Hidden for centuries in plain sight, the Yacimiento Arqueológico Alquería del Cortijo del Centeno is a unique rural mosque situated in the peaceful countryside of Puentes, Diputación de La Tova, in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The site, inscribed as of interest cultural on January 3, 2007, is a remarkable example of a rural mosque of Almohad period. The mezquita, or mosque, itself is a rectangular building reinforced by a system of perimeter counterforts, measuring approximately 10.80 x 13.80 meters.
It has three separated prayer naves, each divided by pillars. The wall of the 'quibla' in the mezquita has a niche that constitutes the 'mihrab' and another corresponding to the 'mimbar'. Towards the east, the mezquita is delimited by a possible mezquita for the dead, where the corpse was purified before entering the prayer room where the funeral honors were performed. Three graves have been excavated in the maqbara around the current Cortijo del Centeno.
The graves have common characteristics of rural settlements: shallow and open graves directly in the ground, about 0.40 meters deep.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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