{"id":8869,"date":"2021-11-09T04:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=8869"},"modified":"2021-11-09T12:43:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T20:43:28","slug":"melilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/melilla\/","title":{"rendered":"Melilla"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Melilla is an\u00a0autonomous city<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Spain<\/a>\u00a0located on the northwest coast of Africa, sharing\u00a0a border<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Morocco<\/a>. It has an area of 12.3\u00a0km2<\/sup>\u00a0(4.7\u00a0sq\u00a0mi). One of two Spanish autonomous cities in mainland Africa together with\u00a0Ceuta<\/a>, it was part of the\u00a0Province of M\u00e1laga<\/a>\u00a0until 14 March 1995, when the\u00a0Statute of Autonomy of Melilla<\/a>\u00a0was passed.<\/p>\n

Melilla is one of the\u00a0special territories of the European Union<\/a>\u00a0(EU). Movements to and from the rest of the EU and Melilla are subject to specific rules, provided for\u00a0inter alia<\/i>\u00a0in the Accession Agreement of Spain to the\u00a0Schengen Convention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Melilla from the Air<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of 2019, Melilla had a population of 86,487.<\/sup>\u00a0The population is chiefly divided between people of Iberian and\u00a0Riffian<\/a>\u00a0extraction.<\/sup>\u00a0There is also a small number of\u00a0Sephardic Jews<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sindhi Hindus<\/a>.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n

Melilla, like Ceuta and Spain’s other territories in Africa, is subject to an\u00a0irredentist claim by Morocco<\/a>.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Pre-Modern History:<\/span><\/h3>\n

It was a\u00a0Phoenician<\/a>\u00a0and later\u00a0Punic<\/a>\u00a0trade establishment under the name of\u00a0Rusadir<\/a>. Later Rome absorbed it as part of the Roman province of\u00a0Mauretania Tingitana<\/a>. Rusaddir is mentioned by\u00a0Ptolemy<\/a>\u00a0(IV, 1) and\u00a0Pliny<\/a>\u00a0(V, 18) who called it\u00a0“oppidum et portus”<\/i>\u00a0(a fortified town and port). It was also cited by\u00a0Mela<\/a>\u00a0(I, 33) as\u00a0Rusicada,<\/i>\u00a0and by the\u00a0Itinerarium Antonini<\/i>.<\/sup>\u00a0Rusaddir was said to have once been the seat of a bishop, but there is no record of any bishop of the purported see,<\/sup>\u00a0which is not included in the\u00a0Catholic Church<\/a>‘s list of\u00a0titular sees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Roman Ruins in Melilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As centuries passed, it was ruled by\u00a0Vandal<\/a>,\u00a0Byzantine<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Hispano-Visigothic<\/a>\u00a0bands. The political history is similar to that of towns in the region of the Moroccan\u00a0Rif<\/a>\u00a0and southern Spain. Local rule passed through a succession of Phoenician, Punic,\u00a0Roman<\/a>,\u00a0Umayyad<\/a>,\u00a0Cordobese<\/a>,\u00a0Idrisid<\/a>,\u00a0Almoravid<\/a>,\u00a0Almohad<\/a>,\u00a0Marinid<\/a>, and then\u00a0Wattasid<\/a>\u00a0rulers.<\/p>\n

During the 15th century, the city subsumed into decadence, just like most of the rest of cities of the\u00a0Kingdom of Fez<\/a>\u00a0located along the Mediterranean coast, eclipsed by those along the Atlantic facade.<\/sup>\u00a0Following the completion of the\u00a0conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0Catholic Monarchs<\/a>\u00a0in 1492, their Secretary\u00a0Hernando de Zafra<\/a>\u00a0[es<\/a>]<\/span>\u00a0started to compile information about the sorry state of the north-African coast with the prospect of a potential territorial expansion in mind,<\/sup>\u00a0sending field agents to investigate, and subsequently reporting the Catholic Monarchs that, by early 1494, locals had expelled the authority of the Sultan of Fez and had offered to pledge service.<\/sup>\u00a0While the 1494\u00a0Treaty of Tordesillas<\/a>\u00a0put Melilla and\u00a0Cazaza<\/a>\u00a0(until then reserved to the Portuguese) under the sphere of Castile, the conquest of the city had to wait, delayed by the occupation of Naples by\u00a0Charles VIII of France<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Presidio:<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Duke of Medina Sidonia,\u00a0Juan Alfonso P\u00e9rez de Guzm\u00e1n<\/a>\u00a0promoted the seizure of the place, to be headed by\u00a0Pedro de Estopi\u00f1\u00e1n,<\/a>\u00a0while the Catholic Monarchs,\u00a0Isabella of Castile<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ferdinand of Aragon<\/a>\u00a0endorsed the initiative, also providing the assistance of their artillery officer\u00a0Francisco Ram\u00edrez de Madrid<\/a>\u00a0during the operation.<\/sup>\u00a0Melilla was occupied on 17 September 1497 virtually without any violence as it, as located in the border between the\u00a0Kingdom of Tlemcen<\/a>\u00a0and the Kingdom of Fez and fought over many times by those powers, it had been left abandoned and partially ruined.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0No big-scale expansion into the Kingdom of Fez ensued, and, barring the enterprises of the\u00a0Cardinal Cisneros<\/a>\u00a0along the coast in\u00a0Mers El K\u00e9bir<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Oran<\/a>\u00a0(in the Algerian coast), and the\u00a0rock of Badis<\/a>\u00a0(this one in the territorial scope of the Kingdom of Fez), the imperial impetus of the Hispanic Monarchy was eventually directed elsewhere, to the\u00a0Italian Wars<\/a>\u00a0waged against France, and, particularly since 1519,<\/sup>\u00a0to the newly discovered continent across the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of the Melilla Fortress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Melilla was initially jointly administered by the\u00a0House of Medina Sidonia<\/a>\u00a0and the Crown,<\/sup>\u00a0and a 1498 settlement forced the former to station a 700-men garrison in Melilla and forced the latter to provide the city with a number of\u00a0maraved\u00edes<\/a>\u00a0and wheat\u00a0fanegas<\/a><\/i>.<\/sup>\u00a0The Crown’s interest in Melilla decreased during the reign of\u00a0Charles V<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0During the 16th century, soldiers stationed in Melilla were badly remunerated, leading to many desertions.<\/sup> The Duke of Medina Sidonia relinquished responsibility over the garrison of the place on 7 June 1556.<\/p>\n

During the late 17th century, Alaouite sultan\u00a0Ismail Ibn Sharif<\/a>\u00a0attempted to conquer the\u00a0presidio<\/a><\/i>,<\/sup> taking the outer fortifications in the 1680s and further unsuccessfully besieging Melilla in the 1690s.<\/p>\n

Urban Development:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The current limits of the Spanish territory around the Melilla fortress were fixed by treaties with Morocco in 1859,\u00a01860<\/a>, 1861, and 1894. In the late 19th century, as Spanish influence expanded in this area, the Crown authorized Melilla as the only center of trade on the Rif coast between Tetuan<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Algerian<\/a>\u00a0frontier. The value of trade increased, with goat skins, eggs and\u00a0beeswax<\/a>\u00a0being the principal exports, and cotton goods, tea, sugar and candles being the chief imports.<\/p>\n

Melilla’s civil population in 1860 still amounted for only 375 estimated inhabitants.<\/sup>\u00a0In a 1866 Hispano-Moroccan arrangement signed in\u00a0Fes<\/a>, both parts agreed to allow for the installment of a customs office near the border with Melilla, to be operated by Moroccan officials.<\/sup> The Treaty of Peace with Morocco that followed the 1859\u201360 War entailed the acquisition of a new perimeter for Melilla, bringing its area to the 12\u00a0km2<\/sup>\u00a0the autonomous city currently stands.<\/sup>\u00a0Following the declaration of Melilla as free port in 1863, the population began to increase, chiefly by Sephardi Jews fleeing from\u00a0Tetouan<\/a>\u00a0who fostered trade in and out the city.<\/sup> The first Jews from Tetouan probably arrived in 1864,<\/sup>\u00a0meanwhile the first rabbi arrived in 1867 and began to operate the first synagogue, located in the Calle de San Miguel.<\/sup>\u00a0Many Jews arrived fleeing from persecution in Morocco, instigated by\u00a0Roghi Bu Hamara<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0Following the 1868 lifting of the veto to emigrate to Melilla from Peninsular Spain, the population further increased with Spaniards.<\/sup>\u00a0The Jewish population, who also progressively acquired Spanish citizenship, increased to 572 in 1893.<\/sup> The economic opportunities created in Melilla henceforth favored the installment of a Berber population.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Melilla 1893<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first proper body of local government was the\u00a0junta de arbitrios<\/i>, created in 1879,<\/sup>\u00a0and in which the military used to enjoy preponderance.<\/sup>\u00a0The Pol\u00edgono excepcional de Tiro, the first neighborhood outside the walled core (Melilla la Vieja<\/a>), began construction in 1888.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
In 1893, Riffian tribesmen launched the <\/span>First Melillan campaign<\/a>\u00a0to take back this area; the Spanish government sent 25,000 soldiers to defend against them. The conflict was also known as the\u00a0<\/span>Margallo War<\/i>, after Spanish General\u00a0<\/span>Juan Garc\u00eda y Margallo<\/a>, who was killed in the battle, and was the Governor of Melilla. The new 1894 agreement with Morocco that followed the conflict increased trade with the hinterland, bringing the economic prosperity of the city to a new level.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The total population of Melilla amounted for 10,004 inhabitants in 1896.<\/span><\/sup><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The turn of the new century saw however the attempts by France (based in French Algeria<\/a>) to profit from their newly acquired\u00a0sphere of influence<\/a>\u00a0in Morocco to counter the trading prowess of Melilla by fostering trade links with the Algerian cities of\u00a0Ghazaouet<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Oran<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0Melilla began to suffer from this, to which the instability brought by revolts against\u00a0Muley Abdel Aziz<\/a>\u00a0in the hinterland also added,<\/sup>\u00a0although after 1905 Sultan pretender El Rogui (Bou Hmara<\/a>) carried out a defusing policy in the area that favored Spain.<\/sup>\u00a0The French occupation of\u00a0Oujda<\/a>\u00a0in 1907, compromised the Melillan trade with that city.<\/sup> and the enduring instability in the Rif still threatened Melilla.<\/sup>\u00a0Between 1909 and 1945, the\u00a0modernista<\/i>\u00a0(Art Nouveau<\/a>) style was very present in the local architecture, making the streets of Melilla a “true museum of\u00a0modernista<\/i>-style architecture”, second only to Barcelona (in Spain), mainly stemming from the work of prolific architect\u00a0Enrique Nieto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jewish Woman in the Jewish Quarter (1909)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mining companies began to enter the\u00a0hinterland<\/i>\u00a0of Melilla by 1908.<\/sup>\u00a0A Spanish one, the\u00a0Compa\u00f1\u00eda Espa\u00f1ola de las Minas del Rif<\/a>, was constituted in July 1908, shared by Clemente Fern\u00e1ndez, Enrique Macpherson, the\u00a0Count of Romanones<\/a>, the\u00a0Duke of Tovar<\/a> and\u00a0Juan Antonio G\u00fcell<\/a> , who appointed\u00a0Miguel Villanueva<\/a>\u00a0as chairman.<\/sup>\u00a0Thus two mining companies under the protection of Bou Hmara, started mining lead and iron some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Melilla. They started to construct a railway between the port and the mines. In October of that year the Bou Hmara’s vassals revolted against him and raided the mines, which remained closed until June 1909. By July the workmen were again attacked and several were killed. Severe fighting between the Spaniards and the tribesmen followed, in the\u00a0Second Melillan campaign<\/a>\u00a0that took place in the vicinity of Melilla.<\/p>\n

In 1910, the Spaniards restarted the mines and undertook harbor works at Mar Chica, but hostilities broke out again in 1911. On 22 July 1921, the Berbers under the leadership of\u00a0Abd el Krim<\/a>\u00a0inflicted a grave defeat on the Spanish at the\u00a0Battle of Annual<\/a>. The Spanish retreated to Melilla, leaving most of the protectorate under the control of the Republic of Rif.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
A “junta municipal” with a rather civil composition was created in 1927; on 10 April 1930, an <\/span>ayuntamiento<\/i>\u00a0featuring the same membership as the junta was created,<\/span><\/sup> equal to the same municipal regime as the rest of Spain on 14 April 1931, with the arrival of the first democratically elected municipal corporation on the wake of the proclamation of the <\/span>Second Republic<\/a>.<\/span><\/sup><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The city was used as one of the staging grounds for\u00a0the July 1936 military coup d’\u00e9tat<\/a>\u00a0that started the\u00a0Spanish Civil War<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Art Nouveau Buildings in the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a (c. 1917)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the context of the passing of the Ley de Extranjer\u00eda in 1986, and following social mobilization from the Berber community, conditions for citizenship acquisition were relaxed and allowed for the naturalization of a substantial number of inhabitants, until then born in Melilla but without Spanish citizenship.<\/sup><\/p>\n

In 1995, Melilla (which was until then just another municipality of the\u00a0Province of M\u00e1laga<\/a>) became an “autonomous city”,<\/sup>\u00a0as the\u00a0Statute of Autonomy of Melilla<\/a>\u00a0was passed.<\/p>\n

On 6 November 2007, King\u00a0Juan Carlos I<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Queen Sofia<\/a>\u00a0visited the city, which caused a demonstration of support. The visit also sparked protests from the Moroccan government.<\/sup>\u00a0It was the first time a Spanish monarch had visited Melilla in 80 years.<\/p>\n

Melilla (and Ceuta) have declared the Muslim holiday of\u00a0Eid al-Adha<\/a>\u00a0or Feast of the Sacrifice, as an official public holiday from 2010 onward. This is the first time a non-Christian religious festival has been officially celebrated in Spain since the\u00a0Reconquista<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2018, Morocco decided to close the customs office near Melilla, in operation since the mid 19th century, without consulting the counterparty.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Melilla is located in the northwest of the African continent, in the shores of the Alboran Sea<\/a>, a marginal sea of the\u00a0Mediterranean<\/a>, the latter’s westernmost portion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of Melilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The city layout is arranged in a wide semicircle around the beach and the\u00a0Port of Melilla<\/a>, on the eastern side of the peninsula of\u00a0Cape Tres Forcas<\/a>, at the foot of\u00a0Mount Gurug\u00fa<\/a> and around the mouth of the\u00a0R\u00edo de Oro<\/a>\u00a0intermittent water stream, 1 meter (3\u00a0ft 3\u00a0in) above sea level. The urban nucleus was originally a\u00a0fortress<\/a>,\u00a0Melilla la Vieja<\/a>, built on a peninsular mound about 30 meters (98\u00a0ft) in height.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Gross domestic product<\/a> (GDP) of the autonomous community was 1.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 0.1% of Spanish economic output.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n

Melilla does not participate into the\u00a0European Union Customs Union<\/a>\u00a0(EUCU).<\/sup>\u00a0There is no\u00a0VAT<\/a>\u00a0(IVA) tax, but a local reduced-rate tax called IPSI.<\/sup>\u00a0Preserving the status of\u00a0free port<\/a>, imports are free of tariffs and the only tax concerning them is the IPSI.<\/sup>\u00a0Exports to the Customs Union (including Peninsular Spain) are however subject to the correspondent customs tariff and are taxed with the correspondent VAT.<\/sup>\u00a0There are some special manufacturing taxes regarding electricity and transport, as well as complementary charges on tobacco and oil and fuel products.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Smuggled Goods Bound for Morocco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The principal industry is fishing. Cross-border commerce (legal or smuggled) and Spanish and European grants and wages are the other income sources.<\/p>\n

Melilla is regularly connected to the Iberian peninsula by air and sea traffic and is also economically connected to Morocco: most of its fruit and vegetables are imported across the border. Moroccans in the city’s hinterland are attracted to it: 36,000 Moroccans cross the border daily to work, shop or trade goods.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Melilla Airport<\/a>\u00a0is serviced by\u00a0Air Nostrum<\/a>, flying to the Spanish cities of\u00a0M\u00e1laga<\/a>,\u00a0Madrid<\/a>,\u00a0Barcelona<\/a>,\u00a0Las Palmas de Gran Canaria<\/a>,\u00a0Palma de Mallorca<\/a>,\u00a0Granada<\/a>,\u00a0Badajoz<\/a>,\u00a0Sevilla<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Almer\u00eda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Melilla Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In April 2013, a local enterprise set up\u00a0Melilla Airlines<\/a>, flying from the city to M\u00e1laga.\u00a0The city is linked to M\u00e1laga, Almer\u00eda and\u00a0Motril<\/a>\u00a0by ferry.<\/p>\n

Three roads connect Melilla and\u00a0Morocco<\/a>\u00a0but require clearance through border checkpoints.<\/p>\n

Flag of Melilla:<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0flag<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Melilla<\/a>, a\u00a0Spanish<\/a>\u00a0enclave<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0North Africa<\/a>, consists of a pale blue background with\u00a0the city’s coat of arms<\/a> in the center.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Melilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flag of Melilla, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, consists of a pale blue background with the city’s coat of arms in the center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19,48,59,26,5,6,7,87,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8869"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9527,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8869\/revisions\/9527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}