Medieval castles in Murcia

La Concepción Castle

The castle of La Concepción or Asdrúbal from the 13th or 14th century rises over Cartagena and its port. The nature of the first buildings on the hill are somewhat uncertain. According to the Greek historian Polybius, a temple dedicated to the god Aesculapius stood on the hill in Roman times. In the recent restoration carried out in the castle, it was discovered that the first floor of it had been built reusing Roman-m ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Cartagena, Spain

Lorca Castle

Castle of Lorca (Castillo de Lorca) is a fortress of medieval origin constructed between the 9th and 15th centuries. It consists of a series of defensive structures that, during the Middle Ages, made the town and the fortress an impregnable point in the southeast part of the Iberian Peninsula. Lorca Castle was a key strategic point of contention between Christians and Muslims during the Reconquista. Archaeological excava ...
Founded: 9th century AD | Location: Lorca, Spain

Monteagudo Castle

Monteagudo Castle sits on top of a hill and is in excellent condition. The archaeological remains that have been found date from the Moorish period. After the city of Murcia was founded in 825, the castle was used as a fortification and probably also a prison. Farmers stored grain there and it had large wells for the garrison. The walls are made of solid rammed earth and mortar, and the floor adapts to the terrain and is ...
Founded: 11th century | Location: Murcia, Spain

Luz Castle

At an elevation of 438 meters on the Cresta del Gallo Sierra, Castillo de La Luz is an 9th century construction built by the Moors. The castle was part of Murcia"s defense buildings and a check point between the coast and the city. A tank, and parts of a wall and a tower, still stand. It was abandoned in the 13th century after Murcia was merged to the kingdom of Castilia.
Founded: 9th century AD | Location: Murcia, Spain

Jumilla Castle

The hill where the Jumilla castle is built was inhabited by people from the Bronze Age. In a later era, this was occupied by people when Iberian civilizations were present in large part of Iberian Peninsula, and specifically in the current municipality. In Roman Iberian Peninsula period, people also leveraged this hill. The last era in regards to this hill before the construction of the current castle is the one when larg ...
Founded: 1461 | Location: Jumilla, Spain

Xiquena Castle

The ruined castle of Xiquena is located in Fontanares, hamlet of the town of Lorca. Many authors argue that the name Xiquena comes from the Arabic Gikena or Gehenna and that it means 'hell'. On the other hand, others attribute a Roman origin to it due to a nearby farm. Xiquena Castle was founded during Muslim rule over the area, certainly before the 13th century, but maybe even as early as the 10th century. ...
Founded: 10th century AD | Location: Lorca, Spain

Asomada Castle

The castle of La Asomada is an old fortification that is located in a strategic place near the district of El Palmar. The slopes of the mountain where the Arab fortress is located are covered by a green blanket of Aleppo pine, the product of a repopulation carried out in the 1960s. Several trails mark the forest up to its top, being frequented by hikers who take advantage of the panoramic view over the Segura valley that ...
Founded: 12th century | Location: Murcia, Spain

Nogalte Castle

Nogalte Castle in Puerto Lumbreras is a medieval Islamic fortress. Although the lack of documentary sources prevents specifying the exact date of its foundation, the constructive characteristics of the fortress as well as the materials recovered in the excavations could place it in the first half of the 13th century, in a period in which in the old Muslim kingdom In Murcia, the rural castles that protected the numerous ag ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Puerto Lumbreras, Spain

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.