The Castle of Molina de Aragón (also called ''

alcázar An ''alcázar'', from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in Spain built during Al-Andalus, Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for governmental figures throughout ...

'' or '' alcazaba'') is a fortification in

Molina de Aragón Molina de Aragón is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2009 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 3,671 inhabitants. It held the record (−28.2 °C) for the lowes ...

, Castile-La Mancha,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It was declared ''

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

'' in 1931. It is located on a hill commanding the surrounding valley, and is formed by an external line of walls with four gates and numerous towers, which defends the internal fortress. The latter has six towers, of which four are currently in good conditions. Originally, the line of towers included a village. It originated as a Moorish fortress (10th-11th century), built over a pre-existing Celtiberian castle. The fortress was used as residence of the lords of the taifa of Molina.

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...

resided here when he was exiled from Castile. In 1129 it was conquered from the Moors by

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (7 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior (), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I. With his marriage to U ...

, who gave it the Lara family.

Sources

References

External links

Page at castillos.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle of Molina de Aragon Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Molina de Aragon Molina de Aragon Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Guadalajara