Castillo de Jimena de la Frontera
The Castillo de Jimena de la Frontera was a medieval Arab castle complex near Jimena de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz in Spain. The Castillo has been classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1931 . The ruins can be visited.
history
The facility was built in the 8th century as a guard post in what was then the border area above the ruins of a previous building from the old Roman city of Oba from the 5th century.
The complex was taken by Jerez de la Frontera in 1430 and recaptured by the Arabs in 1454. In 1456 the Castillo de Jimena was conquered by Christian troops under Henry IV . In 1471 Enrique de Guzmán, Duke of Medina-Sidonia bought it .
construction
The entire complex is surrounded by an irregular wall that is adapted to the site and provided with watchtowers. The so-called Torre do Relógio (clock tower), which forms the entrance with its arched gate, is striking. Stones from Roman ruins were built into its walls.
In the western part of the castle is the "Bath of the Moorish Queen", a baptismal font from a Mozarabic church at this point, which is partially carved into the rock. Several burial niches were found nearby, which also belonged to a simple Mozarabic church.
The main castle was in the southern part of the complex. It is dominated by the 13 meter high fortified round residential tower, which was raised after the Christian reconquest.
The cisterns in the northern part of the complex date from different eras. In the far north is the village cemetery today.
gallery
Entrance gate
Residential and defense tower with high entrance
Cisterns, looking south
View through the entrance gate to the castle
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Junta de Andalucia. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 6, 2019 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) or now Catálogo General del Patrimonio Histórico Andaluz. Retrieved August 6, 2019 .
Coordinates: 36 ° 25 ′ 56.1 ″ N , 5 ° 27 ′ 18.9 ″ W.