Spanish Enclave Ceuta Asserts 400-Year History Amid Moroccan Territorial Claims

"Did you know that Ceuta has been part of Spain for over four centuries? We don’t say it," the brief informative video published by the Observatory of Ceuta and Melilla on its official Twitter account states. The publication of this capsule follows the recent statements of Enaam Mayara, who claimed that the two autonomous cities are "occupied" territories.

"Of Phoenician origin," Sebta was dominated by the "Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs and Visigoths," the video informs. And it adds: "Desired for its strategic position at the gates of the Mediterranean, Ceuta was, since the 11th century, the last stage of the trans-Saharan route through which it received gold and salt."

At that time and until the arrival of the Almoravids, the city "had its own kings and an important military role," details the video, which specifies that "after seven centuries of Muslim domination, Juan I of Portugal entered Ceuta in 1415 as part of the reconquest, leaving the territory assimilated to the Portuguese crown."

The death of Sebastián of Portugal in 1578 led Felipe II to become sovereign of Portugal. This is how "Ceuta has integrated the Hispanic domain," the publication informs, stressing that after the dynastic rupture that occurred in 1640, "the inhabitants of the city have freely chosen to continue to be part of Spain."