Ciutadella
| Ciutadella de Minorca | ||
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| Municipality | ||
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 Ciutadella de Minorca
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| Coordinates: 40°01′N 3°49′E / 40.017°N 3.817°E | ||
| Country |
 Spain
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| Autonomous community |
 Balearic Islands
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| Province | Balearic Islands | |
| Judicial district | Ciutadella | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Pilar Carbonero Sánchez | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 186.34 km2 (71.95 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) | |
| Population (2009) | ||
| • Total | 29,160 | |
| • Density | 160/km2 (410/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 07760, 07769 | |
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Ciutadella de Minorca (Catalan pronunciation: [siwtəˈðeʎə ðə məˈnɔrkə]) or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipality in the western end of Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain). It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Maó.
It was founded by the Carthaginians, and became the seat of a bishop in the 4th century. After being governed by the Moors under the names of Medīna el Jezīra (Arabic: مدينة الجزيرة) and Medīna Menūrqa (مدينة منورقة) for several centuries, Citadel was recaptured during the reconquista by men serving Alfonso III and became part of the Crown of Aragon. During the Middle Ages, it became an important trading center.
On 9 July 1558, the Turks under Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis with a powerful Turkish Armada of 140 ships and 15,000 soldiers, put the town under siege for eight days entered and decimated the town. The town was defended by only a few hundred men. All of Ciutadella's 3,099 inhabitants who survived the siege were taken as slaves to Turkey together with other inhabitants of surrounding villages. In total, 3,452 residents were sold into slavery in the slave markets of Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey.
An obelisk was set up in the 19th century by Josep Quadrado in the Plaza d'es Born in memory of the offensive, with the following inscription:
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Wikipedia