Discovering the Secrets of Salobreña Castle

On top of a jagged cliff on the Andalusian coast of Spain is Salobreña Castle. Once a mighty coastal defence, it has been restored and today I will introduce it to you.

For nearly eight centuries, Salobreña flourished under Muslim influence, exemplified by the hilltop castle, symbol of the once mighty Kingdom of Granada.

During the Kingdom of Granada, the castle became a crucial coastal town's centerpiece. It witnessed the splendor of Granada's monarchs and held imprisoned sultans.

The castle is a fusion of Muslim and Christian architecture and reflects the complex history of the Andalusia region in southern Spain.

Allow me to begin with a legend that is inscribed on the castle's south wall.

Legend of the three princesses
Legends of the Alhambra

And he arranged for his daughters to be educated
in the castle of Salobreña,
embedded in an impregnable fortress
erected on the plateau of a hill
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

...Not forgetting the smallest detail
that would contribute to give them a pleasant existence.
Serene and peaceful climate, beautiful gardens.
of fragrant flowers and exquisite fruits...

Washington Irwing 1829

Access to the castle

The castle is located at the top of a stony hill, surrounded by nice old buildings and greenery.

artist's shop on the way to the castle

steps towards the castle gate

The main gate

The main gate to the castle suggests that the approach was always quite difficult, which contributed to its defence. Today, apart from the south gate, it is possible to descend through the gardens via a long staircase on the north side.

main gate on the northern side of the castle, the arch around the gate is original

a quiet remnant of the castle's later use as a canon fortress

this interesting dome inside the tower gate is called the brick sail dome

the inner side of the gate leads directly into the first defensive corridor

the first defensive corridor, surrounded by high walls and towers, was designed to defend the castle if the main gate was breached

the massive outer wall gives the impression that the defence of the castle was taken seriously

Southern wall

The southern wall is built directly on a rocky hill, so it provides not only a perfect defense but also a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea.

the southern walls are much thinner than the northern ones

view to the south towards the coastline

Salobrena Bay with its beaches and still very active agriculture

view to the east over the roofs of the houses under the castle

looking to the south, you can get an idea of how high on the rock the castle is.

Second gate

We are now approaching the interior of the castle itself, we still have to go through the second gate

The second gate is smaller than the first, the size corresponds approximately to a rider on horseback

the view from the second gate towards the north-west shows that a direct approach to the second gate was absolutely impossible

the interior of the tower of the second gate

that's the view when you come out the second gate

Inner yard of the castle

We are now in the main courtyard of the castle, surrounded by defensive walls and towers with breathtaking views on all sides

large defensive wall above the first defensive corridor overlooking the eastern part of the city

View to the north, in the foreground one of the residential towers, in the background on the right the Sierra Nevada mountains, at their base lies the Alhambra Palace, once the main seat of the rulers of the kingdom of Granda

Northeast view of the main defensive tower that stands above the main gate

view of the main residential tower where the rulers of the castle lived

view to the east

view towards north

view to the west. Notice interesting shooting holes, which could used by completely protected shooters. These vere probably introduced in later periods.

northwestern tower lying above the castle gardens

another view from the defensive wall above the entrance passage

Nasrid Bath

The most beautiful historical remnant of Salobrena Castle, discovered relatively recently during the reconstruction, is the heated Arab bath.

view from the service area where the wood was stored, and you can see access to a sophisticated floor and water heating system

mayority of the floors are still original

beautiful black and white patterns can still be found on many tiles in andalusia

Main residential tower

Although medieval castles were often quite large, the rulers' living quarters were often quite small.
Moreover, the stone walls and windows without glass made life inside not very pleasant because of the cold and wind, so we can imagine that they spent part of their lives in the main courtyard or in the gardens.

the main residential tower is for some reason locked and inaccessible to visitors

after peeking inside the door, I can see why this is so. I just hope that one day this part will also be reconstructed and we will be able to visit the places where the rulers of the castle lived

Water deposit

On the main yard we can admire another very interesting construction (there are two). It is an old water deposit.
This water deposit not only stored water for the case of siege (there is a very good water spring under the castle), but also used a quite ingenious system to catch and store the rain water.

water deposit

detail of water deposit. Notice the intake holes collection the rain water from the main yard

Old castle barracks

Here we see the floors of the castle barracks on the hilltop. You can see they lived in quite Spartan conditions.

floor of the castle barracks

Castle gardens

The Moorish rulers in Spain were known for their love of nature and often surrounded themselves with nature even in their strongholds.
The gardens not only provided peace and shelter for the animals, but were also a significant source of food for the castle kitchen.

view through the castle gardens, which were inside the castle, towards the northwest

view of the massive castle walls below the castle gardens

The houses in the bailey

As in the whole of Andalusia, in Salobrena the houses under the castle are a mixture of Pistorean buildings and winding streets with a still Arabic feel.