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Castillejo de Monteagudo (Qasr Ibn Sa'd)

The Castillejo, also called the Alcázar of Ibn Sa'd or the Palace of Ibn Mardanish, is a 12th-century Andalusi palace built on the orders of the taifa king Ibn Mardanish. It stands on a hill in Monteagudo, about 5 km from Murcia, next to the mountain of Monteagudo castle. They are separate constructions, although they form a single residential complex with defences, gardens and ponds. It has two enclosures. The lower one, defensive, is quadrangular in plan, with five towers on the long sides and three on the short ones. The upper one housed the palace, arranged around a central courtyard; a good part of it was lost when an irrigation reservoir was built on top of it between 1956 and 1969. The walls are of rammed earth (tapial). Decorative pieces such as the voussoirs with inscriptions are displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Murcia. It was declared a National Monument in 1931. The City Council acquired the land in 2019 and it has been restored in phases since 2023; the lower enclosure opened to the public after the works and guided visits are led by an archaeologist.

Things to do at Castillejo de Monteagudo (Qasr Ibn Sa'd): 3 missions

• Look at the huerta and the castle from the hillFrom the hill of the Castillejo, find the huerta, Monteagudo castle and the Cristo de Monteagudo.
• Touch and photograph the rammed-earth wallsLook at the tapial walls of the lower enclosure, the rammed-earth technique with which the palace was built.
• Count the towers of the lower enclosureWalk around the quadrangular defensive enclosure and count the five towers on each long side and the three on each short side.

Near Castillejo de Monteagudo (Qasr Ibn Sa'd)

Source: Web oficial - Ayuntamiento de Murcia (Castillejo de Monteagudo)