Village
Ricote is a municipality of nearly 1,200 inhabitants in the Region of Murcia that gives its name to the Ricote Valley, with baroque and medieval architecture of Islamic and Christian heritage. Populated from the 8th century with the Muslim invasion, it lived through a fruitful Andalusi period: in its castle the chieftain Ibn Hud rose up against the Almohads in 1224, one of the most important figures of the 13th century, who came to unite a good part of al-Andalus for ten years. Incorporated into Castile in 1243, it was later granted to the Order of Santiago. In 1501 the conversion of its Mudejars was forced, and in 1613 its Moriscos, although already Christian, were among the last to be expelled from Spain, shipped out from Cartagena bound for the Barbary Coast; the decline that followed lasted until the Llamas family, from neighbouring Mula, took control of the valley in the 18th century.
Monument
18th-century church of Ricote that preserves a valuable restored organ. It is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection), a designation that protects this parish church dedicated to San Sebastián in the heart of the Valle de Ricote.
Monument
The castillo de Alharbona, in Ricote, is a 9th-century Muslim fortress and one of the main historic attractions of the municipality. It is recognised as a bien de interés cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection).
Monument
Palacete de Llamas, also known as de los Álvarez-Castellanos, a house of 1702 in Ricote in Murcian baroque style with notable ironwork. Listed as a bien de interés cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection), it now serves as the municipality's cultural centre.
Monument
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Huertas, from the 16th century, in Ricote, the valley from which about 2,500 Moriscos were expelled towards Cartagena on the 13th of December 1613, the last great Morisco enclave in Spain.
Nature
Viewpoint in Ricote with panoramic views of the River Segura winding between palm trees.
Curiosity
The Valle de Ricote, also known as the Morisco Valley, was the last stronghold of Morisco population in Spain before their expulsion in 1614, after centuries of Muslim rule going back to the 8th century.
Activity
Ricote's patronal festivities in honor of San Sebastián, in the valley from which, in 1228, Muhammad ibn Hud rose up against the Almohads and came to dominate much of al-Ándalus.
Activity
The Feria del Libro Valle de Ricote, under the slogan “The culture that unites us”, began in 2024 and brings together activities around Día del Libro in the valley's eight municipalities. The fair was presented in Ojós in 2024 and in Cieza in 2025.
Monument
Fortification of Muslim origin built on a rocky outcrop of the sierra del Salitre, with two walled enclosures, defensive towers, cisterns and a keep, from which the whole valley was overlooked. In this castle the chieftain Ibn Hud rose up in 1224, one of the most important figures of the 13th century, who after the uprising managed to gather under his command a large part of the peninsula's Muslim territory for ten years. Ricote then resisted incorporation into the Crown of Castile agreed in the Treaty of Alcaraz of 1243, until it was subdued that same year by Pelayo Pérez Correa.
Curiosity
Miguel de Cervantes took the name of this Murcian valley for Ricote, the Morisco character in 'Don Quixote' who returns to Spain in disguise after his expulsion, a literary nod to the fame the comarca already had for its Morisco population.
Curiosity
The Valle de Ricote was the last great Morisco enclave in Spain after the expulsion decree of Felipe III. On 13 December 1613 some 2,500 Moriscos from the valley were expelled towards Cartagena, and were later shipped to Mallorca and Oran, ending more than eight centuries of Muslim presence in the area.
Nature
A Natura 2000 natural area, declared a Special Protection Area for Birds and a Special Area of Conservation, framing the Ricote Valley with pine woods and rock faces crossed by paths such as El Chinte and El Martillo.
Activity
The PR-MU 8 footpath, suitable for everyone, combining huerta and mountain along terraces and gently sloping tracks with views of the Ricote Valley, the Blanca reservoir and the pine woods of the Sierra de Ricote, evoking the passage of the Morisco population through the valley.
Monument
A 16th-century Renaissance building where the administration of the Order of Santiago in the town of Ricote was run, already recorded in an inspection by the Order in 1495. It preserves part of its original arcaded courtyard and today houses a convent.
Monument
An 18th-century manor house in the historic centre of Ricote, one of the civil properties listed within the municipality's historic heritage.
Monument
A group of traditional water mills in Ricote, evidence of the historic use of the valley's water for milling, listed within the municipal historic heritage.
Curiosity
A commemorative monument unveiled in 2013, on the fourth centenary of the expulsion, recalling that Ricote was the last place in Spain from which the Moriscos were expelled, shipped to Mallorca via Cartagena in December 1613.
Monument
A hermitage in Ricote dedicated to San José, included among the municipality's religious heritage assets alongside the hermitages of San Sebastián and Nuestra Señora de las Huertas.
Curiosity
The villages of the Ricote Valley make their own version of the paparajote without a lemon leaf, with a batter of egg, milk and flour similar to a fritter, alongside other huerta dishes such as wheat stew and rice with rabbit, a legacy of the Morisco and Mediterranean cooking of the comarca.
Historical milestone
From the fortress of Ricote, Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Hud rose in 1228 against Almohad power and came to gather much of al-Andalus under his command for a decade. His rising gave rise to the third taifa of Murcia and placed the valley at the center of Andalusi politics.
Historical milestone
Muhammad al-Ricotí, a native of this town, was a jurist, physician and logician of renown in the 13th century. Alfonso X el Sabio entrusted him with a school in Murcia where he taught Christians, Muslims and Jews; after the Castilian annexation he ended up leaving for the kingdom of Granada.
Historical milestone
The pact of Alcaraz incorporated in 1243 the Murcian taifa into Castile as a protectorate, but several towns of the valley resisted and were subdued by the master of Santiago Pelayo Pérez Correa. The episode opened the door to the military orders' rule over this stretch of the Segura.
Historical milestone
Throughout the 18th century the Llamas family, arrived from Mula, leased the revenues of the Santiago commandery and exercised effective control of the valley. Their fortune took shape in manor houses and in a political weight that lasted until the disentailment.
Food and drink
The gachasmigas, flour, water, oil and garlic worked in the pan until they form a cake, are the winter dish of the valley. The paparajotes, lemon leaves battered and fried with sugar and cinnamon, make use of the citrus grown in the huerta of Ricote.