MOTA CASTLE 13th century

MOTA CASTLE... more

by Guido Montanes Castillo

Title

MOTA CASTLE 13th century

Artist

Guido Montanes Castillo

Medium

Photograph

Description

MOTA CASTLE
ALCALA LA REAL
JAEN, SPAIN
The Castle of Alcal� la Real or fortress of La Mota, 1 is a defense site, located in the Cerro de la Mota, at 1,029 meters, in the town of Alcala la Real, in the province of Ja�n (Spain), dated in time Nazari (XIII and XIV), although previous elements.
History

At 713 d. JC/94 Hegira, the Muslim conquest, the city renamed قلعة أسطلير (Qal `at Astalir), then, in the ninth century, قلعة يحصب (Qal` at Yahsub) and, later, in the middle of s. XII قلعة بني سعيد (Qal `at Banī Sa` id), ie "strength of Bani Sa` id or family Sa `id", also abbreviated as القلعة Al-Qal `a," strength ", from which it derives its name today.2 According to some authors, 3 the watchtower-castle was built at the beginning of s. VIII, by President Badis Aben Habuz Granada, as a defense against the raids of the hosts of Baeza, who were settled in the nearby Castle Locub�n. But this was, in fact, in the s. XI, at the time of the first Taifa, where he was born and died on Berber Zirid kingdom of Granada. It is known that earlier, in 889, was the center of one of the mulad�es rebellions against the Caliphate of Cordoba and later played a prominent role in the clashes between the Almoravids and the Taifa kings, when reinforcing their systems defensive and surrounds the entire living space with a new wall, rising a mosque and a complex system of access to the top of the hill, with several towers controlled doors albarranas.4
In the Almohad period suffered attacks by North African Berber rebellion and constitution manifests in an independent dominion. Abd al-Malik bin Sa `id, its governor and head of the extended family in Morocco paid with their rebellion jail for a short time. He then returned to Alcala free and obedient. After the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212), the castle is the target of attacks, according to some authors, assumed its passage Christian and Muslim hands alternately. In this fort took place the so-called Pact of Alcala, between Alfonso X and Alhamar (1265), when it was under control granadino.5 Between mid XIII and XIV century, organized a defense system-watchman watchmen controlled the fixed boundary line in the Covenant of Ja�n.
In 1340, Alfonso XI besieged the city, which capitulated overcome by hunger, in 1341, definitely going to be one of the main outposts of the Kingdom of Castile against the Moorish Kingdom of Granada. Until the fall of Granada, the castle of La Mota had generous endowments of Castile, performing some works, such as the lifting of the "New Tower". However, once conquered Granada, the fort was abandoned and gradually the whole defense system "fell into the state of neglect to come in the eighteenth century, coinciding with the depopulation of the citadel on the outskirts of the plain" .6
Already in the nineteenth century, French forces conditioned and restored the fort, building a wall that ran from the palace to the prison tower, surrounding the occupation zone, which included the main church abbey. In 1812, at the end of the War of Independence, the main church, used as a warehouse, was burned, causing the collapse of part of the vault, and caused the explosion of the powder magazine that housed the prison tower, destroying much part of its walls. The strength deterioration worsened as a result of impacts of artillery in the 1936-39 war, performing restorations on it only recently.
[Edit] Description

The Castle of Alcala la Real, is willing, as usual in the Andalusian fortress cities in three areas:
The outer enclosure formed by the ramparts of the city, enclosed by a large fence included the so-called "Old Arrabal". Its original layout corresponds to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and today very few left standing remains of the wall. This wall was initially built of mud and mortar, but it seems that was remodeled in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, covering it with walls mamposter�a.7 Some authors consider that there was another close, even external, possibly was a ground albacara and madera.8
The citadel or inner place, which occupies the entire summit plateau of Cerro de la Mota, and was the site of the original city, surrounded by a wall. At the time, has various access doors leading into the interior: The "Porta de Santiago", was located in the northwest corner, and communicated directly with the outside of the medina, the "San Bartolome" was in the southwest and also accessed directly outside. However, the main entrance was up by the "Cuesta de la Mota" and was done through a monumental gate in angle, called "Gate Image" mixed double semicircular arch (the first one) and Horseshoe (the second). It is very similar to the Gate of Justice in the Alhambra.9 10 Before arriving at this door, he passed for another, called "From the Spears", protected by a watchtower. And then still had to cross the "Puerta del Peso de la Harina", which was what connected the fortress with the square alta.11
Finally, poop, last defensive enclosure, stood at the highest part of the citadel, with triangular or trapezoidal (with one side very low), with the Tower of Homage, the "Bell Tower" and the "Torre Mocha". Access to the interior is done through a door beneath the keep, constructive structure very similar to the Puerta Monaita the capital of the Kingdom of Granada.12
The set is built with masonry and has been restored by the Junta de Andaluc�a. Some authors maintain that could have been originally built in mud, although during the restorations not detected any evidence of this.

Uploaded

April 18th, 2013