Zahara de la Sierra Castle is actually a six-hectare area on the rocky hill, known as the Villa Arabe or Villa Medieval; its crowning glory is the Homage Tower. The town was originally a Moorish outpost, overlooking the valley. Due to its position between Ronda and Seville, it was a perfect site for a castle to be built to serve as a fortress in case of attack.
The path starts at the car park on the roof of Hotel de la Villa and is wide with a handrail in good condition. It is a steep climb through the cacti and pines with wild flowers, prickly pear and almond trees. Initially you pass by foundations of unmarked buildings clinging on the more level slopes. The first historic building looks like the homage tower but is the Iglesia Major and you still have a long way to climb. Be careful here as the birds nest in the walls and make a mess on the path or persons below. The supporting buttresses are modern but the walls are original.
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.