Wanloria › Destinations › Antequera › Antequera Alcazaba

Antequera Alcazaba

The Alcazaba of Antequera is a Muslim fortress built on a hill with Roman and Visigothic remains, constructed mainly between the 14th and 15th centuries as a frontier stronghold of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada against the Christian advance. It was taken in 1410 by Infante Ferdinand of Antequera, a conquest that paved the way for the fall of the Kingdom of Granada eighty years later. It is entered through the Arco de los Gigantes, a Renaissance gate of 1585 built with Roman inscriptions reused from Anticaria, Singilia Barba and other nearby towns. Inside the compound the highlights are the Torre del Homenaje, with an angular plan and one of the widest among the Nasrid towers of Andalusia, crowned by a bell tower added in 1582 popularly known as the Papabellotas clock, and the Torre Blanca, with horseshoe-arched windows and loopholes. From the towers and the wall-walk you can see the Peña de los Enamorados, the El Torcal mountains and the town itself.

Things to do at Antequera Alcazaba: 4 missions

• Read a Roman inscription on the Arco de los GigantesBefore going in, at the Arco de los Gigantes of 1585, look for one of the Latin inscriptions reused from nearby Roman towns such as Singilia Barba or Nescania.
• Look at the windows of the Torre BlancaOn the Torre Blanca, look for the horseshoe-arched windows and the narrow loopholes opened in the wall for defence.
• Find the Papabellotas clockClimb the Torre del Homenaje and find the bell tower added in 1582, popularly known as Papabellotas because, according to local tradition, the town council sold an oak wood to pay for it.
• Identify three landmarks from the wallsFrom the wall-walk or the towers, pick out three points: the Peña de los Enamorados, the El Torcal mountains and the Real Colegiata de Santa María.

Near Antequera Alcazaba

Source: Venta oficial de entradas - Recinto Monumental de Antequera