This route crosses the lands once known as Al-Andalus and joins together the capital cities of the ancient Caliphate. At the end of the Middle Ages this territory divided Christian Spain from Muslim Al-Andalus and a much disputed frontier zone, or no-man’s land, was situated in the province of Jaén. The route represents a chain formed by impregnable links made up of castles, watchtowers and fortresses.
The principal route begins in Cordoba, the main axis passes by the N-432 road, via Espejo, Castro del Río, Zuheros, Luque, Alcaudete, Castillo de Locubin and Alcala la Real. A secondary route, also starting in Córdoba and ending in Alcalá la Real, takes the N-331 road through Fernan Nuñez, Montemayor, Montilla, Aguilar, Lucena, Cabra and Priego de Cordoba. From Alcala la Real it rejoins the N-432 road towards Granada and passes through the towns of Moclin, Pinos Puente, Colomera, Güevejar, Cogollos Vega, Alfacar, Viznar and finally Granada.
The route passes through towns and villages whose very walls and narrow street seem to tell a story filled with all the components of the best fictional novels; death, destruction, conquest, proud leaders, love, longing, loss and fear. The difference is that all of this happened here over 1,000 years ago. During this period the land and their settlements were fiercely disputed not only between opposing Christian and Muslim forces but also among Arab factions.
The stage was filled with many of the giants of history. For example the first conquest Alcaudete, was carried out by Alfonso VI (1085) assisted ably by El Cid, who later went on to carve out a territory for himself in the region of Valencia. In the following centuries it changed hands between the Castillians and Andalusies several times, until it was finally conquered by Alfonso XI in 1340. The imposing Castle that presides over the modern town was built by the Moors in the 10th c. over Roman ruins. Several watch towers that were used as early-warning stations also survive such as those at the San Juan and Viboras rivers.
In Castillo de Locubin, the view from Hins al-Uqbin, or Castle of the Eagles or the Caves – depending from where it is viewed it I suppose – spans the Jaén countryside almost uninterruptedly. Nowadays, however, only the base remains.
Alcala la Real is home to the spectacular Al-Andalus fortress of ‘La Mota’. This is so special that it was declared an Historical and National Monument as early as 1931. The Castle and its three towers (Bell or Candle, Mocha and the Homage tower) are built around a parade ground that was the military enclosure of the ancient Muslim city. It was constructed in the year 727, again over Roman ruins, and has been extensively restored to reflect the vitality and power that it must have displayed over 1,000 years ago.
The fortress has large stretches of wall with towers, seven gates that permitted access to the enclosure and a central mosque that has been converted to a Christian temple and is now an archaeological museum. The defensive system around the town was completed with a complex watchtower system, of which fifteen remain.
Castillo de Locubín, del Hins al-Uqbin, Castillo de las Aguilas o de las Cuevas, que le da el nombre a la población, sólo se conserva la planta. Fue una fortaleza estratégica en la ruta del califato.
This route crosses the lands once known as Al-Andalus and joins together the capital cities of the ancient Caliphate. At the end of the Middle Ages this territory divided Christian Spain from Muslim Al-Andalus and a much disputed frontier zone, or no-man’s land, was situated in the province of Jaén. The route represents a chain formed by impregnable links made up of castles, watchtowers and fortresses.
The stage was filled with many of the giants of history. For example the first conquest Alcaudete, was carried out by Alfonso VI (1085) assisted ably by El Cid, who later went on to carve out a territory for himself in the region of Valencia. In the following centuries it changed hands between the Castillians and Andalusies several times, until it was finally conquered by Alfonso XI in 1340. The imposing Castle that presides over the modern town was built by the Moors in the 10th c. over Roman ruins. Several watch towers that were used as early-warning stations also survive such as those at the San Juan and Viboras rivers.