Jimena de la Frontera Castle

Jimena de la Frontera, Spain

Jimena de la Frontera castle was originally built by the Grenadian Moors of the Umayyad Caliphate ruling over the area of Hispania Baetica (modern Andalusia) in the 8th Century. It served as one of many castles guarding both the approach to the fortifications around Gibraltar and the Bay of Algeciras where the strategic and important Moorish stronghold and fortress of Algeciras was located.

The fortress was likely built over the ruins of the ancient city of Oba which dated to pre Roman Celtiberian period. Given its strategic location on the frontier of the Gibraltar region, this fortress proved an important Moorish stronghold throughout the Muslim domination of the Iberian Peninsula.

The castle was taken by the Jerezanos in 1430 and retaken by the Moorish Kingdom of Granada in 1451. In 1465, it was integrated into the Kingdom of Castille as the property of the crown.

The outer defenses consist of a long irregular wall that is lengthened in places to adapt to the uneven mountainous terrain. Watchtowers line this wall at regular intervals. The most well known tower is the Torre del Reloj or Albarrán (Clock Tower) and together, the towers have a very effective line of sight and defense forming an easily defensible arch of a fire zone. Various trenches also exist, all dug in different eras.

Inside the walls stands the Alcázar which was built or renovated after the Christian takeover of the castle. the Torre del Homenaje, with its large circular dome juts out of the Alcázar at a height of 13 meters making it the tallest tower of the castle. The inside of the Torre del Homenaje hides an earlier polygonal pattern tower that was presumably built over after the Christian takeover.

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Founded: 8th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

jonah jones (7 months ago)
Great little piece of 14th Century history. The castle and grounds are free to visit, when you get to the top be sure to look out to the Booted Eagles nest (I think they are booted eagles) regardless there is around 7 who nest on the rock. Loads of QR information boards around the site. Drive upto the castle is pretty tight but a one way system so not to bad, there is plenty of parking in the carpark. Definitely worth a visit
Banu Aysolmaz (13 months ago)
Surprisingly nice castle in the small village. There are quite some towers and sections to walk around. There is no entrance ticket.
Bull Dogg (2 years ago)
A nice castle with nice views. During our visit there was a significant amount of renovation work being done and the towers were not accessible. There is almost no parking close to the castle so we recommend parking in the town and walking up (it’s very steep). During off season you should be able to find parking nearby.
Manchester & Bolton Osteopathic Clinic (2 years ago)
Good information plaques but probably not enough safety barriers to be safe for kids. Stunning views.
Colin W (2 years ago)
Beautiful Castillo, worth visiting!
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