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Alcazaba of Mérida today

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Alcazaba of Mérida

Alcazaba de Mérida

The Alcazaba of Mérida is a ninth-century Muslim fortress on the Guadiana riverbank in Mérida, Spain. It is a roughly square fortification of massive granite curtain walls and numerous square towers, containing an internal cistern (aljibe) and several excavated Roman and Visigothic remains; the fortress complex is part of Mérida's UNESCO-listed heritage.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

835

Today

Restored

As it stood in 835

What Alcazaba of Mérida looked like in its prime.

A compact, near-square fortress defined by straight granite curtain walls forming roughly 130-m sides, about 10 m high and 2.7 m thick, built of large recycled Roman and Visigothic blocks. The walls are punctuated at regular intervals by 25 quadrangular towers that also act as counterforts. An external approach across the Guadiana and the adjacent Roman bridge enters through a small enclosed gateway (the Alcarazejo). Inside there are open excavated foundations and a sizable stone-lined aljibe (cistern).

Its story

The story of Alcazaba of Mérida.

The Alcazaba of Mérida was built in 835 by the emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba to command a city that had rebelled in 805. It was the first Muslim alcazaba in the Iberian peninsula: a great square of walls 130 metres to a side, ten metres high and 2.7 metres thick, built re-using Roman walls and Roman-Visigothic buildings in granite, with 25 quadrangular towers that also served as counterforts.

Inside is an aljibe, a rainwater tank with a cistern to collect and filter water from the river. The fortress is entered from the Roman bridge, the Puente Romano, through a small enclosure traditionally known as the Alcarazejo, once used to check the traffic of pedestrians and goods into the city; over the horseshoe-shaped arch of the military gate an inscription celebrates Abd ar-Rahman's patronage of the work.

A convent of the Order of Santiago annexed to the alcazaba is now home to the council of the Extremadura community. Excavation has yielded remains predating the fortress, a well-preserved segment of Roman road, an urban Roman dwelling and a portion of Roman wall beside a powerful fifth-century buttress of recycled granite, and, like other historical edifices in the city, the complex is part of Mérida's UNESCO heritage listing.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 835.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Alcazaba of Mérida, including 1 interior: aljibe (rainwater cistern). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from Puente Romano (Roman Bridge)Alcarazejo small enclosure (city checkpoint)Military gate with twin towers and horseshoe arch inscriptionCurtain walls and regular square towersBase of a quadrangular tower (exterior)Aljibe (rainwater cistern)Morerías Archaeological Area (Roman road and urban dwelling)Visible Roman wall and recycled-granite buttressAnnexed convent of the Order of Santiago (exterior)

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Questions about Alcazaba of Mérida

What is the history of Alcazaba of Mérida?

Alcazaba of Mérida was built in the ninth century to control Mérida after the city rebelled in 805. Emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba commissioned the fortress in 835, making it the oldest surviving Muslim fortification in the Iberian Peninsula. Later, the Order of Santiago occupied an annexed section, where it established its house and commandery before further alterations created a church and cloister.

What is inside Alcazaba of Mérida?

Inside Alcazaba of Mérida are an underground aljibe, or cistern, reached by a double staircase, along with excavated Roman and Visigothic remains. These include a Roman road, foundations of an urban dwelling with a peristyle, baths, mosaics and marble slabs, and sections of Roman wall. Visigothic pilasters with carved plant motifs were reused in the cistern.

Why was Alcazaba of Mérida built, and what was it used for?

Alcazaba of Mérida was built as a military stronghold to control Mérida after repeated rebellions against emirate rule. Its position beside the Roman bridge over the Guadiana helped control movement into the city, while the Alcarazejo checked pedestrians and goods. The aljibe supplied filtered water collected from the nearby river.

Where is Alcazaba of Mérida?

Alcazaba of Mérida is in Mérida, beside the Guadiana river and the Puente Romano. The fortress stands near the Roman bridge and forms part of the archaeological heritage of Mérida. Mérida is the city identified as its administrative location.

When was Alcazaba of Mérida built?

Alcazaba of Mérida was built in the ninth century, specifically in 835. The site's first-raised year is not recorded, but both the dated historical account and the description place its construction in the ninth century. It was built by Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba.

What did Alcazaba of Mérida look like in its prime?

At its height, Alcazaba of Mérida was a near-square granite fortress with walls about 130 metres on each side. The curtain walls were about 10 metres high and 2.7 metres thick, built from large reused Roman and Visigothic blocks. Twenty-five regular quadrangular towers punctuated the walls and also served as counterforts.

Is Alcazaba of Mérida still standing or is it a ruin?

Alcazaba of Mérida is still standing and has been restored. Its massive granite curtain walls, towers and internal aljibe survive, while excavations reveal earlier Roman and Visigothic remains. The fortress complex also includes an annexed convent of the Order of Santiago, now used as the seat of the council of the Extremadura community.

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