Baelo Claudia

About this place

Baelo Claudia is an ancient Roman town near the village of Bolonia in southern Spain, on the northern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, about 17 km northwest of Tarifa and 67 km southeast of Cádiz in a straight line. It began as a fishing village and trading hub about 2,000 years ago, founded at the end of the 2nd century BC through trade with North Africa, as an important port for Tangier. Its economy rested on tuna fishing, salting and the making of garum, the Roman fish sauce. It flourished under Emperor Claudius, then declined partly because of earthquakes and was abandoned by the 6th century. The golden stone ruins spread down a gentle slope to the sea: the columns of the forum and basilica, the tanks of the fish-salting factories, and remains of aqueducts and town walls. Behind them stretches the long sandy Bolonia beach and a huge dune, with the mountains of Morocco on the horizon on clear days. Visitors start at the site museum, then walk among the ruins down to the beach, seeing the salting factories by the sea. Many combine the visit with a swim at Bolonia beach and a climb up the dune; the area is often very windy.