Another Spanish City In The South, Another Alcazaba, And A Bonus Roman Bridge

Our last stop for the day was another two-fer (a lot of the remains in Merida are conveniently grouped with another one).  The Alcazaba is right next to the Roman Bridge.

The Alcazaba is a ninth century Muslim fort right along the east bank of the Rio Guadiana and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In might be the only UNESCO site in the city that is not Roman.

I don't think I mentioned this in a previous post, but the while the Roman Theatre is the crown jewel of the World Heritage Site, the others (and the Alcazaba) are part of the wonderfully named Archaeological Ensemble of Merida.  That whole enchilada,  er Ensemble is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain, which has a plethora of World Heritage sites.  

The Alcazaba

The Alcazaba was built in 835 to protect the city by emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Cordoba.  (Well, he didn't actually build it -- he ordered it built, but you probably realized that).  It was the first Muslim Alcazaba on the Iberian peninsula.

Every outside wall is ten feet high, and is 427 feet in length, so it's an impressive square.  The Moors recycled Roman walls and Visigothic granite material.  There were fully 25 towers. 

After crossing a small enclosure used to check the pedestrians and goods coming into Merida, those going into the much larger military area of the Alcazaba went through a gate flanked by two towers (still standing).

With the fortress, excavated areas have found a segment of a Roman road, and a buttress of the Roman wall.

The Roman Bridge

Turning to the Puente Romano (Roman bridge), it was built by the first civilization to build long-standing bridges.  It's the world's longest (in terms of distance) surviving bridge from ancient times.  It's  just over 2,477 feet long and boasted 60 spans.  On the upstream side of the bridge, the spans are rounded (to handle river current) and square on the downstream side.

It was built during the reign of Trajan (he was a bridge builder literally and figuratively) sometime between 98-117 AD.  As an aside, I don't care what some dictionaries now claim, which is that "literally" and "figuratively" do mean the same thing.  The two words have slightly different meanings, and you would do well in life to understand the subtle nuances involved therein.  

Editor: You still aren't off this pointless language fight.  Writer: Why should I when I'm literally right!

In 686 a Visigoth named Sala had the bridge restored, and then King Phillip II in 1610.  

In 1812 (the US wasn't the only country with a war on their land during that year) the Portuguese allied with the British, under the Earl of Wellington (who later became the Duke of Wellington and thus wrote the popular song "the Duke of Earl" in 1961 because he was both an Earl and a Duke) rooted the French out of Portugal and at least the western section of Spain.

Editor: Wait, what?  Writer: Never mind, it was too good to pass up.  Most of my readers will get the joke.

Anyhow, during the bloody Battle of Badajoz (39 miles due west of Merida) 17 arches were destroyed as a defensive measure by the French against attack.  

Since then, there are 60 spans (57 above ground).  Since 1991 when the modern Lusitania Bridge was built, the Puente Romano is only open to foot traffic (and bikes).

Summary (Finally!)

Anyhow, that might be more history than you are interested in, but both the Alcazaba and the Puente Romano are stunning, and there were not many people at either when we went.