Béznar: Castillo de Zoraya

Combining our need to top up our groceries (the nearest store is in the village of Talará) with our desire to hike up to the Castillo de Zoraya (accessed from the village of Mondújar, next to Talará), we decided to take the first bus of the morning to Talará. This gave us a chance to make the climb up to the castle while it was still cool, which turned out to be a very good decision.

The trail up had sections through an almond orchard, and then an olive orchard. This had a new irrigation system, using pipes running directly beside the traditional acequia. Soon the trail got steeper, but still quite doable in the cool of the morning. A series of caves that looked like they had once been used as shelters became visible. Then we were up above the trees, and the castle popped into view. Now the trail got steeper and steeper, but there was no drop off beside it, so it was not scary. Just 14 m of elevation shy of the top, it became so steep and littered with loose stones that I knew it would be quite difficult for me to get back down without slipping and falling. I stopped at that point, and Ned went on to the castle where he was able to explore the structure and see the double curve of the entrance that made it easier to defend.

The fortress was built on the orders of the penultimate Nasrid sultan, Muley Hacén. (It was his son, Boabdil, who handed over the keys of the city of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492.) The castle also included gardens and orchards and was a favorite retreat for the royal family. Its name comes from Hacén’s second wife, Zoraya.

Muley Hacén died there in 1485 and was buried in Mondújar, but after the Christian Reconquest, his remains were moved to the highest mountain in mainland Spain, Mulhacén. I was delighted to learn how the mountain got its name, since I had never made that connection before!

The way down turned out to be easy because we imitated a tractor-trailer. Ned was the semi in front and I was the trailer in back, hanging on to his runner’s vest. No slips!Read more