Murcia

Murcia is a city in southeastern Spain, the capital of the Region of Murcia, on the Segura River in a fertile plain. The huerta of Murcia, its belt of irrigated orchards and vegetable gardens, has given the region the name the orchard of Europe.

Abd al-Rahman II, the emir of Córdoba, founded the city in 825 as Mursiya on the banks of the Segura. The Moors built irrigation channels and water wheels that still water the huerta. Ibn Arabi, the Sufi philosopher, was born in Murcia in the 12th century. Murcia became part of Castile in the 13th century, and churches rose on the sites of the old mosques. In the 18th century the city grew rich on silk, and the sculptor Francisco Salzillo carved the painted wooden figures carried in its Holy Week processions.

Lemons, lettuce and other vegetables from the huerta and the farms of the region are packed in Murcia and sent across Europe. Estrella de Levante brews its beer at its brewery in the Espinardo district of the city. Red peppers grown in the region are dried and ground into pimentón, the paprika of Spanish cooking.

The Cathedral of Murcia has a baroque facade of carved stone and a bell tower that rises over the old town. The Real Casino de Murcia, a club of the 19th century, has rooms in Arab, English and French styles. The Salzillo Museum shows his processional sculptures and a large nativity scene. During the Spring Festival after Easter, the Bando de la Huerta fills the streets with people in traditional farm dress.