ABSTRACT
Some 1300 years ago North Africa was invaded by Arab people, and became an extension of the Islamic world of South-West Asia, as indigenous North Africans adopted its religion and culture. Nevertheless, North Africa also remained a part of the Mediterranean world, which included southern Europe. Indeed, the expansion of Islam into North Africa extended into Europe, controlling parts of what is now Spain and Portugal for almost 800 years. A succession of states and rulers came and went in different parts of the overall region and remarkable cultural developments took place, characterized by flourishing towns and cities, increasing trade and the pursuit of learning. In North Africa there were many centres of importance, such as Fez, Tangier, Algiers, Tunis, Kairouan and Tripoli but continuing occupation makes their archaeological investigation difficult. However, it has been possible to investigate thoroughly a small city that was abandoned over 450 years ago and never reoccupied. It was not an important city but for some centuries it played a significant role in the history of the western Mediterranean. The place had various names, of which the latest Arabic one was Qsar es-Seghir but the Portuguese knew it as Alcacer Ceguer. Located at the narrowest part of the Strait of Gibraltar, it was only 22 kilometres from the European shore. As a result it was, in succession, a conduit for people and commodities, a frontier fortress, and a colonial outpost. Occupied in turn by Moslem North Africans and then Christian Portuguese, its story is one of interaction between Africa and Europe.
