circuitwhere

Discovering Cartagena

More Articles By Phillip Bruce www.raxomnium.com

Where Is Cartagena Circuit?

Not every visitor to the Cartagena track is quite sure of where he or she is. In fact, Cartagena is one of the most ancient cities in the world and, when time can be spared from the track, it is well worth exploring.

The origins of Cartagena really are lost in history, but scholars say that there were Neanderthal and early human settlements in the area thousands of years ago. After them came the tribes that formed what is known as the Iberian culture, and who greatly valued horses that gave military power and displayed status.

Then the Phoenicians arrived as they expanded their trade routes along the Western Mediterranean coast. Thousands of years before the birth of Christ their successors, the Carthaginians, were mining the rich hills of the Sierra Minera, to the east of the city. In fact, you can see the eight windmills that crest these hills from the track.

The Carthaginians were based at Carthage, near what is now Tunis, in North Africa and they founded new Carthage at what we now know as Cartagena. Their most famous son was Hannibal, who famously led his army and elephants over the Alps to attack Rome. Hannibal set out from Cartagena and it is said that he introduced the chickpea, or garbanzo bean, to Europe in order to feed his troops.

Carthage lost not just one but three wars and in the Second War the Romans assaulted and took Cartagena, about 200 years before Christ was born. If you like a party, then make a note to be in town in September, when a fantastic Romans and Carthaginians festival takes place, with bags of dressing up, marching, mock combat and a huge collection of beer and wine tents next to the Football Stadium.

The Romans lasted for about 600 years before being tossed out by the Vandals and Visigoths who swept down from the cold wastes of what are now Germany and the lands to the East. They, in turn, were ejected, by the Muslim armies that invaded Spain in the eighth century. Then the Christians came back in the thirteenth century and re-established control.

Cartagena’s relatively modern heyday came in the eighteenth century, when the huge docks, city walls and arsenal were begun. The city became the main naval base of Spain in the Mediterranean – a role it still fulfils today. The harbour is always crowded with shipping and it’s well worth taking a stroll along the prom where there are cafes and bars.

The city is still very strong in industry. Scorpion class submarines are made here and there is a big mining school – although the mines of the Sierra Minera are no longer active. There is a huge gas and petrochemicals port around the corner from the main harbour at Escombreras. Perhaps it’s no wonder, therefore, that the city should feature such a good motorbike track, which is only a few miles from the waterfront.

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Gary Smith Fishing