Founded by Phoenicians as Qart Hadasht (New City) around 227 BC, the city known in nowadays as Cartagena lived its heyday during the Roman Empire (under the name Carthago Nova or Carthago Spartaria), but it was also one of the important centers during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name of Qartayannat al-Halfa. After its reconquest by King Alfonso X of Castile (1245) the city entered a period of great decadence and decay, despite a short economic revival in the 16th century. Thanks to its strategic position on the Mediterranean, Cartagena has been inhabited by many different cultures which have left their mark on its rich cultural heritage during a glorious and turbulent history.
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