Work has begun on a major project to improve visitor infrastructure and increase accessibility to the medieval Jewish necropolis in Lucena, near Cordoba — the largest excavated Jewish cemetery in Spain.
The project, designed by the firm Marrero Architects, includes a guided path through the area, new signage, and new facilities that will allow disabled people to visit. Among these are new ramps, elevated wooden paths with lookout points, and a new parking area.
Europa Press reports that the project “is part of the Comprehensive Plan of Tourism of the City, within the program of enhancement and recovery of the Jewish past of Lucena as a member of the Network of Jewish Quarters in Spain.”
The cemetery was discovered in 2006-2007 during construction of Lucena’s southern ring road. Some 346 tombs were excavated, most dating probably from the first half of the 11th century, when Lucena was an important center of Andalusian Jewry. Many of the tombs consist of a pit and side chamber. At least one gravestone dates probably much earlier –to between the 8th and 9th centuries.
Here is a video description of the project prepared by Marrero Architects and made public in January:
Article (in Spanish) about the cemetery