Introduction to Tudela

84km (52 miles) S of Pamplona, 316km (196 miles) N of Madrid

In the center of the food belt of the Ribera, or Ebro Valley, with a population of only 30,000, the ancient city of Tudela is the second largest in Navarre. Situated on the right bank of the Ebro, it had a long history as a city where Jews, Arabs, and Christians lived and worked together. The Muslims made it a dependency of the Caliphate at Córdoba, a period of domination that lasted until 1119. The city had a large Moorish quarter, the morería, and many old brick houses are in the Mudéjar style. King Sancho VII ("the Strong"), who defeated the Saracens, chose Tudela as his favorite residence in 1251. It has been a bishopric since the 18th century.