For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea was both a source of wealth and a source of distress for coastal populations. In the 16th century, the fear of attacks by Barbary pirates —frequent, violent, and often unpredictable—deeply marked the lives of the inhabitants of the Valencian coast. Enemy incursions not only threatened the safety of the towns and their inhabitants, but also affected the social, economic, and political organization of the entire territory. From this need for protection arose an extensive defensive system which is once again the protagonist in Dénia today.
The Museu de la Mar hosts the exhibition from this week until October 6 Of fear and silk. The talaiies of the coast, a journey through the maritime past of the Kingdom of Valencia through the structures built to monitor and defend its coast. The exhibition explores how, starting in 1547, the a coordinated network of watchtowers and forts funded by a special tax on silk, decreed by the Valencian Parliament.
As explained during the inauguration the head of the Archaeology and Museums Department of the Dénia City Council, Massu Sentí, this exhibition proposal highlights a topic that is little known to the general public and does so through unpublished materials, such as cartography and historical plans, as well as a graphic and audiovisual approach.
A defense adapted to the landscape
The defensive system, adapted to the more than 500 kilometers of rugged Valencian coastline, combined fixed elements—such as towers and fortifications—with continuous surveillance from maritime towns and cities. The result was a strategic protection network against incursions from North Africa, which defined the relationship of the territory with the sea for centuries.
The curator of the exhibition, Luis Arciniega, director of the Demetrio Ribes Chair at the University of Valencia, highlighted the unique nature of this defensive solution: "Although fear of corsairs was common throughout the Mediterranean basin, in the Kingdom of Valencia an original formula was chosen: financing defense with the income from the silk trade.". Added to this was a social peculiarity of the territory: the large Moorish population, which fueled fear and the need for control.
Disclosure with historical rigor
Of fear and silk. The talaiies of the coast is presented with a didactic and accessible approach, with texts in Valencian, Spanish and English, which makes it a particularly attractive proposal for both local and visiting audiencesThrough it, Dénia recovers an essential part of its maritime history and claims a little-known but fundamental heritage in the construction of the Valencian identity.
These types of exhibitions are very interesting, thank you for that, we will go see them.