Castle

The castle of Medinaceli, located at the western end of the Roman wall and almost completely rebuilt on the primitive Arab citadel, is separated from the buildings by the so-called Campillo del Castillo. Dated in the tenth century, its mission was to give notice by visual signals to the garrison of Medinaceli of any sighting in the nearby valleys. Few are the remains that have come down to our times of a castle of great importance in the Middle Ages. The Arabs made Medinaceli the headquarters of their raids along the Duero. Their leader, Almanzor, wounded in the battle of Calatatañazor, died on his way to Medinaceli in 1002, and tradition has it that he is buried in the fourth hill near the town, although others place his burial place inside the now disappeared citadel. Once conquered by Alfonso VI the Battler in 1370, Medinaceli became a Lordship, and a successor of Alfonso VI, Alfonso VIII, created the County of Medinaceli and granted it to the Count of Foix married to Doña Isabel de la Cerda. A century later the Catholic Monarchs granted it the title of Duchy. From that moment on, a new stage in its history began, shaping the urban layout that has survived to the present day. Among the remains that have reached our days are the foundations of a tower, on a rocky eminence, as well as two large cisterns, remains of rooms and stairs, all dug into the rock. It was rebuilt on the Arab citadel, of which only the subway stables have survived. Built in ashlar, with a square floor plan, rectangular keep and circular towers in three of its corners.