Portal de Murcia
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The remains, which have been dated, excavated by hand and protected, have been located after the study of the walls that form the channel that was commissioned by the Department of Infrastructure, Public Works and Services on the occasion of the repair works of the Bridge of Guadalupe
Thanks to this investigation have been discovered remains of three brick vaults, which correspond to the Islamic medieval period and the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
All the remains have been dated, excavated by hand and protected.
The repair works carried out by the Department of Infrastructure, Public Works and Services in the Bridge of Guadalupe has allowed to complete an interesting investigation and the first archaeological intervention that the City Council undertakes on the major ditch Aljufía.
Due to the damages suffered in said bridge, the person in charge of the area, Rebeca Pérez, requested the archaeological study and evaluation of the old walls that form the channel in this step, prior to the drafting of the repair project, including the supervision of the works in order to complete the documentation and protect the most sensitive elements.
Once the bridge was secured, the vegetation was cleaned, and the data of the preserved remains were taken.
At the end of 2017, a partial collapse of a modern masonry wall had occurred on the right side of the channel, whose hollow left a masonry plinth with several overlapping brick factories. It also proved that this stretch of ditch It has suffered innumerable modifications and repairs throughout its history.
The analysis of the conserved structures has allowed to know that the bridge had, at least, three stages in addition to the current one, of which the remains of three brick vaults have been identified.
The oldest one is formed by a socle of sandstone ashlars on which a barrel vault (half point) of solid brick was built, which conserves the start with the first three voussoirs of the thread.
The module of the brick used 24 x 12 x 5 cm, refers to Islamic medieval times.
On the remains of the first vault the wall of the ditch was enlarged to increase its height and a new arch was built, this time, reduced.
Later, without much time, another similar vault was built, reusing the first rows of the previous one.
The brick used in these last two renovations (30x15x4,5 cm) and the characteristic reduced profile of the vault make it possible to date these renovations between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Medieval road access to the bridge
Finally, during the repairs it has been possible to document new Islamic structures located behind the walls of the current channel.
On the right side, a medieval access road to the bridge has been identified, consisting of a compacted bed of mortar and earth, on a regularization level made with small stone, mortar and brick pieces (24x12x4.5 / 5 cm), with a depth and inclination compatible with the vault of the Islamic era.
On the opposite side, through a hole in the wall, a channel parallel to the main ditch made with mortar and brick of Islamic module has been found, covered in a section with another small vault.
In relation to the protection of the documented remains, these have been isolated by means of plastic sheet to avoid the adhesion of the cement mortars used in the reconstruction of the ditch wall and in the filling of the cavities, being visible on the external face of the walls to facilitate their identification.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia
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