Unpacking the History and Ongoing Territorial Dispute Behind Ceuta and Sebta

Ceuta, one of two Spanish-administered cities on the North African coast, is claimed by Morocco as its territory. Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are due to visit Ceuta on October 13 and Melilla the following day, in Felipe’s first visit to either city as king since he ascended the throne in 2014. The trip comes after a major migration crisis at the Ceuta border in July and as the long-running dispute between Spain and Morocco over the two cities on the North African coast remains unresolved.

Spain considers Ceuta and Melilla part of its territory, while Morocco regards both cities and several smaller Spanish-held territories in North Africa as part of its own territory. The city that sits on the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar also has different names in Spanish and Arabic. In Spain, it is Ceuta. In Arabic, it is Sabta, commonly written as Sebta in Latin script.

The name is much older than either modern Spain or Morocco. The city was known as Sabta in Arabic. Spain’s Ministry of Culture identifies Sabta with present-day Ceuta and traces its history through successive periods of Idrisid, Umayyad, Taifa, Almoravid, Almohad and Marinid rule. The Spanish form, Ceuta, developed from earlier forms of the name. Sabta and Ceuta are different linguistic forms of the same city.

Ceuta passed through several political and dynastic systems in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Under the Idrisid dynasty, the city was in the hands of the Banu Isam before being taken by the Umayyad Calyphed Abd al-Rahman III in 931, bringing it into the political sphere of al-Andalus. In the 11th century, Ceuta became linked to the Taifa of Malaga. It later came under the Almoravids and Almohads. From the beginning of the 14th century, it became part of the Marinid sphere with periods when other local dynasties held power. By the early 15th century, Ceuta was under Muslim rule, which changed on August 21, 1415, when Portuguese forces led by King John I captured the city, bringing an end to more than seven centuries of Muslim rule.

Ceuta remained Portuguese for more than two centuries. Portugal and Spain were then ruled by the same monarchy from 1580 to 1460, but when Portugal restored its independence in 1640, Ceuta remained under the Spanish monarchy. The 1668 Treaty of Lisbon left Ceuta in Spanish hands. Morocco has claimed Ceuta and Melilla since gaining independence in 1956, while Spain maintains that Ceuta is an autonomous city and an integral part of the Spanish nation. Today, the city serves as a crucial focal point for migration, border policy, and diplomatic relations between Madrid and Rabat.