Tarragona is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of southern Catalonia. The ancient Iberic settlement and port were used by Phoenician merchants. In Roman times, Tarraco was one of the most important cities in the Iberian Peninsula, first as the capital of Hispania Citerior and later of Hispania Tarraconensis.

With the decline of Rome, the city suffered many attacks from the north. During the Visigothic period it lost its importance, with a much smaller population and just a few Jews. In 713 Tarragona was occupied by Muslim troops. Situated on the border with the Christian Nort…