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Archaeological remnants establish
that Vejer was inhabited before the rule of the Carthaginians
around 400B.C. The reason being that the area is strategically
positioned for ships to easily set out to sea through the river.
It was used by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians to defend the
factories and the tunny fishing that occupied their coasts. The
town was initially called ‘Baka’. The Romans later
occupied the region and named the town ‘Besaro’. There
are several monuments and relics from the time of the Roman rule.
The Vandals occupied the southern part of spain for a short period
of time before the Arabs took over. The Arabs named the region
‘al-Andalus’ meaning country of the Vandals and named
the city ‘Bashir’. Later it came to be known as "Vejer
of the Honey" for the quantity of beehives and honey produced
in the city. The city prospered under the Arabs for the next 5
centuries with the infrastructural development of streets, houses,
castles and fortifications. The peace was destroyed during the
reconquest during the 13th century. In 1250 it was conquered by
Fernando III, who built walls around the whole city. Vejer continued
to change hands between the Christians and Arabs following the
13th century. Guzmán 'el Bueno' protected Vejer against
the last Arab attack in 1292. In 1293 Guzmán became the
first mayor of Vejer and a reward for his contributions, Guzmán
was given ownership of the land by Fernando IV.
In 1805 Admiral Nelson of the British navy defeated
the unified French and Spanish armada at Cabo Trafalgar. The battle
of Trafalgar gave international recognition to this area. Later
in 1811 Napoleon's troops occupied Vejer. Don José Miranda
Cabezón, led a successful campaign against the French occupation
which once again resulted in the liberation of Andalusia. The
20th century saw the birth of forts like the one on Pirata beach
and los apartmentos, to keep enemies at bay. The Guardia Civil
headquaters were also built to watch the coast.
After the civil war, the municipality of Barbate
was founded and the area was administratively dependent on this
city. Population of the city grew and tourism gained momentum
in the 1960s in Los Canos. Roads and other urbanization projects
along with the movida and nudism attracted tourists to Vejer.
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