Águila Castle, Gaucín, Spain - SpottingHistory.com

The archaeological remains found near the Águila Castle seem to confirm the presence of a pre-islamic population, maybe from the Roman Age.

Apparently in 914 the inhabitants of the fort looked like emirales troops burned the city of Algeciras ships that supported the revolt on Ibn Umar Hafsun, in any case the construction of the castle had to be early to be this hard hit area by Berber rebellions and Mozarabic.

The castle was restored in 1839 after it was conquered by French army in 1810. It was however badly damaged in the explosion in 1842.

The Águila Castle is the most representative monument in Gaucin, from the fortress you can see stunning views, in a clear day you can even see the North of Africa.

User Reviews

Newsham (3 months ago)
It's Nice. Bring walking shoes.

Simon Phillips (12 months ago)
A wonderful site on a perfect location for a castle and now as a super high vantage point to see the wonderful surrounding landscape and even Gibraltar, maybe even Africa on a clear day

Laimonas Guiga (13 months ago)
If you visiting Gaucin or somewhere nearby, I do really recommend to visit this castle. The entrance is free and you will get an incredible views from the top of the tower. You can park the car close to the cemetery and you will need to walk uphill to reach the castle.

Andy OGrady (14 months ago)
Good walk up to the castle with excellent views all the way and a magnificent 360 vista from the top of the Moorish tower.

Greg Juckeston (18 months ago)
If you are in or near Gaucín, this is a must. The views from the top are beyond comparison, panoramic across the Serrania de Ronda to Gibraltar and Africa. The castle itself is interesting, there's not much info about it but you can find out more online.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright joiseyshowaa

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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