Walled enclosure route from the Islamic era
It is taken as a reference the layout of the wall at the time of the Christian conquest of the city in 1238 by the troops of James I.
Below is an enumeration of the places where remains of some of the defensive elements are preserved in sight and that have been recovered over the last 30 years of archaeological excavations in the city.
We will start the tour starting from the Puerta del Qantara that would be located behind the towers of Serranos, from where the wall would turn SW, towards Plaza de los Fueros and Calle de las Roques . Here, the Florida State University Foundation (FSU) at 2 Blanquerías Street has recovered a semicircular defensive tower, a line of battlements and several tanner dyeing ponds from medieval times. All these elements have been integrated into the assembly hall of the building and are visible, although to see them you must request authorization.
In the Plaza de los Fueros between numbers 2 and 4, within the shops located there, you can see a part of the Islamic wall on the ground floor of these.
In the Montaner kiln located at number 5 Roteros street, an eight-metre fragment of the defensive wall was integrated and visible on the external façade and inside the furnace.
From here, and following Palomino street, you reach Plaça de l’Àngel where one of the best-known towers since ancient times is preserved and which is currently occupied by private homes. From this point, the wall enters through the Plaza de Beneyto i Coll, continuing along Mare Vella street, where a third masonry tower is located, also used as a private home. From here we continue along the Portal de Valldigna, a door opened in 1400 to communicate the interior of the city with the Moorish shop, continuing along Salines street, where part of the canvas is preserved in the façade line.
From this point, the wall enters the buildings on Carrer de Cavallers, at numbers 36 and 38, currently occupied by a language school, inside which you can see an important section of wall, as well as two towers up to the height of the first floor. From here it goes to the Plaza del Tossal where, in the municipal gallery of the same name dedicated to temporary exhibitions, the remains of a tower and canvas of the wall corresponding to the El-Hanax Gate which was remodeled by a square tapial tower in the twelfth century. There are also some brick arches, on which rose the vault that covered the Rovella irrigation canal, a pipeline that was channeled through the old moat of the wall in the fifteenth century.
From this point, the wall would continue along Bolsería street , arriving at Plaça del Forn de Sant Nicolás núm. 4, where in the exhibition hall of the Rector Peset Hall of Residence part of the nearby and another of the semicircular towers of the eleventh century have been integrated.
From here, continuing towards La Llotja, along the rear façade of which the wall ran, it would continue until Carrer Sant Ferran núm. 12 and, in the Centre de Cultura Contemporània Octubre, part of the wall and a square tower dating from the twelfth century can be seen in the basement.
Continuing towards San Vicente Street where the Boatella gate would open, the wall enters through the interior of the houses in the Plaza de Mariano Benlliure , where the Orio restaurant, whose access is through San Vicente street nº. 23, a square tower has been integrated in front of which large ashlars from Roman times can be seen reused.
From here the wall continued towards Tránsits Street where it became visible again at the height of No. 5-6, inside a café and the Sena Alós stationery store that has incorporated the remains of the wall under the ground, covered by transparent glass.
Continuing along Carrer de les Barques you reach Carrer de Comèdies where the wall makes an important turn to the north, entering under the University building, in whose lobby you can see another of the square towers. From here it would continue to Carrer del Mar, where in a restaurant overlooking the well-known Plaça dels Ducks, you can see a small fragment of the wall attached to one of the walls of the Roman circus.
In this same square, at the height of the current one Church of Sant Felip Neri, would open the Xerea Gate to continue north along the street of Knights Ratchet until reaching the height of the Car al hotel building Almudín Street, where integrated into it and in the annex restaurant, you can see an extensive section of the canvas and another of the square towers that enters the adjoining building of the Temple Palace. Here, during the restoration works, the wall, two other towers and part of the antemural or barbican have been brought to light.
From this point, he continued the wall until he reached the marginal side of the river, where stood the imposing tower of Ali Blown that housed the gate of Ibn Sajar. From here it would turn west, in front of the river wall, reaching Calle del Salvador where, in front of the Trinity Bridge, the Gate of the Warraq would rise and continuing along Calle de Conde Trénor, the enclosure would be closed at the gate of Qantara, the point of origin of this route.