Dénia

Dénia lies on the Mediterranean coast beneath a castle overlooking its harbour. In the eleventh century, as Daniya, it was the capital of a taifa whose maritime power reached the Balearic Islands. Its port and fortifications gave the town an importance that endured after the Christian conquest. In 1609 Dénia became a major point of embarkation for the forced expulsion of Valencia's Moriscos. Under orders of Philip III, families were gathered from the surrounding districts and sent overseas, leaving villages depleted and separating communities from homes they had known for generations.