A chain of mountains surrounds the plain on which sits Murcia, a city of Arab origin whose existence is closely linked to the fertile plains of the Segura River. From its historic streets featuring numerous trades and crafts emerges the tower of the cathedral, one of the icons of the city.

Although the region of Murcia has been inhabited for more than 2,000 years, the city of Murcia was not founded until 831, when the Emir of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman II commissioned a walled city on the banks of the river Segura, to be the provincial capital under the Caliphate.

It was then that the Moorish region of Mursiya started to gain importance, until it became part of the Kingdom of Castile in the 13th century. Today, many places in the city still evoke its Moorish past.

The architectural remains of the Almunia Real, the second residence of the Moorish monarchs, are particularly interesting. The site is about five kilometres north of Murcia, and many items recovered there can be seen at the Santa Clara Museum. Parts of the Moorish city wall can also still be seen in different parts of Murcia’s historic quarter.