Castillo de la Alcozaiba

The Castillo de la Alcozaiba is a fortification of Muslim origin built in the 11th century on a rocky spur, at the opposite end of the citadel from the Castillo de San José. Together the two formed the defensive system that protected the walled core of Guadalest, at a point where the cliffs themselves did much of the work of a wall.

A fortress in three enclosures

Historical records describe a structure of three staggered enclosures, with cisterns at the highest point and the access route at the lowest. The Alcozaiba changed considerably after the Christian conquest, and in the 17th century it was absorbed into the Orduña family's manor house, which altered much of its original layout.

A castle nearly lost

The same disasters that struck the rest of Guadalest — the earthquakes of 1644 and 1748 and the 1708 demolition during the War of the Spanish Succession — left the Alcozaiba almost entirely destroyed. Only the lower half of one tower survives today, half-hidden on top of cliffs that are awkward to reach and barely signposted, so it is more often seen from a distance than actually visited.

Entry is free, and the site is usually combined with the climb to the Castillo de San José and the Portal de San José, the rock-cut tunnel that leads into the old town. From the base of the ruined tower, the view over the reservoir is the same one that makes Guadalest famous in photographs, just seen from an angle far fewer visitors bother to reach.