Melilla la Vieja

Old Melilla
Melilla la Vieja
Melilla, Spain
Melilla la Vieja from the sea.
Old Melilla
Coordinates	35.294°N 2.934°W / 35.294; -2.934
Type	Fortress
Site information
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Well-preserved (partly reconstructed)
Site history
Built	16th and 17th centuries
Built by	Catholic Monarchs of Spain
Materials	Rammed earth
Battles/wars	Siege of Melilla (1774–1775)
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	11 August 1953

Melilla la Vieja ("Old Melilla") is the name of a large fortress which stands immediately to the north of the port in Melilla, one of Spain's Plazas de soberanía on the north African coast. Built during the 16th and 17th centuries, much of the fortress has been restored in recent years.

The fortress contains many of Melilla's most important historical sites, among them an archaeological museum, a military museum, the Church of the Conception, and a series of caves and tunnels, like Conventico Caves, in use since Phoenician times.