Atalaya Castle

Villena, Spain, Spain

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Atalaya Castle, also known as Castillo de la Atalaya or Villena Castle, is a well-preserved 12th-century Almohad fortress atop San Cristóbal hill in Villena, Alicante province, Valencian Community, Spain, commanding views over the historic Castile-Aragon border.

Built without a moat using a double-walled enclosure with twelve outer towers and a taller inner square featuring a prominent rectangular keep, it resisted multiple sieges by James I of Aragon before its 1240 conquest and later assignment to the Order of Calatrava, passing to noble families like the Pachecos. 

The keep showcases rare Almohad star-ribbed vaults, rammed earth construction, artillery scars from conflicts including the War of the Spanish Succession, and 15th-century Gothic extensions, making it a standout example of Islamic military architecture now open to visitors.