Bentomiz Castle, Arenas, Spain

Bentomiz Castle is an ancient Moorish fortress built on a hill near the village of Arenas in the province of Málaga. It sits at a height of 711 metres, and lies to the northeast of Vélez-Málaga.

The castle site is thought to have been occupied by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, although it is not clear which parts of the ruins date to which period. Roman baths have been found there. The Arabs built on the existing structure. The fortress, then called Munt Mās, was mentioned in the memoirs of Abdallah ibn Buluggin, ruler of the Taifa of Granada in the eleventh century. He described it as a formidable stronghold. The fortress surrendered to him during a civil war that he fought with his brother.

When Ferdinand II of Aragon reached the area en route to Vélez-Málaga, in the campaign that culminated in the Siege of Málaga (1487), the Granadan Sultan El Zagal brought a force to oppose them which he stationed around the Bentomiz castle. The Moors attacked the Christian siege train during the night of 25 April 1487 but were repulsed, and in panic retreated towards Granada. The castle was taken over by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 and maintained as a defensive post. The castle is now ruined, but there are still towers, walls and underground chambers.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Nick (2 years ago)
Another interesting castle ruin. This one dating back to Phoenicians, Greeks and Roman. Wikipedia has a small good write up on it describing some of the history and conflicts surrounding the site.

Not Public (Alias) (2 years ago)
Amazing views of the area and an interesting spot to reflect on history. It is not maintained, there are no facilities or anything else. It's just a nice waypoint for a hike or mountain bike trip.

maarten lapeire (3 years ago)
Nice location with magnificent views. A little challenge to climb up to it. And the way to the location is better done with a suv or jeep, because the road is in a very bad condition. But it's worth the trip.

LSGP1 (5 years ago)
Nice view of Velez Malaga

Michael Nelson (5 years ago)
Good panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Wouldn't have found it if it wasn't for Google maps. Vehicle parking is restricted.

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Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

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These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

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