Valle de Ricote
The Valle de Ricote (sometimes also called Valle Morisco ) is a valley through which the Río Segura flows in the north of the autonomous region of Murcia in southeastern Spain . It is also a voluntary amalgamation of several municipalities ( comarca ) .
Location and climate
The approx. 25 km long valley bottom of the Valle de Ricote, which runs from southeast ( Archena ) to northwest ( Cieza ), is approx. 25 to 50 km (driving distance) northwest of the city of Murcia at an altitude of approx. 95 to 165 m above sea level. d. M .; the mountain peaks on both sides of the valley reach heights of 300 to 450 m. The side mountain slopes create a moderately warm microclimate, which enables good agricultural yields despite the low annual rainfall of only about 300 mm.
places
As is usual with the Berber settlements in Morocco, places in the Valle de Ricote are never on fertile terrain, but at the foot of the mountains littered with stones or on mountain slopes.
- Places in the comarca: Archena , Villanueva del Río Segura , Ricote , Ulea , Ojós (together approx. 25,000 inhabitants)
- Northern neighboring towns in the valley of the Río Segura: Blanca , Abarán , Cieza (together approx. 55,000 inhabitants)
economy
In the Valle de Ricote , fruit trees dominate (peaches, citrus fruits, olives); Vegetables and wheat are grown in the irrigated fields. Livestock husbandry is only of minor importance. Since the last decades of the 20th century, tourism within Spain has played an increasingly important economic role.
history
Prehistoric rock paintings and other small finds such as arrowheads point to the early presence of humans in the region. For Phoenicians and Carthaginians , the Río Segura was an important link between the coastal city of Cartagena and the hinterland. Also Iberians and Romans settled here. At the beginning of the 8th century, the Moors (or rather the Berbers ) overran the region, which was very similar to some areas in their Moroccan homeland (e.g. Aït Bougoumez Valley or Ounila Valley ) - only it was significantly more fertile. The Berbers brought citrus and almond trees with them; In the fields they mainly grew barley and vegetables ( beans , onions ). Irrigation using bucket wheels, however, is a technology from the Middle East.
In 1243, after the collapse of the Caliphate of Córdoba (1031), the Taifa Kingdom of Murcia was conquered by Christian troops and transferred to the newly created Kingdom of Murcia , which was closely linked to the Crown of Castile . In 1284, it was to manage the Santiago - military orders passed its religious emblem that Santiagokreuz, is found in many arms in the region. Many Moors ( moriscos ) left the country; others stayed and were not until the beginning of the 17th century by decrees of Philip III. or his First Minister, the Duke of Lerma , expelled from the country, which had negative demographic and economic consequences for the region.
Attractions
- The landscape of the Valle de Ricote , which resembles a river oasis , is of unique beauty.
- The ruined Berber settlement of Siyâsa near Cieza is the best preserved of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula .
- Numerous bucket wheels from the 18th / 19th centuries Century are reminiscent of ancient Islamic irrigation techniques.
Web links
- Valle de Ricote, places and attractions - photos + information
- Valle de Ricote, places etc. - photos + links
- Valle de Ricote, places etc. - photos, information + links (Spanish)
- Valle de Ricote, places and attractions - photo video
