The castle of Alcocer was a fortified Muslim village located in the

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

of ''La Mora Encantada'' in the Aragonese municipality of

Ateca Ateca is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. At the time of the 2015 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 1,969. The River Jalón is joined by the River Piedra and the River Manubles at Ateca. The ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

History

Located on the left bank of the river Jalón as well as

and

Terrer Terrer is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. Population According to the 2007 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Ins ...

, this is one of the most important castles in the development of Cantar de Mio Cid. The facts that are narrated in the Cantar, are placed in the year 1081 during the campaigns realized by

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

during his exile. Although these facts had not been documented reliable and believed to be the exclusive fruit of the literary source of the Cantar de Mio Cid, recent archaeological discoveries, linked to the narrated in the singing, above all, referring to the campaigns in the Jalón Valley, are beginning to rethink whether what is narrated in the singing is fiction or has a histologic origin. The name of Alcocer comes from the Arabic al-Quṣayr (القصير), meaning "the palazuelo", Arabic diminutive of al-qaṣr (القصر), "

alcázar An alcázar, from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in the Iberian Peninsula (also known as al-Andalus) built during Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for gover ...

" or "the palace". In the Cantar de Mio Cid, these verses appear: This verse proves that the Alcocer quoted in the Song does not refer in any case to the Alcocer of Guadalajara. In front of these remains, crossing the river Jalon, on top of a hill, is the camp that occupied the Cid in the otero to which the Song refers is what is now called Otero del Cid or Cerro de

Torrecid Torrecid was a Christian motte-and-bailey castle where El Cid camped for fifteen weeks around the year 1081 according to legend. The site remained buried for almost a thousand years until recent archaeological excavations found it where '' Cantar ...

Description

The most striking remaining is a large cliff, which are the remains of a massive tower of rammed earth that should have measured about 10 by 16 meters of base and is very worn. at its feet the foundations of existing buildings have been discovered in recent excavations and plans have been built. There are walls about 40 cm high and it seems that it was not a castle in itself but a "fonda" or fortified village.

Legal protection

The castle of Alcocer is inscribed in the Aragonese Registry of Assets of Cultural Interest being included within the relation of castles considered Cultural interest, in the section of

, under the provisions of the second additional provision of Law 3/1999, dated March 10, of the Aragonese Cultural Heritage. This list was published in the Official Bulletin of Aragon on May 22, 2006.

Sources

*''The information in this article is based on that in its Spanish equivalent''.
Patrimonio cultural de Aragón

External links

Page at Castillos de Aragón

castillosenaragon.es
{{coord missing, Spain Ateca Castles in Aragon Cantar de mio Cid Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Zaragoza Archaeological sites in Aragon