Tarifa

Tarifa began as a small insignificant fishing town which was the first point of the Moorish invasion of Southern Spain in AD711 when pirates in the area were said to have extracted a fee or ‘Tarif’ from sailors wanting to pass through the straits of Gibraltar.

The Castle was constructed in AD960 on the orders of Caliph Abderraman III; its irregular oblong architecture has roman influence giving rise to the theory that it was built on the remains of a roman fort. In the 13th Century Guzmán el Bueno occupied the castle, now named after him. Islamic invaders tried to take the castle by kidnapping his son and threatening to kill him if he did not relinquish the castle. Guzmán is said to have thrown down his own sword for the kidnappers to kill his son rather than to surrender. If you visit during August you may be able to witness the local people re-enacting this event in the castle.

Today the town is invaded by peaceful crowds of tourists during the Andalucian folk festival and again during the windsurfing world championships.