Calatayud
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Calatayud (2005 pop. 20,263) is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragon, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragon other than the three provincial capitals.
It is the seat of the comarca of Comunidad de Calatayud.
It was founded by the Romans with the name Augusta Bilbilis. The famous Roman writer called Martial was born here. The actual city was founded by the muslims around the Ayub castle,the ancient inhabitants of Bilbilis was moving to the new place,the city was conquisted for Christians by Alfonso I of Aragon in 1120.
The site of the ruins of Augusta Bilbilis is located approximately four kilometers north of Calatayud.
It is the capital of the county 'Comunidad de Calatayud' (Calatayud Community). During 3 years in the 19th century it was an independent province.
This city contains the tallest mudejer tower of Aragon in the church of "Santa María" The muslim fortress is a biggest and oldest muslim fortress of Iberic peninsula. In the church of "San Pedro" was named King Fernando II of Aragon("Fernando el catolico") and was celebrated the first courst of Aragon in the XX century
The AVE high-speed train line from Madrid to Lleida (and eventually Barcelona) stops in Calatayud.
Its name came from Arabic Qal`at 'Ayyūb = "Ayyub's fort". This name dates from the period when Muslims ruled most of Spain.
Calatayud had a welthy and powerful Jewish community traced to as early as 10th century until 15th century.
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