Dénia (Spanish: Denia) is the judicial seat of the comarca of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia. It has a population is 36,200 (as of 2003). A partial ruin of a fortress stands right in the middle of the town.There is evidence of human habitation in the area since prehistoric times and there are significant Iberian ruins on the hillsides nearby. During the first quarter of the 1st Century a.d. Italy and during this period the Roman town of Dianium was founded. In the days of Al Andalus, Denia served as the capital of a taifa kingdom, ruling over part of the Valencian coast and Ibiza. The Slavicslaves, saqaliba, managed to free themselves and run the taifa. The Arabic word "DANIAH" دانية means low or near.
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