ARCHIVED - July 7 Free guided tour of the 1000-year-old Acequia irrigation channel in the city of Murcia

A walk through the city of Murcia to discover one of the most important legacies of the Moors

In order to promote cultural and historical tourism the Town Hall of Murcia has announced the creation of five new free guided tours to be offered in 2022, explaining how the city came to be founded, how it grew and developed and how it might evolve in the future.

The five axes around which the “Murcia Eterna” initiative is based are La ruta de los museos (The Route of the Museums), El rey Lobo y Alfonso X en los castillos de Monteagudo (The Wolf King and Alfonso X in the castles of Monteagudo), Camino de la Acequia (On the path of the Acequia, the main irrigation ditch which continues to serve the farmland around the regional capital), San Esteban and the Arrabal quarter of the Arrixaca and Siguiendo la Muralla (Following the city wall).

The Camino de la Acequia tour explores part of the complicated irrigation and water supply infrastructures which was created by the Moors at least a thousand years ago and which is still in use in the “Huerta” agricultural land today. Around the irrigation channels a rich ecosystem of flora and fauna has developed, and although it cannot be seen the 27-kilometre “Aljufía” acequia also flows beneath parts of the city of Murcia itself!

The tour is given in Spanish, but leave a comment when booking indicating your preferred language and printed information can be given out in English, French, German or Italian.

The route includes the Jardín de la Seda park, the Museo de la Ciudad, the Jardín de la Pólvora, the chapel of San Diego, the remains of the old Hilar y Tejer a la Tolonesa factory (now known as the Edificio de Nueve Pisos), the exterior of the church of San Miguel and the church of San Esteban, where part of the waterway can be seen, the “Tontódromo” (Avenida Alfonso X), the convents of Santa Clara and las Anas, the University of Murcia and the Jardín de la Constitución.

The Camino de la Acequia tour on July 7 starts at 19.00 at the Museo de la Ciudad and lasts for approximately 3 hours. Registration is free of charge but should be made beforehand here.

Group sizes are restricted to 30 people.

For more upcoming events in the Costa Cálida visit the What’s On section of Murcia Today.