Murcia Spain with its about 300 000 inhabitants lies about 75 km south of Alicante about 30 km west of Torrevieja.
The city of Murcia can be reached via the national road E15 from Alicante or using the C415 from the Madrid direction. You can also use the bus or train, but do not look for a Murcia airport, you might not find one.
The mild climate with very little precipitation year round and the diversified ecological landscape draws you into an incredible state of well-being.
Its coast, with over 200 beaches, shares two different bodies of water: the Mediterranean and the Menor Sea, which has an outstretched piece of land called La Manga. Murcia is the capital of the province and got its own University.
The Mediterranean bathed region of Murcia, is not only known for its beautiful beaches, but also for a great number of natural beauties still to be discovered. It is precisely its natural charms and contrasts that makes Murcia outstanding from other regions.
Natural open spaces that look like the most desolate deserts share common ground with lush fertile green lands like the valley of Segura and the valley of Guadaletin: modern residential neighborhoods reaching out to connect with small medieval towns.
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The city on the site where Murcia is now located was founded by the Cordova emir Abd ar-Rahman II in 825 under the name Medinat Mursiya. The city's planners created an extensive network of irrigation canals near Segura, which led to the expansion of the agricultural sector. In the 12th century, the geographer Al-Idrisi described Murcia as a densely populated and well-fortified city. After the collapse of the Cordoba Caliphate in 1031, Murcia fell into the hands of rulers who ruled in Almeria, Toledo and Seville. After the collapse of the Almoravid state, Muhammad ibn Mardanis made Murcia the capital of an independent kingdom. During this period, Murcia became a thriving city, famous for ceramic products that were exported to Italy. Silk-spinning and paper production, the first in Europe, also developed in Murcia. The theologian Ibn Arabi and the poet Ibn al-Jinan were born in Murcia during this period.
In 1172, Murcia fell into the power of the Almohads and from 1223 to 1243 was the capital of an independent kingdom. According to the Treaty of Alcaraz in 1243, Alfonso X appointed Murcia a protectorate, gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea. Murcia, in turn, received protection from Granada and Aragon. However, the city was quickly taken over by Christians who wanted to settle in a place where a new Christian culture could displace Muslims. Thus arose the Kingdom of Murcia. For this reason, in 1264-1266, an uprising broke out in Murcia. In 1296, King Jaime II of Aragon captured the city. In 1304, Murcia finally became part of the Castilian Crown by the treaty of Torrellas.
Murcia lost its former power, but flourished anew in the XVIII century thanks to the growth of the silk industry. Many churches and symbols of the city arose during this period. However, the XVIII century was also a century of catastrophes. In 1810, the city was plundered by Napoleonic troops. In 1829, a serious earthquake occurred in the region, as a result of which about 6,000 people were injured. Plague and cholera followed. In 1651, 1879 and 1907, severe floods occurred in Murcia due to the Segura flood.
Since 1838, Murcia has been the capital of the Murcia region. With the foundation of the central Government in 1982, Murcia was named the capital of the autonomous community of the same name, which includes the capital, the Murcia region and Cartagena.
On May 11, 2011, an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude occurred in Murcia and the vicinity of the capital, as a result of which at least 4 people were killed.
