Peñón de Alhucemas, Sea fort and island in Mediterranean Sea, Melilla, Spain
Peñón de Alhucemas is a rocky island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Melilla that rises from the sea and holds a fortress complex with military buildings and a chapel. The island functions as a self-contained unit with residential quarters and infrastructure to support the personnel stationed there.
Spain took control of the island in 1559 through an agreement with the Saadi dynasty to defend jointly against Ottoman expansion in the region. The country has maintained continuous military presence there ever since, renovating the fortress structure over time.
The fort is a symbol of Spanish military continuity in the region, and visitors can see how the garrison maintains its presence on this small, isolated piece of Spanish territory.
The island remains closed to visitors because of its active military status, but you can view it clearly from the Melilla coast. The best vantage point is from the shoreline on calm days when the water is clear.
The island sits just a few hundred meters from the Moroccan coast and remains a point of diplomatic discussion between Spain and Morocco since 1956. This proximity to Morocco makes it a geographically unusual place of European border presence in North Africa.
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