ARCHIVED - Preliminary work begins to restore the summer palace of the Wolf King in Monteagudo

The lower patio of the 12^th century palace is to be excavated for the first time

Almost 850 years after his death, Ibn Mardanis, the Moorish warrior who declared himself ruler of an independent kingdom of Murcia and was nicknamed the Wolf King by his Christian foes, is once again  making headlines as work begins to investigate the summer residence he built for himself in Monteagudo, a few kilometres north of the city centre.

The “Castillejo” is one of a series of buildings built by the Wolf King close to Monteagudo, the best-known of which is the castle set on top of the sharply pointed mountain alongside the village. Unfortunately the remains of that fortress were severely damaged in the 20^th century when parts of the structure were dynamited to make way for the iconic statue of Christ, his arms outstretched in Rio de Janeiro style, which is now visible to drivers on the motorway between Murcia and Alicante, but for historians and archaeologists the range of structures included in what have become known as the “Murallas del Rey Lobo” is of great interest, all the more so because in the case of the Castillejo the exact nature of the patio below the main building has never yet been established.

For more background information CLICK HERE to read part 3 of the history of Murcia city, which refers to this period.

The Monteagudo visitors centre offers detailed information about this period and this complex. Click for further information about the complex

In an effort to find out more, work has now begun to pave the way for the excavation and rehabilitation of the Castillejo while ensuring that no damage is done to the remains of the 12^th-century walls. Undergrowth has been cleared from the area in order to carry out geo-radar surveys and other geo-technical studies in an area of 905 square metres, the long-term objective being to restore the building to a condition where its former splendour can at least be guessed at: the expected timeframe is approximately two years once a detailed plan of action is presented in March.

At the same time, efforts are being made to establish exactly the building materials used in building the structure and where they were quarried.

The lower patio is linked only on one side to the palace itself, which stands on the top of a small hill and contains an interior courtyard which has been described as a forerunner of the Patio de Los Leones in the Alhambra palace, in Granada. Water tanks were located on the sides of the hill and were used to irrigate crop fields on the land below, and some of these structures were still in existence as recently as the 1960s.

But the lower patio has never been the subject of archaeological excavation, and the municipal architect of Murcia, Carmen Martínez Salvador, reports that “we don’t even know what it was used for”. One of the few things we can be sure of is that there was a dynamic melting pot of different cultures in the area, as is shown by the prehistoric and Roman remains found here alongside Moorish artefacts.

Potentially, the area around Monteagudo and Cabezo de Torres could be one of the most important medieval zones in Spain, encompassing 1.5 million square metres and more than 150 sites of archaeological interest. To develop it as an attraction for visitors will be an expensive and long-term project, though, and the project at the lower patio of the Castillejo alone is endowed with a budget of 1.3 million euros.

After the work is completed the restored palace will be incorporated into the growing complex known as the Fortalezas del Rey Lobo, and it is envisaged that the area will host cultural and educational events as well as others directed at historians and archaeologists.