Cap Spartel

According to legend, the Mediterranean Sea merged with the Atlantic Ocean at Cap Spartel; it was there that the Strait of Gibraltar was created. Situated several miles to the west of the city and 360 feet above the sea, it dominates from the top of a cliff covered in shrubs.
In Roman times the cape was known as Ampelusia; it then took the name of the Spartel archipelago that had been engulfed by the waters of the strait in 9400 BC. According to certain historians, these islands were the location of the much sought-after Atlantis. They resulted in the sand bank there, known by local fishermen as Majouan or Spartel.
The lighthouse at Cap Spartel was the first to be erected in Morocco, and recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was inaugurated in 1864 and serves to stop vessels from approaching too close to the coast. Of great beauty, it's one of the emblems of the city and region.