Barcelona , the ancient Barcino, is a city on the Mediterranean, on the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Some mediaeval authors locate it north of the Pyrenees, while others, also wrongly, believed Jews in the city to be as numerous as Christians. According to al-Idrīsī (d. 560/1165), al-Bakrī (d. 487/1094), and al-Ḥimyarī (d. c.440/1048), it was a fortified city in whose harbour, which shelters cargo vessels and warships, only experts can dock. The city produced cereals and honey, and pearls were said to