Murcia Exposed

Cieza is the capital of the Vega Alta (an old form of provincial subdivision), and its current population is around 32,000. The limits of the town extend over 365 square kilometers. It is surrounded by mountains Ascoy, Almorchón and Oro and the Segura River passes by the town. Its economy is based on agriculture, mainly in the cultivation of peaches and olives. Populated since the Paleolithic Age, the area of Cieza is home to archaeological treasures in Almadenes, La Serreta, and Barranco de los Grajos.There are also Iberian remains (found at Bolvaz), as well as Roman, Visigothic, and Arabic deposits. The Arabs, who inhabited the area from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, and who knew the area as Medina Siyí¢sa, left behind a mountain fortress.