The coastal city of Lagos has a rich maritime history that dates back more than 2,000 years. It was the home of the explorer Henry the Navigator, and even the site of several naval raids in the late Middle Ages.

The Romans were the first to occupy the region what is today Lagos, and built an early settlement at the mouth of the Bensafirm River. This can be seen today in several ruins and also in the foundations of the bridge over the river to the Meia Praia.

After the fall of the Roman Empire the city fell into decline, and eventually the Moors dominated the city during their conquest of Spain in the 10th century. Called Zaqiya by the Moorish occupiers the city was still a center of the Christian faith in the Iberian Peninsula. In 1174 AD the church of St. John the Baptist was built.

The city was re-conquered by Christian knights during the 13th century, and then in the 14th century the Bay of Lagos became a staging point for the fleets that sailed to fight the Moors at Cueta in North Africa. Prince Henry the Navigator was given land grants in Lagos, and from here began expeditions down the coast of Africa. The Nigerian city of Lagos was thus named after Henry’s Portuguese home.

With Portugal part of the Spanish Empire during the 16th century, the English privateer Sir Francis Drake, following the unsuccessful attack on England by the Spanish Armada, raided the city, setting fire to much of it. The next hundred years would see an era of English and Dutch pirates, as well as Corsairs raid the Portuguese coast. Lagos survived through this era, but wouldn’t recover from much more devastating events.

Destroyed in the earth and tsunami of 1755 the city’s importance fell. While much of the historic past was lost, much still remains today including the ancient slave market and some of the old city’s walls. Today Lagos remains a popular tourist destination, and one with a most colorful history.