The city crushed by war—Ceuta
Anyone who has been to Ceuta will surely ask: Why does this city, with such a deep history, appear so new? The fundamental reason is that it has always been a fortress city. This results in buildings that prioritize practicality, durability, and defense. Once old houses become unsuitable, they are directly demolished and rebuilt, with no design logic aimed at "preserving for future generations to admire."
During the medieval Islamic period, the city was dense, with many mosques, madrasas, and markets. After the Portuguese captured it in 1415, Islamic architecture was systematically dismantled; mosques were converted into churches or completely leveled; the city layout was thoroughly reshaped. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Morocco repeatedly besieged Ceuta, while Spain continuously reinforced defenses, demolishing all buildings outside the city to prevent enemies from using them as cover. To make way for artillery, houses inside the city also suffered the same fate. This series of actions caused the most fatal damage to ancient architecture! By the 19th and 20th centuries, military modernization eradicated the remaining relics! The upgrade of artillery made the old city walls obsolete, necessitating their demolition and the construction of new defense systems. To accommodate the Spanish troops stationed there, many barracks were built, wide roads and supporting administrative buildings were constructed, all of which directly erased the medieval city’s appearance.
Ceuta’s history cannot be "seen," only "read." For example, today’s royal walls and seawater moat are directly built on the foundations of Roman defenses and Islamic city walls. The walls are modern, but their foundations contain three layers of civilization. Another example is the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, which looks quite "ordinary" from the outside but holds an extremely important location. It is built on the site of a Roman temple and a later mosque, and this place has always been the spiritual center of the city. The unusually wide and straight city streets were likely designed for troop movements and artillery transport.
Ceuta is a city crushed by war! Its motto is "How to survive the upheavals of history, not how to live!"