The Alcazaba in Orce, also referred to as a Castillo or Alcazaba de las Siete Torres, dates back to the 11th century, but was not fully completed until the 14th century
The Alcazaba in Orce, also referred to as a Castillo or Alcazaba de las Siete Torres, dates back to the 11th century, but was not fully completed until the 14th century. The final construction work corresponded to the Christian rulers. The monument is, therefore, a Nazari style building, but with some Renaissance renovations that were made to its structure. This castle mainly served for military purposes and it played a vital role in the defence of the Nazari Kingdom of Granada, as did the alcazabas in Vélez-Blanco, Huéscar, Baza and Guadix. As a result of Orce’s growth over the course of centuries, the alcazaba is now located in the centre of the town.
Like most of the Muslim constructions from the rest of the Caliphal period, this structure was not built using a rectangular foundation but rather worked according to the topography of a natural promontory, which produces an irregular floor plan. It is surrounded by a wall with seven towers, thirty-two battlements and a beautiful horseshoe-shaped gate. The towers are pyramid-shaped, marking the building’s African origin. As for the interior, its most noteworthy areas are the parade ground and, above the wall, a gallery that connected all of the towers.
The last part of this complex to be built was the Torre del Homenaje (Tower of Homage), which was reconstructed in the 16th century following an earthquake. It is a rectangular tower measuring thirty metres tall and twelve metres wide. The tower grows narrower as it moves up.
The monument is currently a protected site. A formal decree on 22 April 1949 designated the structure as such, and it was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1973.
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