Sohail Castle was built in AD 956 by Abd-ar-Rahman III to strengthen the coastal defenses. Later, in the 12th century, the Almoravids raised a defensive enclosure with an irregular floor plan, adapted to the slopes of the terrain.
In 1485 the Castillo de Sohail was occupied by the Christian armies battling against the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. From that time the military complex underwent an inevitable process of architectural reformation which led over time to its current appearance.
Shortly after the castle lost its military function and was disposed of by public auction. The change to civilian hands initiated a period of neglect which was only interrupted in the second half of the 20th century.
In 2000 the Town of Fuengirola renovated the ruins of the castle turning it into a tourist attraction and functioning space used for concerts and other festivals. Excavated stone ruins on public display at the western base of the hill on which the castle sits are dated back to before the Roman Republic occupied Fuengirola at least 300 BC.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.