“Vejer de la Frontera” .. an Andalusian town whose stones tell its history

The city of "Vejer de la Frontera", which witnessed the victory of the Arabs and the start of 7 centuries of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula.

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Along a two-kilometre wall that perfectly encircles the Andalusian town of Vejer de la Frontera, where he was born, José Manuel Acuña, with silver-gray hair tied into a bun, walks in a black leather jacket.

It seems that the 56-year-old man has a story he wants to tell for every stone found in the place, as the large rectangular stones there date back to the Romans, who remained in control of the place until about the fourth century.

Then came the Visigoths, who preferred the smaller cube-shaped stones, which can also be found in the city wall.

With the strong easterly winds from the Mediterranean, known as the Levante, people go in search of shelter in a suitable corner by the wall, and look through an opening onto the green landscape around the place, which is where a few wind power turbines have been placed.

Acuña says that in the area where the turbines are located today, there was a bloody battle in 711 between the Visigoths and the Muslims, explaining: “At that time, an army of 100,000 Visigoths faced an army of only 10,000 Arabs and Moors ( inhabitants of the Maghreb).

Under the sweltering July sun, the battle took place at Laguna de la Ganda, and although the Visigoths were outnumbered, the Muslims on their large Arabian horses clearly outnumbered the Visigoths who fought on foot or On the backs of small horses. This victory of the Arabs in the city of «Vejer de la Frontera» resulted in the launch of seven centuries of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula.

Of course, one can find traces of Moorish style and architecture on the city walls.

"Jews and Muslims have been living there for centuries like brothers," Acuña says as he passes the parish church of Divino Salvador.

The church was built in the fourteenth century on the highest point in the city, over the old walls of a mosque.

"At that time, Muslims allowed the Jews who lived there to use their places of worship as well," Acuña says.

The ghetto is now located next to the church.

The story of the black "Cobegada" dress

On the south side of the historic city wall, there are five gates, one of which bears the name "Puerta Cerrada", meaning (the closed door), behind which is a platform on which a famous statue of a woman wrapped in a piece of black cloth known as "Copegada" is displayed.

The purpose of wearing this garment was to protect women in the streets from the gaze of men.

Once inside a protected area, she can shed the black cloth with one movement and emerge with her colorful clothes underneath.

• Traces of the Islamic architectural style and method are still visible on the city walls.

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