Castillo de Tabernas is a ruined castle on the outskirts of the municipality of Tabernas, Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It was built in the 11th century during the time of Arab domination. It is of Moorish style and is situated on top of a hill. When it was built, it occupied the entire hill, though currently only a part is preserved. In 1993, it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural monument. During the siege of Almeria, Ferdinand and Isabella ensconced themselves in the castle.

Castillo de Tabernas

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Gérgal Castle, locally known as Castillo de Gérgal, lies on a hill above the village of Gérgal in the province of Almería in Spain.
Gérgal Castle was built somewhere during the Late Middle Ages during Muslim rule. By 1492 it had fallen into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs; Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They donated the castle to Alonso de Cárdenas, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, for outstanding services during the Granada War.
During the 16th century it played an important defensive role against the inland raids of Barbary pirates, who were supported by the remaining Moorish population. In 1568 the Moors rebelled and the Christians in Gérgal were massacred and the Moors held the castle. They were driven out some time later and the castle was destroyed by Christian forces to avoid a repeated use by the Moors. Between 1571 and 1620 all the Moors were expelled from the Iberian mainland. This left the area around Gérgal Castle depopulated and open to banditry.
During the first half of the 17th century Gérgal Castle was rebuilt on the site of the old Muslim fortification to restore order and favor repopulation in the area. In the middle of the 18th century it belonged to Isabel Pacheco Portocarrero, Countesss of Puebla del Maestre and Marchioness of Torre de las Sirgadas. She used it for storing storing grains.
When her descendants died out in 1940, the castle went to the local council. In 1968 it went to the State who auctioned it off, in 1972, to a private individual.
The castle we see today dates back to the rebuilding in the 17th century. Its core is a square crenellated tower with lower round towers at its corners. At its north western facade and attached to one of the corner towers is a semicircular bastion. It is build up out of horizontally laid slabs of slate. The castle is now also equipped with a crenellated outer wall, but this was built by the present owner.
At present Gérgal is a private residence and thus can not be visited. It can easily be seen from the public road next to it. Too bad, I would love to see the interior of this beautiful castle that to me has a more French feel than an Andalusian.
http://www.castles.nl

Gérgal Castle

The Alcazaba of Almería is a fortified complex in Almería, southern Spain. The word alcazaba, from the Arabic word al-qasbah, signifies a walled-fortification in a city.

In 955 Almería gained the title of medina ("city") by the Caliph of Cordoba, Abd ar-Rahman III: construction of the defensive citadel, located in the upper sector of the city, began in this period. The alcazaba, provided not only with walls and towers but also with squares, houses and a mosque, was to be also the seat of the local government, commanding the city and the sea nearby.

The complex was enlarged under caliph Al-Mansur and, later, under Al-Jairan, first king of the independent taifa of Almería (1012–1028).

The first line of walls is a wide enclosure corresponding to the first Muslim military camp, used as shelter for the population in case of siege. For this task it was provided with large cisterns.

The first enclosure is separated by the second one by the so-called Muro de la Vela ("Wall of the Sail"), taking its name from a bell that warned the population in case of events such as the arrival of a ship in the port, danger, fires etc. This wall was built by King Charles III of Spain.

In the second enclosure was the residence for the governors, their soldiers and their servants. It included also the mosque, baths, tanks, tents etc.

The third enclosure, the most external, is also the most modern in the complex. After the Christian conquest of Almería, the Catholic monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand I of Aragon had a castle built in the most elevated sector of the town, more apt to resist the new gunpowder artillery.

The Alcazaba has been used to film Conan the Barbarian, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Never Say Never Again as well as the syndicated TV series Queen of Swords used the inner courtyard and gardens.

Alcazaba of Almería

De la muralla califal de la antigua al-Mariyyat quedan en la actual Almería (provincia de Almería, Andalucía, España) algunos lienzos dispersos por el casco viejo de la ciudad.
De ellos, el más importante es el situado en la esquina entre la calle Atarazanas, la calle de la Reina y el Parque Nicolás Salmerón. Se trata de un lienzo con aparejo califal de soga y tizón, datado en el siglo X, época de la fundación de la ciudad (955) y que formaba parte de la muralla que cerraba por el este la medina (a la que normalmente se alude como "barrio de la Almedina"), bajando desde la Alcazaba hasta el mar. Lo acompañan los cimientos de la antigua Puerta de las Atarazanas.
Declarada Bien de Interés Cultural y restaurada en 1991, hoy día se integra dentro del yacimiento arqueológico y Centro de Interpretación Puerta del Mar, espacio expositivo en el que se pueden contemplar tanto los restos de la muralla como una factoría de salazones de época romana hallada también en la zona.
Existen otros restos de murallas en la ciudad, tanto de la época de la taifa de Almería como de la anterior época califal. Entre éstos últimos se cuentan los existentes en el Colegio Público Inés Relaño.

Muralla califal (Almería)

The Casa Fuerte de la Cruceta or the Casas Fuertes is a privately owned castle and coastal defense fortress in Almería, Province of Almería, Andalusia, Spain.

The Casa Fuerte de la Cruceta was finished in 1773 for the purpose of housing cavalry units. The fortress was one of the westernmost defensive positions built in the 18th century by King Charles III of Spain to defend the area of Almería and the Cabo de Gata. It was originally intended to house soldiers who were tasked with guarding the areas between Torre García and Perdigal. The King approved plans for its construction in 1771 and works were completed in 1773. In 1778 the fort had a permanent garrison of 14 soldiers.

By 1830, the fort was abandoned by the army but in 1857, it was transferred to the control of the Carabineros. In 1941, the fort was garrisoned by the Guardia Civil.

The fortress was restored in 2005 and is accessible as a part of the waterfront of El Toyo.