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Amphitheatre of Mérida

8 BCBuildings and structures completed in the 1st century BCBuildings and structures in Mérida, SpainHistory of ExtremaduraRoman amphitheatres in Spain
Tourist attractions in Extremadura
Anfiteatroromanomerida03
Anfiteatroromanomerida03

The Amphitheatre of Mérida (Spanish: Anfiteatro de Mérida) is a ruined Roman amphitheatre situated in the Roman colony of Emerita Augusta, present-day Mérida, in Spain. The city itself, Emerita Augusta, was founded in 25 BC by Augustus, to resettle emeritus soldiers discharged from the Roman army from two veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars (the Legio V Alaudae and Legio X Gemina). The amphitheatre itself was completed in 8 BC. The term emeritus refers to the soldiers, all of whom had been honorably discharged from service. The city became the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. The amphitheatre is part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, which is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Amphitheatre of Mérida (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Amphitheatre of Mérida
Calle de Marco Agripa, Merida San Antonio

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Wikipedia: Amphitheatre of MéridaContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.916194444444 ° E -6.3377222222222 °
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Address

Conjunto Arqueológico de Mérida

Calle de Marco Agripa
06800 Merida, San Antonio
Extremadura, Spain
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Alcazaba of Mérida
Alcazaba of Mérida

The Alcazaba of Mérida is a ninth-century Muslim fortification in Mérida, Spain. Like other historical edifices in the city, it is part of the UNESCO Heritage List.Located near the Roman bridge over the Guadiana river, the Puente Romano, it was built by emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba in 835 to command the city, which had rebelled in 805. It was the first Muslim alcazaba (a type of fortification in the Iberian peninsula), and includes a big squared line of walls, every side measuring 130 metres in length, 10 m of height and 2.7 m thickness, built re-using Roman walls and Roman-Visigothic edifices in granite. The walls include 25 towers with quadrangular base, which also served as counterforts. Inside is an aljibe, a rainwater tank including a cistern to collect and filter water from the river.The Alcazaba is accessed from the Puente Romano through a small enclosure, traditionally known Alcarazejo. This was used to check the traffic of pedestrians and goods to the city. Annexed is the military area, whose gate is flanked by two towers; over the horseshoe-shaped arc is an inscription celebrating Abd ar-Rahman's patronage of the work.Also annexed to the Alcazaba was a convent of the Order of Santiago, currently home to the council of the Extremadura community. The fortress has yielded other excavated areas containing remnants predating its construction. These include a well-preserved segment of a Roman road, which also extends to the Morerías Archaeological Area, and an urban Roman dwelling that has undergone multiple renovations and faces the same street. Additionally, a portion of the Roman wall is visible, adjacent to a powerful buttress constructed using recycled granite fragments. Similar to the Morerías Archaeological Area, this buttress is believed to date back to the fifth century AD.