Moors and Christians

Every year, the Reconquista - the centuries-long crusade to supplant Islam as the dominant force in the peninsula - is remembered in hundreds of processions that wend their way along the medieval streets of towns and cities throughout Spain.

There's an immense amount of prestige about the whole thing. The beauty of the costumes (and some are gorgeous) and the number of participants are probably directly proportional to the size and wealth of the community sponsoring the event.

But even in a small town, like the neighbouring Alcalá de Xivert, which can't afford to field more than a dozen Moors and the same number of Christians you can't fail to be impressed by the wholehearted commitment of the participants.

And I may be wrong, but I think the local moslems view it with amused tolerance; apart from anything else, the 'moors' seem to be having more fun than the christians: cigars clenched in their teeth, scimitars flashing, kettle-drums banging and trumpets squealing behind them, they swagger along the processional route. They may be routed by the christians, led by St George tomorrow, but tonight's their night!

During the Middle Ages Alcossebre was little more than a market-garden for the citizens of Alcalá; it was located on a fertile plain by the sea. But although where I live was no more than an insignificant speck within the medieval Kingdom of Valencia there's enough history within a walk or a cycle ride to keep anyone who's interested in the subject happy for a lifetime.

So I've decided to try and write something about the history of this small part of the Communidad Valenciana. I'm going to start in 1234 partly because it's an easy date to remember ('one, two, three, four' what could be simpler?) but mainly because that's when this part of Spain suddenly stopped being a muslim-dominated territory and became part of James I's Kingdom of Valencia. It's a big theme, but I've started to work out a path through all the detail. Time will tell if I can do it.