The Arab fortress and secret village hidden in the Spanish hill

The Castillo de Nogalte, located in Puerto Lumbreras, Murcia, is a medieval fortress of Islamic origin. Despite a lack of written records, the fortress can be dated to the 13th century due to the use of Castilian construction techniques and the presence of documentation mentioning Don Juan García de Villamayor as the first owner. The castle is strategically positioned to control various water sources and natural paths. After the Christian conquest, the lower enclosure of the castle was constructed, which today includes a series of earth walls that configure a set of connected spaces.

An ancient village was found 160 meters south of the castle, dating back to the Bronze Age. This village was later abandoned, but recently a project of musealization and interpretation of some of the cave houses was carried out, turning this hill into one of the most important examples of Rupestrian habitat in the Region of Murcia.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons