Cádiz

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, founded as Gadir ('enclosure') by Phoenician traders from Tyre, traditionally dated to c. 1100 BC, though the earliest archaeological strata date to the 9th century BC. The ancient settlement occupied two small islands near the mouth of the River Guadalete, serving as a key hub for accessing Iberian silver, gold, and tin. Under Rome as Gades, it became a major port and centre for salted fish and garum production exported across the Mediterranean.