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April 20 Guided tour IN ENGLISH of the Las Paleras archaeological site in Alhama de Murcia

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Las Paleras was among the earliest settlements built by the Moors in Murcia in the 8^th century

April 20 Guided tour IN ENGLISH of the Las Paleras archaeological site in Alhama de Murcia This tour is an unusual opportunity to see and learn about the Las Paleras archaeological site which has been discovered behind the castle on the hill behind Alhama de Murcia, and begins at 10.00 at the Los Baños archaeological museum.

Las Paleras was a fortified settlement in the Moorish administrative area of Tudmīr and ítems found there show that it was inhabited between the 8^th and 10^th centuries. It is quite common for this type of location to have been used for early settlements as the site is strategic and offers protection as well as good visibility of the surrounding area. Most probably, an early simple fortification, or "hisn", would have been built beneath the existing mediaeval castle, as is the case in several other areas of the region, offering protection for livestock and residents should danger threaten.

The settlement of which the remains have been found occupied an area of around 20,000 square metres and was surrounded by a wall with defensive towers. In the highest part was a fortified castle which seems to have been among the first built by the Muslim conquerors of southern Spain after the year 712, and is influenced by the building style of the Middle East.

The town was destroyed by fire in the second half of the 10th century and was abandoned, but Las Paleras will now form a part of the “Islamic Route” of Alhama de Murcia, which links the Ibn Al-Jatib rout with the European itinerary of Almoravid and Almohad Culture in the Legacy of Al-Andalus between Murcia and Granada.

The tour on April 20 is conducted entirely in English and lasts two hours, costing just 3 euros for adults and 2 euros for children aged 2 to 12. Bookings can be made through the tourist office of Alhama (telephone 968 633512, email turismo@alhamademurcia.es), at the archaeological museum itself (telephone 968 630776, email museoarqueologico@alhamademurcia.es) or online here.

For more information about Alhama, including news and upcoming events, visit the local tourist office or go to the home page of Alhama Today.