MELILLA: (English version by CarlosHugoBecerra)
© Copyright 1996-2008 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved By: Tore Kjeilen.
Supervised, edited, and corrected with the invaluable help of
My name is Carlos Hugo
Becerra, and along with
my wife Isabel live in
Melilla, this beautiful
city that we are going
to show.
 One of Melilla's local heros, Pedro Estopiñan |
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Few people are aware of the existence
of Spanish Morocco, and Melilla is
much less known than the other
part, Ceuta.
The existence of Melilla today, is based
on history more than anything else. While Melilla is
pleasant, clean and apparently well-off,
most of this is the result of subsidies
from the Spanish state and EU.
Melilla's own income come from thousands of soldiers,
contraband and still some tax free shopping.
But there are less visitors coming from
mainland Spain than before, and the Moroccan
police has become more effective in stopping
illegal importation of goods from Melilla,
so there are dark clouds over the city's future.
Melilla is far more a mixture of Spanish and Moorish,
than most cities in southern Spain.
The old city and the fortress out at the sea are things
in Melilla that attract tourists.
And the market area is very charming.
But the main attraction of Melilla is of course
the weirdness of the place.
It is so small that all land is regulated, surrounded
by Morocco on all sides, and 6 hours ferry ride
from mainland Spain.
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Melilla. Medina Sidonia:
Until about 100 years ago the Medina Sidonia, or Melilla La Vieja, was all there was of the city. The city walls were vital to security, and their good condition today is easily explained with the many tribal chiefs and warlords in the surrounding areas up until the 1920's.
and the area is clean and proper, and quite attractive.
But it is so small — one wonders how this could have been all of the city once. Imagine perhaps 1,000 Spaniards living in a fortress hundreds of kilometres of sea away from the nearest Spanish settlement.
Melilla (Mlilt in Berber meaning "the white one") is an autonomous city under Spanish rule located on the Mediterranean, on the Moroccan coast in North Africa.
It was regarded as a part of Málaga province prior to March 14, 1995, when the city's Statute of Autonomy was passed. Spain occupied the town in 1497 with military force. Prior to this date, it was under the rule of Berber dynasties.
Melilla was a free port before Spain joined the European Union.
As of 2009 it had a population of 75.000 (more and less). Its population consists of Christians, Muslims (chiefly Berber), and small minorities of Jews and Hindus. Both Spanish and Tarifit-Berber are widely spoken. Spanish is the official language, while there are many calls to recognize Berber as well.
Melilla is, along with Ceuta, one of the two Spanish autonomous cities.
Morocco claims Melilla, along with Ceuta and various small Spanish islands off the coast of Africa (Plazas de soberanía) that are sovereign posts.
Morocco bases its claim on the fact that the area was part of the Idrisid and other succeeding Muslim dynasties from 791 until 1497, when the city was taken by Castile.
The government of Morocco has also drawn comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory situated on the mainland of Spain.
In both cases, the national governments and local populations of the contended territories reject these claims by a wide margin.
Spanish sources claim that unlike the Protectorate territories included in former Spanish Morocco Melilla has been a constituent part of Spain since the very dawn of Spain as an independent country, the city being a part of Castile for longer than even other current Spanish regions such as Navarre.
These sources also dispute any ties between the former Muslim dynasties ruling the city and the present day Kingdom of Morocco, noting that if those latter dynasties were to be considered most of present day Spain would be a part of Morocco too.
The history of Melilla is similar to that of Moroccan towns in the region of the Rif and southern Spanish towns, passing through Amazigh, Phoenician, Punic, Roman, Ummayyad, Idrisid, Hammudid, Almoravid, Almohad, Merinid and then Wattasid rules before being annexed by Spain five years after the latter kingdom completed the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula in 1492.
Melilla and Ceuta are the only two European-Union territories located in mainland Africa.
The amateur radio call sign used for both cities is EA9.
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MELILLA:
Happy houses
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MELILLA:
Iglesia del la Sagrada Corazón
The main church of Melilla is squeezed in between
the centre buildings. Just a little square in front
of the church gives it room, and allows celebrations
to start or continue outdoors.
MELILLA:
Plaza de España
Formed as a perfect circle with a park in the centre,
Plaza de España is the real centre of Melilla. It lies next
to the harbour, and out west the streets of the older
part of Melilla lies. The houses are in excellent condition,
especially the Casino Militar, which appears to be an
important meeting point of locals.
Parque Hernandez
During times of festivals, Parque Hernandez is turned into
a fairground where all people gather late into the night.
The rest of the time, it is a tranquil spot to escape the
claustrophobia that the inhabitants of Melilla
sometimes feel.
MELILLA:
Town beach
The town beach is not the greatest asset of Melilla.
Yet it is clean and wide and seldom too crowded.
Nautical ditches:
The city of Melilla has a great nautical life.
The practice of ditches of international order is
common in his waters.
Harbour
This is the original harbour of Melilla, but serves now mainly
pleasure boats and small fishing vessels.
The commercial harbour is further south, and the
ferry terminal is to the north.
This bay shelters many places of leisure
and amusement.
MELILLA:
Leaving Africa
Few tourists passing through Melilla do so without
coming or leaving with one of the ferries
going to Spain.
The passage to Spain is rather
long compared to Ceuta.
It is a good illustration on how isolated Melilla
is from Europe.
Immigration:
There is considerable pressure by African refugees
to enter Melilla, a part of the European Union.
The border is secured by the Melilla border fence,
a six-meter-tall double fence with watch towers,
yet refugees frequently manage to cross it illegally,
avoiding the attempts by Spanish police to take
them back to their home countries.
Detection wires, tear gas dispensers, radar,
and day/night vision cameras are planned
to increase security and prevent illegal immigration.
In October 2005, over 700 sub-Saharan migrants
tried to enter Spanish territory
from the Moroccan border.
City culture and society:
Melilla's Capilla de Santiago or James's Chapel,
by the city walls, is the only genuine Gothic
architecture in Africa.
At the turn of the century, Melilla was a thriving
part of Spanish Morocco. A new bourgeois class
expressed its prestige in the architectural style
of Modernisme, the Catalan version of Art
Nouveau, which was then in vogue in Spain.
The workshops inspired by the Catalan
architect, Enrique Nieto, continued in the
modernist style, even after it went out of
fashion elsewhere.
So Melilla has the second most important
concentration of Modernist works in Spain,
after Barcelona.
Melilla has been praised as an example of
multiculturalism, being a small city in
which one can find up to three major
religions represented.
However, the Christian majority of the past,
being around 65% not so long time ago,
has been shrinking while the number of Muslims
has been steadily increasing to its present 45%
of the population in either sides, and Jews
have been leaving for years (from 20% of
the population before World War II to less
than 5% today).
The culture in this little city is divided in
two halves, one is European and the
other Amazigh, while the first one is
represented all over the rest of the
country, the second one, being
represented only in this little
piece of Spain, is considered by some,
especially in the mainland, as foreign.
Practicalities
Hotels and alternatives
Quite OK on sleep, but basic places are about 2- 3
times more expensive than Morocco,
while moderate standard and higher are about as
expensive as Morocco.
Melilla's phone system is part of the Spanish system.
Calling internationally, dial (international code) + 34 +
phone number indicated. The Camping de Rostrogordo
is located 2 km north of town and is well maintained
and with friendly prices (t. 952 685262).
Melilla Puerto Hotel.
Melilla Puerto Hotel.
Parador Hotel.
Parador Hotel.
National Parador of Melilla.
Anfora Hotel.
Restaurants and alternatives
Not too bad, there are plenty of places to eat
in Melilla.
Nightlife
Spanish style night life, which involves later hour
activity than you would find in Morocco.
And alcohol prices are only a fraction of Morocco's
and the beer a lot better.
Change money
All necessary banks for changing money (Euros).
In general, Moroccan dirhams can be changed too,
but there is little to gain or lose compared to
changing money in Morocco.
Transportation
Buses and taxis bring you all the way to the border on
Spanish side. But you will have to cross it as
a pedestrian, unless you bring your own vehicle.
As there are far more possible destinations when
you're on the Moroccan side, the offers on
transport is better here.
| Melilla hotels |
 Pension el Puerto (t. 952 681270)  Residencia Cazaza (t. 952 684648)  Residencia Parque (t. 952 682143) Residencia Rioja (t. 952 682709)  Anfora (t. 952 683340) Avenida (t. 952 684949)  Nacional (t. 952 684540) Pension al Rosa Blanca (t. 952 682738)  Rusadir (t. 952 681240)  Melilla Puerto (t. 952 695525) Parador  (t. 952 684940)  |
© Copyright 1996-2008 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen.
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