ABSTRACT
The ancient city of Murcia is the capital of the region of Murcia, on the coast in south-east Spain. Founded in AD 825 as a new town on the river Segura by the Muslim Caliphate of Cordoba, it quickly became established as a wealthy city, exporting its ceramics and silks throughout Europe. While the river continues to carve out the main urban space in Murcia, it is the small Plaza Cardenal Belluga, dominated by the city’s cathedral, Santa Maria en Murcia, that represents the city’s heart. The main dark grey basalt central area is divided by bright strips of travertine which radiate out from a point directly in front of the cathedral, on an axis between the cathedral steps and the archway entrance of the palace, thus establishing the symbolic centre of Murcia, from where the city radiates out.
