History of Almoradi
Situated just on the outskirts of Rojales in the Costa Blanca, Almoradi has a great history. In the year 1196 BC, King Brigo founded a small town in Spain and named it “Amarion”. This small town went on to become the present day Spanish town of Almoradi. After King Brigo, many peoples conquered Almoradi and the town developed from a small settlement into a village that mainly thrived on its agriculture.
Similar to the rest of Spain, Almoradi has seen many rulers in its past. The Greeks and the Carthaginians were its first conquerors making it a part of their kingdom in Spain. The Romans who settled here, left many pieces of evidence for present day archeologists and excavators to find. Many objects dating from the Roman times have been found in Julianita, in addition to many from the times of the Moors. It has been agreed upon that the Julianita area housed a Roman Villa or palace and the items found have proven this surmise.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths came to Almoradi and established themselves as rulers for some time. They were ousted by the Byzantines who, however, were unable to have a lasting effect on the region. Their reign was short lived and ended soon after their arrival.
The Arabs eventually got hold of Almoradi, gave it the name it is presently known by and established it as an agricultural town. Most of the agricultural practices of Almoradi, and many other towns in Spain, date back to the times of the Arab rulers.
According to popular legend, King Jaime I of Aragon dreamt about the symbol of Saint Andrews on the mosque. He decided to take over Almoradi from the Arabs and invaded the town in 1263. This new reign brought new changes to Almoradi. It first became a part of the Crown of Castille as a dependent of the Orihuella area. These were then moved into the Kingdom of Valencia by Jaime II. Almoradi finally gained its independence in 1583 and was established as a town in its own right.
