The 12th Century Structure of Blanca

Located in Blanca, Region of Murcia, the structure of Blanca was built in the 12th century by Emir Muhammad ibn Mardanis, also known as the Rey Lobo. It dominates the alquería of Blanca and the communication between the towns of Molina de Segura and Cieza through the Valle de Ricote. In the 13th century, during the rebellion of Ibn Hud against the Almohades, the building was expanded.

With the Castilian conquest, the building and the village passed to certain hands in 1281, although during the Aragón invasion of 1296-1304, it was briefly given to Bernardo de Sarriá. Following the Aragón rule, the building returned to previous hands. In 1448, the building suffered a siege due to the need for water by the garrison. From this point, and especially after 1609, the importance of the building decayed due to maintenance costs and the pacification after the conquest of Granada.

The structure is 223 meters above sea level, and from the original construction only three towers remain standing, connected by two cortinas. These towers were built using a tapial construct of lime and stone encofrado. According to historian Serafín Alonso, the towers reached 12 meters in height and may have had two architectural bodies: terrazas almenadas and aspilleras. The towers have mechinales where the beams were inserted during construction.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons