HISTORY

HISTORY OF ADRA

Foto: Feranza ( Wikimedia Commons). Licencia: CC BY-SA

Greek or Phoenician Origin?

Adra is a town whose origins remain uncertain.Since historians and researchers have not agreed on the town's origin,there are two different theories about it:

1. The first one states that Adra was founded by the Ancient Greeks, with the name of Abdera, which is used in some written sources by several Ancient Greece authors. However, many consider this to be a simple assumption.

2. The most widespread theory says that Abdera was founded by the Phoenician in the 8th century BC as an important trading settlement with a harbour. This theory is based on the different archeological excavations carried out at Cerro de Montecristo, where ancient coins, some ruins of houses from the 6th century BC and pieces of stone with Phoenician inscriptions from the 4th century BC were found. 

Roman Adra

Abdera was under Roman control by the end of the 2nd century BC and it became little by little a settlement with great prestige inside the Roman Empire due to its salt production and its garum, a liquified fat from meat and entrails of fish. The fame and recognition of this city in the 1st century happened when the local currency was coined. But during the crisis of the Roman Empire, Abdera started declining until the Byzantines and the Visigoths took over the city in the 6th century. 

Arab Adra

Foto: Feranza (Wikimedia commons). Licencia: CC BY- SA

The Islamization of Adra took place in the 9th century after the remodelation of the current neighbourhood of La Alquería. From that time period there are still some archeological remains preserved, such as the lookout tower in Calle Natalia Rivas. 

The Arab domination ended in 1489 with the Capitulations of Baza. Before the end of the year, the city was under the control of Spanish Catholic Monarchs. Then, a castle was built next to Adra La Nueva, a neighbourhood different from the rest of the city with Arab population. A defensive city wall was constructed, that today only three of the fortified towerrs have remained. 

 Modern and Contemporary Adra

Foto: Sofía (Flickr). Licencia: CC BY-NC-SA

From the second half of 16th century, Adra experienced a great economic expansion thanks to the exportation and importation of cane sugar, fish and other localy harvested products until mid-20th century. 

Currently, the industrial activity has almost disappeared and agriculture and fishing are the base of Adra's economy, even though the services sector and tourism are boosting little by little the city's economy, thanks to its beautiful and almost untouched beaches. 

HISTORY OF ROQUETAS DE MAR

Foto: eskimo_jo (Flickr). Licencia: CC BY-NC-SA 

Roquetas de Mar in the Antiquity

The origin of Roquetas de Mar is considered to date back to the times or the Phoenician Empire, which left evidence of their presence in the area. However, the Romans were the ones who actually founded the city of Turaniana, the ancient name of Roquetas de Mar. 

The Romans began the salt production in the area and manufactured the so-called garum, a liquified fat from meat and fish entrails that used to be exported to Rome. Even more, copper coins from that time have been found as well as a milliarium, an ancient sign on the Roman roads to indicate the distances between the different settlements and cities within the Roman territories. 

Roquetas de Mar in the Middle Ages

Foto: Berbelk (Flickr). Licencia: CC BY-SA

During the time of Al-Andalus, the Sultan Yusuf of Granada fortified the area with constructions such as Torre del Esparto, demolished in 1811; Torre de Cerrillos; and the Castle of Roquetas or the Castle of Santa Ana. The city was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile in 1489, which began its administration as part of the Almeria territory.

Foto: ANE (Flickr). Licencia: CC BY-SA

Roquetas de Mar in the Modern and Contemporary Age

After the Conquest of Castile, the people of the area worked at the salt lakes and fishing. The first stable settlement dates back from 1937, when a few fishers from small towns such as Félix, established themselves in the area and built their houses close to the city castle. 

Roquetas de Mar in the 20th Century and the Present

Foto: Jose Gonzalvo Vivas (Flickr). Licencia: CC BY-NC-ND

In the 50's, Roquetas de Mar became a town with a greater number of inhabitants in the Province of Almería, mainly because of the implementation of intensive farming in the area. 

After the farming development, tourism became another important economic activity for the city in the next few decades, making the city grow into the current Roquetas de Mar, where these activities are still key for the thriving future of Roquetas de Mar.