Panel 13 - The industrial zone and Zorita Andalusí
This panel contains detailed information on the Andalusian dwelling, the domestic space in which the life of this new society took place.
1. The Kiln
During the first half of the 9th century, Raqaubal was abandoned, and its buildings were quarried to provide construction materials for the new city of Zorita.
Edifices and walls were dismantled to extract ashlars and other materials, and various productive activities emerged, such as the construction of a lime kiln that utilized the limestone from the ancient city to produce lime.
2. Irrigation Systems
The Andalusian period bequeathed Zorita an advanced water management system. The irrigation ditches, part of the Andalusian legacy, irrigated a significant orchard with high-quality fruit trees, allowing horticulture to complement the region’s traditional agricultural, livestock, and forestry endeavors.
3. Zorita in Caliphate Times
Towards the middle of the 10th century, Zorita was visited on several occasions by Caliph ‘Abd al-Rahman III, who had appointed various governors to oversee the city. During this period, the splendid horseshoe-arched gateway granting entry to the citadel was constructed.
Both the medina and this fortress underwent renovations at that time, as evidenced by the constructions utilizing the typical architectural elements of this Caliphal era.
4. Zorita becomes important
The earliest mentions of Zorita date back to 813, at which point it definitively replaced Raqaubal and became the capital of an important territorial demarcation of al-Andalus.
Reflecting Andalusian society, the city followed the typical features of Arab urban planning: a walled citadel atop a hill, commanding views over the town and surrounding lands; and a medina, the urban center itself, encircled by a wall still preserved today, separating it from the suburbs. Completing the urban landscape were cemeteries and a now-vanished bridge spanning the Tagus River.
