Castillo-Alcazaba de Orihuela

The Castillo-Alcazaba de Orihuela crowns Monte de San Miguel above the city's historic centre, with remains dating back to before the Caliphate of Córdoba. Over the centuries it was repeatedly reworked by the different powers that held the city, until it was destroyed in the early 18th century.

Layers of history on one hill

Excavations have uncovered material from several periods: green-and-manganese ceramics and a cistern from the Caliphate era, finds from the taifa kingdoms and the Almoravid period, and Christian structures from the late medieval era. The highest part of the hill held the alcazaba proper, where political and military decisions were made, while a line of towers further down marked out the albacar, a larger enclosure used for livestock and as an extra layer of defence.

The fortress remained in use until the War of the Spanish Succession: in 1709, lightning struck a powder store inside the castle, starting a fire that badly damaged its structure, and that same year Felipe V ordered it demolished. The 1829 earthquakes further degraded what was left standing. Today the site is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, in the Archaeological Zone category.

Climbing up to the castle takes in much of the Segura river valley and the layout of Orihuela's old town, with the cathedral and the former Santo Domingo university visible among the rooftops. The Church of Santas Justa y Rufina also falls within the same walk through the historic centre.