Ceuta or Sebta? One City, Two Names, and an Unresolved Sovereignty Dispute

Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are scheduled to visit Ceuta on October 13 and Melilla the following day. It is Felipe's first visit to the two cities as king since he ascended the throne in 2014.

The trip comes after a major migration crisis at the Ceuta border in July, amid a long-running dispute between Spain and Morocco over the two cities on North Africa's coast that remains unresolved.

Spain considers Ceuta and Melilla part of its territory, while Morocco regards both cities, along with several smaller territories controlled by Spain in North Africa, as its own.

The city on the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar also exists under two different names in Spanish and Arabic. In Spain, it is called Ceuta. In Arabic, it is Sabta, commonly rendered in Latin script as Sebta.

So why does one city have two names? And how did a city on the North African coast come under Spanish sovereignty?

The origins of the name Ceuta

The name predates both modern Spain and modern Morocco. The city was known as Sabta in Arabic. Spain's Ministry of Culture identifies Sabta as today's Ceuta and records the city's history through successive periods of rule by the Idrisid, Umayyad, Taifa, Almoravid, Almohad and Marinid dynasties.

The Spanish form Ceuta developed from earlier forms of the same name. Sabta and Ceuta are two linguistic variants of the same city.

Who controlled Ceuta before Spain?

Ceuta passed through various political systems and dynasties in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Under the Idrisids, the city was held by the Banu Isam family before Caliph Abd al-Rahman III of the Umayyads captured it in 931, bringing the city into the political orbit of al-Andalus.

By the 11th century, Ceuta was tied to the Taifa of Malaga. It later came under Almoravid and then Almohad rule. From the early 14th century, Ceuta became part of the Marinid sphere of influence, with periods when other local dynasties held power.

By the early 15th century, Ceuta was under Muslim rule. That changed in 1415.

How did Ceuta become a Portuguese colony?

On August 21, 1415, Portuguese forces led by King John I captured Ceuta. The Portuguese conquest ended more than seven centuries of Muslim rule there. Ceuta's cultural heritage authority records the Muslim period as lasting from 709 until the Portuguese conquest in 1415.

Ceuta belonged to Portugal for more than two centuries. Portugal and Spain then shared a single monarchy from 1580 to 1640. When Portugal restored its independence in 1640, Ceuta remained with the Spanish crown rather than returning to Portugal.

The Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, the document that formally recognized Portugal's independence, left Ceuta in Spanish hands. That is how Ceuta came under Spanish sovereignty.

Why does Morocco claim Ceuta?

Morocco's argument rests on the city's history and geography. Ceuta sits on the North African coast and is surrounded by Morocco on its landward side. Morocco has claimed sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla since gaining independence in 1956 and regards the two cities as occupied Moroccan territory.

Spain holds the opposite view. Under Spanish law, Ceuta is an autonomous city. The city's statute of autonomy describes Ceuta as an inseparable part of the Spanish nation and grants it its own system of self-government.

The dispute, therefore, is not about who administers Ceuta. Spain does. The issue is sovereignty. Morocco says Ceuta must be part of Moroccan territory. Spain says its sovereignty over the city is established and that Ceuta is part of Spain. Neither side accepts the other's position.

Why history cannot settle the dispute

Because the two sides interpret history differently. Morocco emphasizes Ceuta's long history within Muslim political systems in the Maghreb and the city's location on the North African coast. Spain emphasizes centuries of Portuguese and Spanish control and Ceuta's current constitutional status as part of Spain.

The historical record offers no simple answer to a modern sovereignty dispute. The political systems that ruled Ceuta before 1415 were not nation-states with today's borders, and the city's current status rests on centuries under Portuguese rule and then Spanish rule.

Morocco's claim dates from the period after its independence in 1956, but Spain has continued to exercise sovereignty over Ceuta.

Why does Morocco call the city Sebta?

Sebta, or Sabta, is the Arabic name for Ceuta and predates the modern sovereignty dispute. In Morocco, Sebta is the Arabic name used for the city, while Ceuta is the form established in Spanish.

The choice of name can carry political connotations, since Morocco disputes Spain's sovereignty over the city. But using Sebta is not automatically a political statement. It is also simply the city's Arabic name.

What about Melilla?

Melilla's history differs from Ceuta's. Spanish forces took control of Melilla in 1497, when the city was incorporated into the Crown of Castile. Ceuta, by contrast, initially belonged to Portugal before remaining with the Spanish crown after Portugal restored its independence.

Today, both cities are Spanish autonomous cities, and Morocco claims sovereignty over both.

Why Ceuta still matters

Ceuta's importance today extends well beyond the city's size. Ceuta is considered part of Spain but lies outside the European Union's customs territory. The city's border with Morocco is also an external border of the Schengen area.

That makes Ceuta a flashpoint for migration and border policy and a recurring issue in relations between Madrid and Rabat. The issue returned to headlines on July 30 when more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, according to Reuters.

Now, King Felipe's planned visit to Ceuta and Melilla is putting the two disputed cities back in the spotlight.