Located on the Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light), across the Straits of Gibraltar, Tarifa is the southernmost point of the European continent, situated south of the African capital cities of Tunis and Algiers. As Ana say, from here started Arabs the conquest of the Visigothic Hispania. In July 710 AD, the Umayyad general Tariq ibn Ziyad sent one of his commanders, Tarif ibn Malik, on a raid to test the southern coastline of the Iberian peninsula.
"One hundred Arabs and four hundred Africans passed over, in four vessels, from Tangier or Ceuta; the place of their descent on the opposite shore of the strait is marked by the name of Tarif their chief", writted Edward Gibbon about this raid. Tarif returned with plunder and captives, and convinced Tariq that Iberia could be successfully invaded. The Moors will possess smaller or larger teritories of the Iberian Peninsula for nearly eight centuries.
This charming white Andalusian town has only been mildly spoiled by the touristic developments, much of the surrounding coastline being still protected by law, and a few kilometres to the west of the town are two of Spain's most beautiful beaches. Interesting sights in this small fishing town are Puerta de Jerez (the only gate that survived of the three existing gates to the old town), Castle El Guzman el Bueno (one of the best maintain medieval building in Spain, build in 960 by Abd ar-Rahman), and Church San Mateo (a Gothic church built in the 16th century).
About the stamp
The stamp was issued on January 7, 2013, for the International Year of Water Cooperation, within the Civic Values series. It depicts symbolically the idea of a glass of water, as an individual use of water, pouring onto an inverted tap, as a sign of scarcity and depletion.
References
Tarifa - Wikipedia
Tarifa - Wikitravel
International Year of Water stamp - Stamp News
Sender: Ana
Sent from ? (Spain), on 19.04.2013
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