Medinaceli () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

and town in the

province of Soria Soria is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area. Demographics It is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zarag ...

, in

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of th ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The municipality includes other villages like

Torralba del Moral Torralba del Moral is a village under the local government of the municipality of Medinaceli, Soria, Spain. It has a railway station and a junction where the branch to Soria splits from the Madrid-Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as S ...

Etymology

Its name derives from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

'madīnat salīm', which was named after the

Masmuda The Masmuda ( ar, المصمودة, Berber: ⵉⵎⵙⵎⵓⴷⵏ) is a Berber tribal confederation of Morocco and one of the largest in the Maghreb, along with the Zanata and the Sanhaja. They were composed of several sub-tribes: Berghoua ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–19 ...

family of the Banu Salim.

History

Situated at the confluence of the rivers

Jalón Xaló (; es, Jalón ), is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain. Geography The town of Jalón is located in the Jalón Valley. The Jalón or Gorgos river crosses the town, which has a length of . ...

and Arbujuelo, Medinaceli was the site of the Celtiberian town known as ''Occilis'' or ''Okilis''. From the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

until 1994, its saltworks were exploited for commercial use. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the town lay on the border between the lands of the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

and those of the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

Main sights

The Toro Jubilo annually occurs in Medinaceli, in which crowds of participants taunt a bull with balls of burning tar or turpentine (called "pitch") attached to its horns. Medinaceli is home to the only three-gated

Roman arch Roman Arch who was an Australian bred racehorse that was foaled in 1998. (Another Roman Arch was foaled in 1995 in New Zealand.) Roman Arch was most famous for winning the 2006 Australian Cup at the odds of 60/1 with the TAB. His other group ...

in Spain, built in the 1st-3rd centuries AD. The arch is used as Spain Historic site symbol throughout the country. The

castle of Medinaceli The Castle of Medinaceli is a medieval fortress in Medinaceli (Province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain). It was built in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 15th century. Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-M ...

served as the residence of the

Dukes of Medinaceli Duke of Medinaceli () is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to ...

until the Ducal Palace (Palacio Ducal) was used for this purpose. Other buildings include the Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, whose abbots fought with the bishops of Sigüenza to maintain the city's rights. The Convent of Saint Elizabeth (16th century) (Convento de Santa Isabel), which lies next to the church of San Martín, also stands in good condition. The ''beaterio'' (house inhabited by

lay sisters Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir ...

) of San Román (Saint Romanus) is in ruins; it may have previously been a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or s ...

-era remains include a stone gate, one of the few remains of the ancient city walls. The town is also listed as a Camping Aire, suitable for motorhomes, in Vicarious Media "All the Aires in Spain". The aire is on a plateau next to a small water tower and affords magnificent panoramic views. The town is a very short walk from the aire. Arco romano, Medinaceli, Soria, España, 2015-12-28, DD 106.JPG,

(1st century AD). Colegiata, Medinaceli, Soria, España, 2015-12-28, DD 103.JPG, Colegiata. Cruz en la calle Gil, Medinaceli, Soria, España, 2015-12-28, DD 98.JPG, Cross in a square. Noble house in Medinaceli, Soria (Spain).jpg, Convent of Santa Isabel. Oficina de turismo, Plaza Mayor, Medinaceli, Soria, España, 2015-12-28, DD 70-72 HDR.JPG, Old town hall (today tourism office). Medinaceli, Beaterio de San Ramón-PM 38009.jpg, Beaterio de San Ramón.

"Fire Bull" festival

The "Toro Jubilo" or "Toro de Fuego" is a festival that takes place in Medinaceli. The festival is a symbolic ritual celebrating a victory against the Carthaginians in the city of Elche. During this festival, a bull is tied to a post. Balls of tar are then placed on each horn of the bull and lit. A thick layer of mud on the back and face of the bull helps protect the bull from physical injury or burns. The bull is then released in the square, which has five lit bonfires symbolizing five martyrs. Animal rights group PACMA has described the fiesta as "a clear example of animal mistreatment" and

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, a ...

has called it "a sadistic festival". They claim that the fire balls burn for hours, causing a great amount of stress on the animal.'Toro Jubilo' 2011 en Medinaceli
on YouTube
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References

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