The Castle of Biar stands on a hillock overlooking the town of

Biar Biar (, ) is a town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Vinalopó, province of Alicante, Spain. Biar lies at the foot of the Serra de Mariola and is located 39 km from the city of Alicante. The economy in Biar is based on manufact ...

, in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

Alt Vinalopó Alt or ALT may refer to: Abbreviations for words * Alt account, an alternative online identity also known as a sock puppet account * Alternate character, in online gaming * Alternate route, type of highway designation * Alternating group, mathema ...

(

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

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

During the Muslim rule had already news but few of the fortress, which began to be relevant to the time of

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

, remain as border castle under the

Treaty of Almizra The Treaty of Almizra (or Treaty of Almiçra) was the third of a series of three treaties between the Crown of Aragon and Crown of Castile meant to determine the limits of their expansion into Andalusia so as to prevent squabbling between the Chri ...

. The building lost its role during the early modern period and, although rarely used, after was used as a cemetery. It was declared a Monumento Nacional in 1931 and is in the call

Route of the Castles of Vinalopó The Route of the castles of Vinalopó is a historic and cultural route in Spain, connecting some of the castles of the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, most of them based in the Valley of Vinalopó. The route, which is located in the ...

Structure

The castle was built in stone with

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

and

rammed earth Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...

, which was used for the tower of homage. The building consists of two parts. On the one hand, a semicircular enclosure with four towers at the corners thereof, and on the other, a space with four cubic structures and the tower of homage. These towers and other structures are the basic defenses of the castle, and its position high on a rocky hill, the proliferation of small openings in its walls and battlements auction. The tower of homage is the highlight of the architectural complex. Dating from the 12th century, the tower, situated on one side, was built with mortar mixture of sand and lime and reaches a height of 19 meters. Its plan is square shaped and has three floors, acquiring such an enormous importance. On the lower floor is used the called

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

and the other levels, second and third, use the Almohad ribbed vault which, together with those of the neighboring

Castle of Villena The Atalaya Castle (Spanish: ''Castillo de la Atalaya'' or ''Castillo de Villena'', English: Castle of the Watch) is a fortress in Villena, province of Alicante, southern Spain. Located over a spur of the Sierra de la Villa, in the north-wester ...

, are among the oldest in Spain and throughout the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

, as well as the only used in a military building in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

References

{{Coord, 38, 37, 55, N, 0, 45, 50, W, region:ES-VC_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in the Province of Alicante Castles in the Valencian Community Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Alicante

History

Structure

See also

References