find out something.”
In one of the kiosks I found an advertising brochure calling for excursion Algeciras-Ceuta-Tanger and back during the day. The ferry arrives in Ceuta, from there tourists take buses to the border, then to Moroccan Tangier. Along the route they also stop at the city of Tetuan.
A round trip ferry, bus transfers, lunch in Morocco and an excursion cost a total of 51 Euros. When I see such a price “disgrace” (remember the original price of a one-way ferry to Ceuta for 48 Euros), I begin to inquire more actively about such an excursion - who organizes it?, when do they sail?, where to buy tickets?, is it possible to return my ticket?, do Ukrainian citizens need a visa to Morocco?. In general, there are too many questions for the Spaniards who “nicht ferstein” my “ingles” language. Having not received any intelligible answers from the Spanish-speaking Spaniards, I decided not to twitch, but to calmly sail to Ceuta, and there resolve the issue on the spot with the possibility of traveling to Morocco (either to Tangier, or to Tetuan).
Ferry to Ceuta.
30 minutes before the ferry departed, I started looking for the “way” to this ferry. I won’t describe the difficulties of mutual understanding (or rather, misunderstanding), but after HHH minutes I found a sign leading to the ferry. After standing in a long line of a motley crowd of future sailors, I approached a nice girl who was checking tickets. Her question “Passport” did not cause me any anxiety. Until I realized that there was no passport! Stepping aside, I checked my backpack - no passport! But the thought that he shouldn’t go anywhere makes him look in all the cracks of his backpack. Fortunately, in a niche for storing backpack straps, a passport and... $20 stash from a previous trip to Honduras were found. My happiness knew no bounds!
Passport checking, the wooden gangway to the ferry, the smell of fuel oil from the engine, long rows of chairs in the large room-cabin of the ferry, the path to the bow (the front of the ferry). That's it, I chose a place closer to the windows, but also near the only outlet on the wall.
Having settled into cozy chairs on the ferry, I looked at the Moroccan “Bedouins” with interest, and they looked at me.
Sailing away from the shore, your gaze is literally immediately drawn to the bulk of Gibraltar, clearly visible on the other side of the Bay of Gibraltar. In the rays of the sun, it looks like some kind of three-peaked volcanic creature. But, as I already know, there is no crater on the top of Gibraltar. But there are monkeys!
Unfortunately, you can’t go out on deck to take better photographs, and there is no deck as such on the ferry. However, on some advertising brochures I saw smiling passengers waving their hands to the photographer. Perhaps some types of ferries have some kind of observation deck where you can breathe in the sea air. In the meantime, be kind enough to sit inside the ferry and admire the scenery through the glass. That's what I did.
There were a lot of free seats in the passenger part of the ferry, and... they could have put sofas for those who wanted to sleep. The traditional ritual of recharging a laptop, mobile phone and camera (I knew that the battery might not last until the evening). The photo below shows the incorrect placement of the laptop near the socket (before that it was sitting on a chair “rented” at the bar counter). The children running along the aisles gave me not only a feeling of tenderness, but also a feeling of fear for the laptop and mobile phone that lay in the way of their migration processes. But everything worked out fine.
Ceuta.
After 40 minutes of sailing, we arrived at the port of Ceuta and promptly disembarked. It must be said that most of the passengers quickly scattered somewhere, and I, in my “pure” Spanish, began searching for the tourist information desk. We must pay tribute to the management of the Ceuta Tourism Bureau - their counter in the port building is difficult to miss. After talking about what interesting things there are in the city, where the bus stops are, where the border with Morocco is, how you can get to Morocco, etc. I learned that traveling to Morocco without a visa may not work out. They say that sometimes you can “slip in” with local residents, but the official procedure requires a visa (for Ukrainian citizens).
Inspired by the fact that I was in Africa, I was moving towards the historical center of the city and seeing the first car sign with the name of the city, I captured myself looking good against its background.
The coastal area of Ceuta is indented with harbors in which many ships, yachts and dinghies are “parked”. In the distance you can see the hill on which the main “torpedo boat base” is located - a military base, which, it seems, is leased from the US Navy (later I will clarify and make changes to this text). The entrance to the territory of that base is closed - you can walk around it - along the coastline. It is visible on the hill in the photo below.
Immediately from the harbor, the road leads to the city gates, located near the walls of the fortress. The Spanish flag flies proudly on the ramparts. It must be said that Ceuta was inherited by the Spaniards - from the Portuguese, who conquered it in 1415 from the Moors. But later the city came under the Spanish crown when Portugal came under Spanish rule (Spain-Portugal relations in the Middle Ages are a separate interesting story). And when Portugal again became an independent country, Ceuta chose to remain under the Spanish flag. Which still stands on the fortress wall (see below).
Having specified where the museum is located in the fortress, I wander under the scorching sun towards it.
Like us, on the approach to the fort you can see “cafes and restaurants” that exploit tourists’ love for historical places. I proudly walk past and find myself in a large area inside the fortress. Let me clarify where the museum itself is. The entrance to it is not far away.
What a bliss it is to enter a cool museum room in such heat.
In about 20 minutes I looked around the exhibition. Unfortunately, all information is in Spanish - there is no guide to the museum. It is impossible to order a tour in English for one person (if I correctly understood the answers of the museum staff). From them I learned that the city's historical museum is not far away (by Ceuta standards), but I need to hurry, because... closes at 13:00. There were 40 minutes left until this moment and I set off. Along the way, looking at and photographing the city.
Military Commandant's Office of Ceuta- everything is decorous, noble, in the colonial style. To the left of the entrance there is a monument to a soldier (not visible in the photo). And yes, there is also a palm tree in front of the entrance.
One of the central streets of Ceuta. It’s strange, but in this place it looks deserted, despite the fact that during my walk along it, there was no feeling of loneliness. The point is probably that all the people “wander” along the street in the shadow of the facades - it’s clearly visible that all the houses on this street have a kind of canopy (I don’t know what it’s called from an architectural point of view). It is under these canopies that people move, fleeing the scorching rays of the sun.
The streets in the city are not very wide. However, the port area is conveniently located in large spaces. As a result, they sometimes park in the city the same way as in Paris - nose to nose.
African siesta
Spain, it is also Spain in Africa. This is confirmed in Ceuta by the fact that the external manifestation of siesta (lunch time) is visible here too. Most shops close for lunch at 13:00. The enviable organization touches you when you see the simultaneous closing of the doors and lowering of the protective roller blinds. However, some shops still remain open. The doors of a few cafes are also open - after all, the city was designed as a military base, and not a tourist center. But there is no shortage of cafes and restaurants - there is simply not a large flow of tourists. And the locals probably know where and how to eat :-)
By the way, many museums here are open from 9:00 to 13:00, and then from 17:00 to 20:00. Here's your resort lunch break!
Having visited another attraction, an excavation site over an ancient temple of the NNN century before or after our era, I decided to move to the beach, because... The midday sun was pretty hot. Having asked the local macho men where the locals actually swim, I received a detailed answer. The most helpful part of their response was the direction with their hand where I should go. I didn’t know how to ask about beaches in Spanish, but my movements, simulating the movements of a swimmer, were correctly understood and, I hoped, they pointed me in the right direction. Taught by the experience of previous tips from “local” geographers, I checked their advice with a map of the city (conducted reconnaissance on the ground) and set off. Judging by the map, the shore was no more than 500 meters. But among the narrow streets the presence of the sea was not yet felt.
Beach
After walking through the narrow streets, I came out onto the highway running along the coast. Traditional photo against the background of the shore. In the foreground is the city beach. A little later I was splashing around in the Mediterranean Sea, cooling down from the high temperature. The mountains of Morocco are visible in the background.
On the way to the beach I noticed an interesting monument - a soldier and a sheep. To be honest, there was no one to ask what role sheep played in the liberation or defense of Ceuta, but it is possible that they played the same role as geese in ancient Rome.
The beach runs along the embankment - you go down to it along steps that go straight to the sand. The location of the beach, just 100 meters from the temple, is pleasantly pleasing to the eye. And it’s not pleasing to the eye that there are not so many naked girls on the beach in Ceuta. And they are kind of modest :-)
After the “water procedures” I headed back to the fortress that separates this part of Ceuta from the port. My goal is the road to Morocco. A regular bus runs towards the checkpoint. On the way to it, I walked along the fortress walls, gave a lecture to local boys about the potential dangers of swinging on ancient cannons, took a couple of photographs in the “I Was Here” format and... there it was, a bus stop standing in the shade of trees. While waiting for the bus, I decided to photograph a monument to some “Don Pedro”. Where he points... I don’t know, but the road “to Morocco” is in the other direction!
Walking along the city streets, I look at the city buildings and residential areas with interest.
As you move away from the center, the fashionable office buildings of the central part of the city are replaced by... not slums, but, let's say, "khrushchubs." This is how the average residents of Ceuta live - decorating their homes with washed linen. I am already familiar with such landscapes from my visit to Gibraltar.
Trip to Morocco.
Having reached the border by bus, having specified that it runs until late in the evening, I headed to the checkpoint.
The starting point of my “thrown march” is in Morocco. Cars enter the checkpoint and move in a narrow line to three access turnstiles. And ordinary Moroccan citizens stomp along the wall to their home through a barred labyrinth (so that they don’t escape, probably). Realizing that I was not on my way with cars, and the passage for EU residents was also not for me, I joined the Bedouins and wandered along a narrow corridor along the wall.
In short, I was stopped at the very last checkpoint. One more step and I would have been outside the checkpoint.
But I passed 2 posts without problems (I just walked along with a line of local residents along the “Western Wall”). And so, already at the exit from the border zone, one of the sleepy border guards still asked, “What is a citizen in a red T-shirt with the coat of arms of the USSR doing in Morocco??” My assertions that UA is almost the same as UK did not work. Persuasion and assurances about “peace-friendship-corn” also did not have the desired effect on the border guard.
As a result, having “sent” him in the direction of the “urology department”, I went to “pump up my license” to the checkpoint building. And although some Moroccan officers tried to help me, the head of the border checkpoint, to whom I finally made my way to an appointment, remained adamant - Ukrainian citizens need a visa to Morocco!
Never mind, next time you need to dress less provocatively and wrap yourself in some kind of robe to successfully cross the border into Morocco :-)
On the way back to Ceuta, the Spanish border guards spent a long time figuring out why I was coming back from Morocco, but I did not have a stamp stating that I was in Morocco. Having explained to them in simple terms that I had definitely not been to Morocco and wanted to “go home” to Spain (here’s a return ferry ticket), I was allowed into the territory of “African” Europe.
With sadness, I took another photo of the Moroccan flag and walked to the bus that runs between the checkpoint and the city center.
I won’t write about the search “with prejudice” because I took a photo of the Moroccan checkpoint - nothing interesting
But, I remind you, you should not take photographs of the Moroccan border guards or the checkpoint itself! (I read later about the misadventures of foreigners in Moroccan prisons - nothing good). I still have one photo...
I returned to the city and decided to wander the streets, waiting for the ferry to Spain.
By chance I became a “witness” to a wedding ceremony in the central temple. I don’t know why the groom chose such a bride, but I liked the witness (in a red dress) more :-)
One of the farewell photographs of Ceuta is a view of the port and the fortress on the mountain (the distant one, the more modern one).
Having bought yoghurts and peaches for the journey, I safely crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry. By the way, I experienced great pleasure when the ferry “jumped” over the waves, which seemed to be not large (about 1 meter), but noticeably tossed the high-speed ferry. Many tourists groaned, ahhed, and screamed in time with the rocking motion when the ferry “fell” from the crest of the next wave.
And here they are, the “native” palm trees of Algeciras. And Moroccan residents under the palm trees, waiting for the next ferry to their homeland.
At the exit from the port, I noticed a large crowd of people and... police. I immediately remembered that in the morning he explained something to the police about the festival-carnival that would take place in the evening on the embankment. So I ended up at a festive carnival, to which a large number of residents of Algeciras came to the embankment. But that's a different story...
Continuation of travel notes about traveling around Spain and
Geographically, the territory of the Spanish enclaves in the territories of Ceuta and Melilla can be characterized as a semi-enclave or a maritime enclave. Both Ceuta and Melilla have their own territorial waters with access to the open sea. Ceuta is located on seven small mountains, the highest of which is Anyera with a height of 349 meters.
In addition to the continental part, Ceuta occupies the small peninsula of La Almina (península de Almina), protruding into the Strait of Gibraltar from the African coast and considered the border of the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point of the peninsula is Mount Acho (Monte Hacho) with a height of 204 meters. At the top of the mountain there is a sea fort founded by the Phoenicians, the monastery of San Antonio and the Franco memorial.
The ancient name of this mountain is Abila (Mons Abila, Monte Abila, Abyla), according to one of two versions of ancient Greek mythology, it is the southern of the Pillars of Hercules. Another version claims that the southern pillar could be Mount Jebel Musa (Adrar Musa 851 m) in Morocco. We remind you that the Rock of Gibraltar is considered the northern pillar.
The extreme points of the Almina Peninsula, the islet of Santa Catalina (La isla de Santa Catalina), where in the 18th century there was a prison and Cape La Almina on the territory of a military fort. The peninsula is connected to the continent by a narrow isthmus protected by ancient fortress walls.
The climate in the territory of the Ceuta autonomy is mild subtropical, Mediterranean, with an average annual temperature of about 16 ºC. The main factor influencing the formation of the climatic features of Ceuta is the coastal mountain system and Mount Jebel Musa, 851 meters above sea level. Mountains create a natural barrier to the formation of a microclimate, preventing the free passage of both continental and sea air currents.
The amount of precipitation that falls in winter is very irregular and depends on the Atlantic winds. The summer period can be described as dry. Despite this, the relative air humidity significantly exceeds the average value and is more than 80%.
Modern etymologists believe that the name Ceuta appeared as a derivative of the name of the ancient Roman trading post Septem, Seven Brothers (Septem Fratres), which appeared from the seven hills of the Almina peninsula on which the city is located, first described by the ancient Roman geographer Pomponio Mena (1st century AD) . Thus, the version is supported that the Roman name Septem was transformed into the Arabic Sebta, and then into the Spanish Ceuta.
In memory of the Moroccan War, Queen Elizabeth II of Spain established the County of Almina (Condado de la Almina). This title of nobility was granted by the queen to the commander of one of the corps of the Spanish army, General Antonio de Ros Alano, on July 17, 1860.
Ceuta is a city with more than 2,000 years of history, having survived the presence of all human civilizations vying for control of the Strait of Gibraltar. Ceuta is located at the junction of the two continents of Europe and Africa and the confluence of and.
Ancient history
Primitive, stone tools of primitive Neolithic man found in the caves of Ceuta give archaeologists the opportunity to claim. Archaeological excavations taking place on the border with Morocco, called Cabililla de Benzú, confirm the opinion of scientists that these places were inhabited by our distant ancestors between 100,000 and 250,000 years ago. It was from here that the first intercontinental travelers moved to the European continent.
Ancient Greek legends about the giant Hercules, who parted the mountains and united the seas, give rise to the assertion that the first Phoenician and ancient Greek sailors were familiar with this small peninsula of Almina. In his legends of the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. BC, the Greeks identified Ceuta with Mount Abilya, the southern of the Pillars of Hercules, today Mount Acho.
Despite the discovery of Phoenician coins, coinage and fragments of pottery from the 5th century BC, no reliable evidence of the existence of a Phoenician or Carthaginian village was found here.
Roman period
From existing Roman written documents of the 1st century BC. e. it is known that before the arrival of the Romans, the Abilha Peninsula, the territory of modern Ceuta, belonged to the kingdom of Mauritania.
According to the early Roman geographer Pomponius Mela, the first city-forming fishing and salting trading post formed here by the Romans was called Seven Brothers (Septem Frates), its inhabitants salted fish and produced Garum sauce.
The main attraction of the Roman period, a marble sarcophagus from the 3rd century, is kept today in the Archaeological Museum of Ceuta.
Archaeologists also claim that since the 4th century there has been a Christian community in Ceuta, evidence of this is the foundation of an early Christian basilica and necropolis on the Square of Africa. It is the site of the earliest Christian worship, discovered in the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitana, with its capital .
Visigoths, Vandals and Byzantines
After the fall of the Roman Empire (411), the former Roman provinces were taken over by the ancient Germanic tribes of the Goths. As a result of the struggle for new territories, the Visigoths expelled the former allies of the Vandals from the Iberian Peninsula.
In 429, the Vandals crossed to the coast of North Africa. Under the onslaught of warlike barbarians, the village and fish processing plant built by the Romans was destroyed and lost its former significance. Further, all of North Africa came under the control of the Vandal Kingdom.
A new historical turn in the development of Ceuta began in 533 with the conquest of the peninsula by the troops of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (the Great). The Byzantines chose Ceuta as their base in the war with the Kingdom of the Visigoths for the return of Roman territories. Fortress walls were erected around the city and the first Church of the Mother of God (Madre de Dios) was built.
Soon, the Visigothic king Theodoric III organized a military campaign with the aim of capturing Ceuta (Septón) and weakening the military power of the Byzantines, which lasted from 542 to 548, as a result of which the Visigoths took possession of the peninsula.
Ceuta under Muslim rule
During the ongoing internal strife in the Kingdom of the Visigoths, Ceuta was captured by the troops of the Arab caliph Al Walid I. During the period of Muslim rule over Ceuta (709-1415), the city was destroyed several times and changed rulers. Historians mention an uprising in support of the Arabs, led by the Visigothic governor of Ceuta, Count Don Julian, which caused the rapid capture of the city.
Later (711) from the port of Ceuta, on ships provided by Don Julian, Arab troops were transported through the Strait of Gibraltar to begin the military expansion of the Iberian Peninsula.
The rulers of the local Berber Khorijite tribe, who did not accept Arab rule, rebelled in 740, which was brutally suppressed by troops sent from Damascus by Caliph Hisham. For more than a year, the Berbers ruled in Ceuta, turning into slaves the inhabitants of the city who did not have time to cross the strait to Al Andalus. After the expulsion of the Berbers, a period of oblivion began for the completely destroyed Ceuta, until the middle of the 9th century.
The next period of prosperity of Ceuta began under the control of the Berber dynasty of Banu Isam, the Maykas tribe, and lasted from the middle of the 9th century until 931. During this time, the city was completely restored and replaced by four generations of rulers.
In 931, the ruler Abdarrahman III captured Ceuta and made it the most important port, his African outpost connecting Al Andalus with the Maghreb states.
After the fall of the Cordoba Caliphate, Ceuta fell under the rule of Taifa Malaga (1024), then became a separate state several times. The first time, Taifa Ceuta, connected to Tangier, under the control of the Berber ruler Suqut al Bargawati, existed from 1061 to 1084, until it was occupied by Almoravid troops.
Soon, after fierce wars for the purity of the morals of early Islam, the Almoravid territories came under the control of another Berber dynasty, the Almohads, whose troops occupied Ceuta in 1147.
During the reign of the Almohads, Ceuta was the largest trading port in the Mediterranean, where there were diplomatic missions of many Christian kingdoms that occupied the territories of modern France and Italy.
After the defeat of the Almohad troops by the united Christian forces of Castile, Aragon and Portugal in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (July 16, 1212), one of the main turning points of the reconquista occurred, the Muslims rapidly began to lose the territories of the former.
It is necessary to note the selfless feat of six Christian preachers led by Saint Daniel (San Daniel), who arrived from Tarragona on September 20, 1227 to Ceuta with the word of God. All six monks were beheaded on the Bloody Beach (Playa de la Sangre) of Ceuta, October 10, 1227. For this feat, all six monks were canonized (1516) by the Vatican, and St. Daniel is considered the patron saint of the city.
Since its capture (1232) by the troops of the former Almohad commander Muhammad Yusuf al Judami, better known as Ibn Hud, Ceuta has been at the forefront of all military events in North Africa for more than a hundred years. A year later, Ceuta regained its status as a prosperous trading city for several years from 1233 to 1236, becoming an independent state under the leadership of Al Yanaati.
From 1236 to 1242 the Almohads regained their influence over Ceuta. Then (1242-1273), the city was captured by the Almohads, who had escaped control, Abu Zakariyya from the Hamsid dynasty, who at that time had already declared himself the emir of Tunisia.
The growing Moroccan Mirinid dynasty included the cities of Ceuta and Tangier in its possessions (1273). Immediately after this, Ceuta is captured by the Aragonese navy, the Myrinids undertake to pay an annual tribute for the independence of Ceuta.
The expanding Nasrid state occupied Ceuta from 1305 to 1309. Only with the participation of the Kings of Castile and Aragon were the Myrinids able to retake Ceuta.
Muslim rule over Ceuta ended on August 14, 1415, when Portuguese warships under the command of Prince Henrique the Navigator captured the city in one day.
Portuguese conquest
The King of Portugal, João I, prepared for the conquest of Ceuta for several years. A powerful fleet consisting of 200 ships and 45,000 soldiers was built especially for this company. On August 21, a week after the end of the victorious battle, the royal retinue marched through the deserted streets of the defeated city, as the entire surviving Muslim population had fled. Count Pedro de Meneses, who participated in the capture of the city, was appointed governor of Ceuta.
By order of the king, the Muslim mosque in Africa Square was destroyed and the Church of Our Lady of Africa was built in its place. Fortifications were hastily restored and modified to repel constant Muslim attacks, both from sea and on land.
The population of Ceuta then amounted to 2,500 inhabitants, it consisted of soldiers of the garrison, a small group of merchants, artisans and former prisoners brought in for construction.
The conquest of Ceuta became for the Portuguese the beginning of a golden path, a further offensive of the crusade to the lands of the Maghreb. In fact, this is where the era of Portuguese great maritime discoveries began.
Already by 1441 the Portuguese received the first caravan of ships with gold and African slaves. Despite the fact that maintaining Ceuta cost Portugal enormous efforts, the military expansion of African territories was then the main line of the country's foreign policy. At the cost of enormous efforts, after four unsuccessful attempts and the death of Prince Fernando, the Portuguese managed to take Tangier on August 29, 1471.
Two years later, after the death of the young Portuguese king Sebastian I (1578) during another Moroccan campaign, the kingdom of Portugal was united in 1580, and the Iberian Union was formed (1580-1640). From this moment on, it is generally accepted that Ceuta came under the jurisdiction of the Spanish crown. After the dissolution of the Iberian Union (1640), the governor of Ceuta, Don Francisco de Almeida, remained loyal to the Spanish monarch Philip IV.
Ceuta Spanish rule
The official incorporation of Ceuta into Spain occurred in 1656. The city was given the title, Noble and Devoted. With the change of bishop, there was a change in currency and official language. Gradually, the inhabitants of Ceuta integrated into Spanish society, and some families left the city forever.
The Moroccan rulers did not give up hope for the liberation of Ceuta for a second. The city was constantly under siege (1694, 1732, 1757, 1791), the longest siege (1694-1727) was undertaken by the second Sultan of Morocco, Moulay Ismail, it lasted more than 30 years, until his death. In addition to military clashes, the city experienced two plague epidemics in 1720-1721 and 1743-1744.
The first improvement in relations with Morocco occurred during the reign of Sultan Sidi Mohammed III bin Abdallah, through the conclusion of the peace treaty of 1767.
The bastions of Ceuta were traditionally used by the Spanish government as prisons for political prisoners who opposed the regime and for the freedom of the South American colonies.
The garrison of Ceuta was one of the first to support the Madrid uprising against Joseph Bonaparte on May 2, 1808, and during the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814), many representatives of the nobility and clergy of southern Spain took refuge here.
During the reign of Elizabeth II (1830-1904), the number of inhabitants of Ceuta increased to 10,000 inhabitants, the development of cultural infrastructure began, theaters and casinos opened. Celebrations begin in honor of Our Lady of Africa, Carnival. Later, a bullring is built (1918).
The end of the 19th century became the time of construction of new fortifications of Ceuta: Fortín de Benzú (1866-1881), Fortín de Aranguren (1865), Fortín de Isabel II (1865), Fortín de Francisco de Asís (1865), Fortín de Mendizabal (1865) , Fortín Renegado (Tortuga) (1864), Fortín de Anyera (1860), Fuerte del Príncipe Alfonso (1860), Fuerte del Serrallo (1860).
The next stormy stage in the development of Ceuta began with the passive occupation of Tetouan and the announcement of the creation of a new Protectorate of Spain on the territory of Morocco. By 1920, Ceuta's population increased to 50,000 people, due to the influx of labor.
The result of the economic recovery was the construction of the Tetuan-Ceuta railway line, a bus station, a central market, expansion of the port, housing construction, improvement of urban infrastructure, and an increase in the number of garrisons.
After the establishment of the dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera (1923-1930), the idea of exchanging Ceuta for Gibraltar was put forward, however, this idea was not destined to come true. After the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, at the Congress of Ceuta and Melilla (1935), Ceuta was declared the political center of the new Protectorate.
During the military uprising of 1936, Ceuta, without resistance, went over to the side of General Franco on July 18 and until the declaration of independence of Morocco (1956), the economy of Ceuta remained closely linked with the Protectorate. Changes in the political situation of the region brought restrictions on fishing in the territorial waters of the North Africa, this negatively affected the state of the Ceuta fishing industry. The closure of the Gibraltar Gate (1969) led to a change in Ceuta's tax policy regarding the sale of imported goods. The influx of visitors from Algeciras prompted the opening of a direct ferry service from Ceuta to Algeciras.
With the death of Franco (1975), the Spanish monarchy is restored, and King Juan Carlos I ascends to the throne (1978). Spain's entry into the World Trade Organization and the opening of Gibraltar negatively affected the economy of Ceuta. Spain's membership of the EU (1986) provided the city government of Ceuta with additional funding for several projects, which significantly transformed the city's appearance.
Since 1995, Ceuta has been an Autonomous City with its own Charter and legislation, administrative and judicial system. Ceuta has its own armed forces, regular troops, legion and navy.
Being in Morocco almost a year ago, and settling in the town of Tetouan, in the north of the country, I somehow got into a conversation with a certain local guy. He said that although he himself is Moroccan, he lives in Malaga, Spain. And now he is visiting his family, but then he will return to Spain. We discussed for a long time the problems of emigration, its questions and doubts, the hardships of adaptation and the quite understandable hostility of the Spaniards towards illegal immigrants coming from Morocco. He dropped a remarkable phrase on the topic of the fact that first there was the “Conquista”, then the “Reconquista”. And now that Europe has relaxed, there will be a repeat Muslim “Conquest”. My interlocutor laughed when we mentioned that the quiet second Conquest of Europe is already in full swing, since in Paris, for example, every fifth person is already from the Maghreb countries. He stopped laughing for a moment and noticed that in Paris the situation is not as indicative as, for example, in Marseille, where every third of his fellow believers is. Why were we leading this conversation? Don't know. My interlocutor disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
The next day, probably inspired by the conversation on the topic of the Conquest, I took a trip to Spanish Ceuta. From Tetuan CTM bus station, minibuses depart to the border crossing in Ceuta (40 km).
View of Ceuta from the Moroccan border post
A few words about these minibus taxis, otherwise called Grand Taxi. We will talk about old and extremely worn-out Peugeot 504s or Mercedes 200s. These cars are packed with many more passengers than intended. At least 4 people in the back (sometimes, plus children), plus two in the same passenger seat in the front. In total, in a car designed for 5 people including the driver, 7-9 actually travel. It is important to take these nuances into account, since during long trips this type of transport can be extremely tiring. In my case, there were seven of us, including the driver, and in the trunk there was a ram, which was continuously and forcefully pounding against the back of the seat, causing our backs to jump up and down.
Minibus taxis arrive here from Moroccan Tetouan. Next - customs and neutral zone.
The path to Spain is a long passage between two fences. Moroccan aunties bring goods for sale.
Border fence separating Spanish Ceuta and Morocco
If Tangier is the gateway to Morocco for Europeans of all stripes and needs, then Ceuta is the gateway to the world for Moroccan shopkeepers and rare backpackers. These gates are very different from each other both in appearance and in the number of people crossing these borders. Ceuta (Sebta in Arabic) occupies 18 sq. km and includes a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the sea, connected to the land by a narrow isthmus, where the city of Ceuta itself is located. The enclave is separated from Morocco by a fortified line of barriers, which is clearly visible from some panoramic positions already inside the enclave. Crossing the border is unique. First of all, do not take photographs on the territory of the terminals, be it Spanish or Moroccan. In my presence, two Spanish girls were detained who were filming the customs inspection of the car with a video camera. Their detention was not limited to verbal reprimand, but they were put into a gendarmerie car and taken away in the direction of Tetouan.
Ceuta
Further. A group of local hustlers (harassed), apparently not exactly tourist-oriented, will try to sell you immigration cards to fill out. This is offered to everyone, but you shouldn’t listen to them - cards are issued completely free of charge at passport control windows. Tourists stand in a separate line from Moroccans and very quickly, having received a stamp in exchange for a completed card, proceed to the Spanish terminal, which is at most fifty meters away. And here, already on the Spanish side, I was struck by the ease with which crowds of people enter Europe. No one checked the documents of people entering Spain.
I repeat - no one checked the documents of anyone traveling through this border crossing. I didn’t even take out my passport, but just walked in the crowd of Moroccans, and a minute later I found myself at a bus stop already on the territory of the enclave.
Bus number 7, with the sign “Centro Ciudad” (city center) just pulled up to the stop, the whole crowd happily loaded onto it and we went. Peace be with you, Spain. And yet it is noteworthy that, against the background of Europeans’ lamentations about the flow of illegal immigrants from Africa, the borders here are actually transparent. Looking ahead, I will note that on the way back no one checked the documents. And one more thing - from the border to the city center (2.5 km) you can walk along the embankment.
Ceuta is worthy of a short historical excursion. Very short, I promise, because I myself can’t stand it when travel writers, imagining themselves to be history teachers, copy from the Internet what they have no idea about.
So, for the Spaniards, Ceuta is like Crimea with Kronstadt for the Russians, for Britain - Gibraltar, for the USA - the Statue of Liberty, and for the Israelis - Jerusalem. Therefore, it is quite understandable how sensitive Spain is to any speculation about its last African possessions. Especially with Ceuta, over which the Spanish flag has not flown since 1580, when it was acquired from the Portuguese.
Morocco has big ambitions for Ceuta and Melilla, and last year's conflict between the two countries over the ownership of a tiny island a few kilometers northeast of Ceuta is another example of this.
Retaining enclaves is a matter of national pride in Spain, in light of which they have long turned a blind eye to the fact that both enclaves are subsidized, that unemployment reaches 30% and that in order to attract residents there, complete tax exemptions are offered. Against this background, the Spanish claims to British Gibraltar, which they consider their territory, illegally appropriated by the British, look extremely cynical and ironic.
In my opinion, Ceuta is remarkable for the very fact that it is a European enclave in Africa, colorful and unusual. A town with a population of 75 thousand inhabitants, a third of whom are Moroccans. There is a pleasant historical center, a couple of churches, one synagogue, a city theater and... that's it.
This is a paradise for lovers of ancient fortresses and other fortifications - there are at least five fortresses in Ceuta, two of which amaze with their scale and power. One of them, Foso de San Felipe, at the entrance to the historical center of the city, is a true masterpiece of medieval fortification art. It's worth spending a couple of hours here, including a visit to the small but interesting city museum. In fact, this huge bastion separates the city from the African mainland, since here, in the narrowest part of the isthmus, a ditch has been dug where sea water splashes.
The second fort, Fortaleza de Hacho, is located on the top of a mountain, on the opposite side of the peninsula, or about 4 km east of the city center. The fortress, whose walls with watchtowers and numerous loopholes stretch for 2.5 km, encircles the top of the mountain of the same name.
The third fort, Castilio de Desnarigado, is located on the eastern tip of the peninsula, 7 km from the city center and a kilometer. The fourth and fifth forts are less impressive, poorly preserved, and located on the southern part of the peninsula.
In principle, it is not so difficult to make a radial walking route from the city to all the forts. This is how I did it, walking about 10 km. This is a difficult journey, but with a lot of impressions and magnificent places for panoramic photography not only of Ceuta, but also of the vastness of Gibraltar, which is clearly visible from here, less than 30 kilometers away in a straight line.
I liked Ceuta. If you look at this place as a place of residence, then a feeling of claustrophobia is inevitable. The enclave, with a maximum length of 9 km and a maximum width of 1.8 km, sandwiched between the sea and the border, connected to Europe by ferries, is a controversial place for permanent residence. And not to everyone's taste. The advantages include a wonderful climate, warm sea, cheap housing and tax breaks.
Another half hour later I entered the passenger terminal building of the port of Ceuta. From here ferries and high-speed catamarans depart hourly to Algeciras, Spain. It is noteworthy that ferries to the mainland are more expensive here than from Tarifa to Tangier. I paid 34 euros one way (from Tarifa it cost 29 euros) and this was the minimum fare. A small incident arose during boarding when it turned out that the purchased ticket was a voucher, which should be exchanged for the boarding lounge at another window. Thus, I missed the nearest catamaran. It’s good that tickets are sold without a time limit and are valid for any catamaran during the day. Before boarding, passport control is carried out, but again, selectively. Ahead of me, a Moroccan family was checked for a long time and thoroughly, but I and several people behind me passed without taking out our passports, and boarded the ship in the same way.
And so, again crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, this time in the opposite direction. The camel-shaped ridge of Ceuta slowly disappears into the distance, gradually merging with the mountains of the African coast. Half an hour and only the general contours of the place where I had recently learned the mysteries of ancient fortresses and the peculiarities of crossing borders are visible.
But on the starboard side the Rock of Gibraltar appears. The catamaran enters the Bay of Algeciras, slows down and this is the time to take some great photos. Everything is very close. Here are the berths of the port of Algeciras, and opposite, across the bay, literally five kilometers away, is the British outpost of Gibraltar.
From the guidebook I knew that Algeciras itself was of little interest from a tourist point of view. A large port city, Spain's gateway to Africa. But here I had to spend this day and night. Without burdening myself with an agonizing choice, I simply headed to the nearest inexpensive hotel mentioned in the LP. This is the Marrakesh Motel, run by a friendly Moroccan family. A single room with shared facilities costs 20 euros here, and a double room costs 30. The main advantage of this place is that it is located in exceptional proximity to the port, bus station and railway station. Any of the stations is literally a few minutes' walk away. Here I left my things, took a shower and, without wasting precious daylight time (it was already noon), went to the nearby bus station. I'm going to Gibraltar! But more about that here.
