Fortaleza de la Mota

Alcalá la Real, Spain, Spain

---

Fortaleza de la Mota in Alcalá la Real, Jaén province, Spain, is a vast 8th-century Muslim fortress complex—originally Qal'at Yahsub or Qal'at Banu Sa'id—that evolved into a complete walled town with multiple enclosure rings, serving as the critical frontier bulwark between Castile and Nasrid Granada for over 150 years. Briefly captured by Alfonso VIII in 1213 before reverting to Muslim control, Alfonso XI definitively conquered it in 1341, prompting reconstructions including a Gothic-Renaissance abbatial church on the former mosque site, seven gates like Puerta de la Imagen, a keep tower, natural caves as cellars, and rock-hewn graves revealed in the church floor. Damaged by French forces in the 19th century—including a powder magazine explosion that wrecked the prison tower—it was declared a National Monument in 1931, now housing a frontier life interpretation center amid extensive ruins offering panoramic views.