Yesterday, I took a trip away from the Big City. I went on a train through the flatlands near Valencia, getting off where the hills started, in Segunt.
Here is a city that’s been important and fought over for millennia, precisely because of those hills. Early peoples settled there, overlooking the sea, trading with Phonoecia, which came to control it. Hannibal’s army besieged the city, and the Romans took over: that’s why the city has a Roman circus and theatre. Much restored, the theatre is used to this day.
Then along came the Barbarians, the Visigoths, and Sagunt became part of the Byzantine empire. By the 8th century the Moors had conquered the town, and transformed agriculture and commerce, building mosques and public baths.
By the 13th century, Sagunt was Christian again, and over the next six centuries, fought over by various Spanish kingdoms. The Jews came too, but they were pitched out in the 15th century. The quarter where they lived is still identifiable.
Even the twentieth century saw no end to conflict here. Both sides in the Civil War made use of the defensive possibilities of the castle.
Ah, the castle. I never mentioned that. It dominates the town. It’s a hotch-potch. Nobody who conquered here left it alone. It’s over a kilometre long from end to end. I know. I stumbled over rocks and through cactus trying to circumnavigate it. Unsuccessfully.
And horror of horrors. I deleted the photos from my phone without checking whether they’d uploaded to Google photos. They hadn’t. And I can’t retrieve the pictures from my camera here. I’ll have to upload them later and let you know when I’ve done it. Grrrr.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Well that’s somewhere I have never been, sounds fascinating. Glad you haven’t lost the photos for ever.
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Oh, it’s definitely worth a detour. I’d go again.
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I kept wondering where the photos were! I hope to see them someday–it does sound like a really fascinating place–but I’ve never even heard of it!
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I hadn’t either. It deserves to be better known. Pictures later ….. I promise!
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My friend Lynette was telling us about Sagunt a few weeks ago when we visited her in Moraira. She said it was fascinating and told us some of the history. She went there with the local U3A quite recently so if I share your post to her I’m sure she’d be interested x
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I really am sorry about the lack of photos, which I will put right ASAP. The town also has a port and a beach, but not near enough for me to get at that day. Also there is another town nearby, Puig, which sounds fascinating. So much to do, so little time!
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We will let you off the hook this time, but if it happens again……….looking forward to your pics. Cheers
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You couldn’t be crosser than I was 😦
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Don’t feel bad about the temporary lack of pictures (I’m always doing things like that), your words were wonderfully descriptive!
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Thanks. I do feel daft though. I got a bit bored waiting for the train, and played too much with the photos.
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🙂
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I thought this was a brilliant post on writing without photographs! I’ve been toying with that idea. I seriously thought it was an experiment of sorts. 🙂 And then I read the last line.
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Some posts can take it. But I’d definitely wanted to include pictures here. Ah well. Later.
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Your post creates a picture of the city’s dynamic history even without the photos. Glad that you will be able to retrieve them though!
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Lucky that they didn’t have to have passports in those days. They’d never have kept up!
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Interesting thought!
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So much to read of great interest. Waiting for the pics, just like everybody else….
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