They remain largely intact, with the exception of some outworks, and are listed as a Spanish Property of Cultural Interest.

Ceuta had been a naval base since Carthaginian and Roman times, and had some form of fortification since at least the 5th century.

[2] The city was captured by the Portuguese during the Conquest of Ceuta in 1415, who began to strengthen the defences in the 1540s by building the Royal Walls including bastions, a navigable moat and a drawbridge.

The walls at the southern end of the city were severely damaged in a storm in 1674, but were quickly repaired.

However, the Royal Walls, their ditch, and the first line of outworks remain intact, and have been restored in recent years.

[7] The Royal Walls are a land front running across the isthmus separating Ceuta from the rest of North Africa.