Dénia

Sister cities

• Cholet
• Reinickendorf

History

There is evidence of human habitation in the area since prehistoric times and there are significant Iberian ruins on the hillsides nearby. In the 4th century BC it was a Greek colony of Massalia or Emporion, perhaps the one mentioned by Strabo as Hēmeroskopeion () (meaning "watchtower"). It was an ally of Rome during the Punic Wars, and later was absorbed into the Roman Empire under the name of Dianium (after their goddess Diana). In the 1st century BC Quintus Sertorius established a Roman naval base here. From 636696, under Visigothic rule, it was the seat of a bishop subordinate to Toledo. After the Muslim conquest of Iberia and the dissolution of the Caliphate of Córdoba, Dénia (, ) became the capital of a Taifa kingdom that reigned over part of the Valencian coast and Ibiza. Slavic Muslim slaves, saqālibah, led by Mujahid ibn Yusuf ibn Ali, profited from the progressive crumbling of the Caliphate's superstructure to gain control over the province of Dénia. The saqālibah managed to free themselves and run the kingdom, which extended its reach as far as the islands of Mallorca and its capital . The saqālibah taifa lost its independence in 1076, when it was captured by Ahmad al-Muqtadir, lord of Zaragoza, under which it remained until the Almoravid invasion in 1091. The Muslim Arabs originally built the castle fortress, and the French, who occupied the city for four years during the Peninsular War, rebuilt it in the early 19th century. The town was conquered by the Christians in 1244. This caused a decline for the city, which remained nearly uninhabited after the exile of most of the Muslim population. It was later repopulated by the Valencian government. Created a fief in 1298, it was held by the de Sandoval family from 1431, although the city itself was returned…