Valencia’s Ancient Walls Reflect Three Eras
Why this is here: Sections of Roman streets and fortifications survive today within the Almoina Archaeological Museum, offering a glimpse beneath the modern city.
Valencia, Spain has remnants of three distinct walls built across Roman, Islamic, and Medieval periods. The first wall belonged to Roman Valentia, founded in 138 BCE. Pompey the Great’s troops destroyed the city and its original walls in 75 B.C.
Following the Roman period, Islamic Balansiya constructed a new wall with seven gates in the 11th century. James I of Aragon conquered Valencia in 1238, initiating the Medieval period and the construction of a third, larger wall.
In the 14th century, Valencia outgrew its second set of walls. The Medieval Wall incorporated parts of the earlier Islamic defenses.
The city’s gates closed at ten PM, inspiring the phrase “estar a la luna de Valencia” for those left outside. The walls began demolition in 1865 and were absorbed into new construction or reduced to rubble.