MURCIA, the capital of the Spanish province of Murcia; on the river Segura, 25 m. W. of the Mediterranean sea. Pop. (1930), 159,825. Murcia was a town before the Punic Wars, but its name then, and under Roman rule, is not known, though some have tried to identify it with the Roman Vergilia. To the Moors it was known as Medinat Mursiya. After the fall of the caliphate of Cordova it passed successively under the rule of Almeria, Toledo and Seville. In 1172 it was taken by the Almo hades, and from 1223 to 1243 it became the capital of an inde pendent kingdom. After its recapture by the Christians, Moorish princes continued to rule in name over a mixed population, but in 1269 a rising against the suzerain, Alphonso the Wise, led to the final incorporation of Murcia (which then included the pres ent province of Albacete) into the kingdom of Castile.
Murcia has been an episcopal see since 1291. It is built nearly in the centre of a low-lying fertile plain, known as the huerta or garden of Murcia, which includes the valleys of the Segura and its right-hand tributary the Sangonera, and is surrounded by moun tains. Despite the proximity of the sea, the climate is subject to
great variations, the summer heat being severe, while frosts are common in winter. The streets are broad, straight and planted with avenues of trees, but the Calle de Plateria and Calle de la Traperia are lined with old-fashioned balconied houses, and so narrow that wheeled traffic is not easy. The cathedral, dat ing from 1388-1467, is in the main late Gothic, but a Renaissance dome and a tower 48o ft. high were added in 1521, while a Co rinthian façade was erected in the 18th century. Since 1875 the industrial importance of Murcia has steadily increased. Mul berries (for silkworms), oranges and other fruits are largely cultivated in the huerta, and the silk industry, which dates from the period of Moorish rule, is still carried on. Manufactures of woollen, linen and cotton goods, of saltpetre, flour, leather and hats, have been established.