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O
N APRIL
30.
A.D.
711.
an
invading Moorish army
from North Africa under Tarik-ibn–
Zaid Landed on a rocky península al
the western entrance of the Mediter–
ranean, with plans to subjugate the
Visigoth kingdom of Spain.
To secure his communications
with North Africa, Tarik decided to
fortify the lofty promontory and or–
dered the building of a great for–
tress-castle atop "the Rock." The
Moors named the Rock in Tarik's
honor, calling it
Jebe/ ol-Tarik -
the
Mount ofTarik. Today it is known to us
by its anglicized name,
Gibrollar.
Recorded possession of the Rock
extends back into history long be–
fore the days of Tarik. The ancient
Phoenicians once held it. The
Greeks occupied it next, followed by
the Phoenidans of Carthage and
lhen 1he Romans. The Greeks called
the Rock
Copie -
meaning a ship–
probably because it rises above the
surrounding flat margin-land like a
ship's bow. The Romans knew it as
Mons Calpe,
or ship mounlain.
The Romans, threatened by barbar–
ían invasions at home. left the Rock
in the early fifth century A.D. Three
centuries later. in
711.
carne Tarik's
invasion. beginning a nearly
800-
year Moorish domination ofmuch of
Spain. It was Tarik who first per–
ceived that the Rock was, as il later
carne lO be known, "the key to
Spain." He used itas the initial base
for his planned northward thrust.
In
1309
the Rock was taken by
the Spaniards, but was relaken by
the Moors in
1333,
from whom il
passed in
1411
to lhe Moorish ru ler
ofGranada. It became Spanish once
more
in
1462,
being given into the
custody of the Duke of Medina Si–
donia in
1469.
This marked the na–
dir of Moorish rule in Spain.
Gibraltar was formaUy incorporated
within the domains of the Spanish
Crown by Queen lsabella in
1502.
Two centuries later, Spain in turn
lost control ofthe Rock,
in
July
1704
(during the War of Spanish Succes–
sion). A combined Brilish-Dutch na–
val force under Admira! Sir George
Rooke seized Gibraltar after a mere
three days' siege. A reverse siege in
1704-1705
by the Spanish and
French fai led to dislodge the British,
and in
17 13
Spain ceded the Rock
to Britain "forever" in Article X of
the Treaty of Utrecht.
Various Spanish expeditions ,
however. were undertaken in sub–
sequen! years to recaprure the Rock,
but al! ended
in
failure. Tbe British
stubbornly refused to yield, realiz–
ing Gibraltar's strategic importance
asan observation and control post.
The last great attempt by Spain to
regain Gibraltar by force carne
in
June
1779.
This "Great Siege" -
ooe of the most memorable in his–
tory - !asted over 3
Y2
years as a
combioed Spanish-French army of
60,000 blockaded but never quite
conquered the small British garrison
of
6,000
under General George El–
liot, the governor of Gibraltar. The
British defenders got supplies in on
severa! occasions, but were stiU
plagued by scurvy, smallpox, and
near starvation. Nevertheless, the
British refused to yield, and held the
Rock against massive onslaughts
from the sea.
Jt
was during this siege
that Gibraltar's initial maze of laby–
rinths and tunnels was constructed,
as the British were forced to tuonel
tbrough to the more inaccessible
heights of the Rock to reach more
ad vantageous positions for gun
placements. During World War IJ,
additional tunnels were cut - large
eoough to drive trucks through.
More than 30 miles of tunnels lace
the interior of the Rock - more
than the total road mileage in the
streets and roadways on the penín–
sula itself.
In
1783.
Britain's possession of
the Rock was once more confirmed
in the Treaty of Versailles. This
ended Spanish hopes -
in
the mili–
tary sense, at least.
There is a legend that the British
will not leave Gibraltar until the last
of the Rock's famous Barbary apes,
introduced long ago from Morocco,
die. These Barbary apes, all of
whom are registered ,
bono fide
members of the British regiment
guarding Gibraltar, are about
40
in
number and doing weU - at the
moment.
o