Photo: Xosema · CC BY-SA 4.0 · editedAlcazaba
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laye · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Why go
- The Iberian Peninsula’s first Muslim alcazaba.
- An underground cistern built with reused Roman and Visigothic decorative stonework.
- Views of the Guadiana and Puente Romano from the walkable outer wall.
- Remains of a Roman monumental gate whose image appeared on Emerita Augusta’s coins.
Opening hours
Today09:00 – 20:30Show all
Don't miss
- AljibeDescend the double staircase from the tower’s ground floor to the cistern, supplied with filtered water from the Guadiana.Inside the fortress, beneath the tower
- Roman gate foundationsFind the foundations of the gate that separated the Roman city from the bridge.Fortress courtyard
- CupasLook for Roman burial blocks reused in the Arab wall.Fortress wall
- Roman wall and buttressA surviving section of Roman wall stands beside a buttress assembled from recycled granite fragments, possibly dating to the fifth century AD.Excavated Roman remains
Know before you go
- Daily, 09:00–20:30.
What's inside
- A fourth-century house site between the roads has foundations of a colonnaded courtyard, baths, mosaics and marble floors.
- Remains of Augusta Emerita’s founding wall date to the first century BC.
- Small rooms between the Roman wall and a parallel road may have been Roman taverns.
Interesting facts4
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130 metres
The enclosure measures 130 metres on each side; its walls are 10 metres high and 2.7 metres thick.
Alcazaba of Mérida - Wikipedia -
Twenty-five square-based towers also served as buttresses.
Alcazaba (Mérida) - Wikipedia -
The military-area gate has a horseshoe arch flanked by two towers.
Alcazaba of Mérida - Wikipedia -
Reused Visigothic pilasters bear reliefs of columns, plant motifs, grape bunches and palmettes.
Alcazaba de Mérida - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Alcazaba de Badajoz 1Teru Mikami
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Alcazaba de Badajoz - Extremadura - Esp @emiliusviajeroEMILIUSVIAJERO_SHORT
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Vistas desde la Alcazaba de Badajoz con insta360 one Rs 1 pulgada.Dronaventurero
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Alcazaba de Badajoz - Extremadura - Esp🇪🇸 @emiliusviajeroEMILIUSVIAJERO_SHORT
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cante flamenco en el alcazaba de merida(badajoz)Cristofer Murillo
History
The fortified palace housed Umayyad administrative offices and the local governor. It also stationed the emir’s troops, controlled access from the Roman bridge and sheltered Arab residents during revolts.
- 805Mérida rebelled against emirate rule; further revolts followed.
- 835Emir Abd ar-Rahman II commissioned the fortress, laid out by architect Abd Allah, to control the city.
- 1230After the Christian reconquest, the Order of Santiago established its headquarters and commandery in the northern corner.
- 1563–1600Works adapted the complex for the Priory of San Marcos de León; its church and two-gallery cloister date from this period.
- 1912The fortress was declared a national monument.
Show all
- Late 20th centuryThe complex was restored to house the Presidency of the Junta de Extremadura.
Sources: Alcazaba of Mérida - Wikipedia · Mérida (Spain) - Wikivoyage (see) · Alcazaba (Arab Citadel) - Turismo Mérida · Alcazaba de Mérida - Wikipedia · Alcazaba (Mérida) - Wikipedia · Alcazaba: description (its own site) · checked 12 Oct 2026
- Phone
- +34924330809
Questions and answers
Where is the entrance approach to the Alcazaba in Mérida?
The address is Paseo de Roma s/n, Mérida. From Puente Romano, access is through the small fortified enclosure traditionally called Alcarazejo.
What was Alcarazejo used for at the Alcazaba in Mérida?
It checked people and goods entering the city and separated the military enclosure from civilian life.
What is the annexed convent at the Alcazaba in Mérida used for today?
The former Order of Santiago convent houses the Extremadura community council.
What does the church-consecration inscription at the Alcazaba in Mérida refer to?
It commemorates a church thought to have been Visigothic and dedicated to Santa María.
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