The northern gate of Tarifa is the only one of the original Moorish entries to survive — a thick horseshoe arch in tawny sandstone, set in a stretch of wall almost a thousand years old. The royal coat of arms above the gate dates from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs in the late fifteenth century, when the conquest of the town was formally celebrated by re-cutting the lintel.
Walk through the gate from outside and the old town opens up immediately into a network of whitewashed lanes lined with bougainvillea. The contrast between the dusty parking lot to the north and the cool shaded streets to the south is one of the small pleasures of arriving in Tarifa.