Granada province town to restore Arab fortress in bid to attract tourists

The restoration project is to be divided into two phases. The first phase is funded through the two per cent cultural programme, a grant scheme run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda aimed at the conservation of Spain’s historical heritage. This grant will provide 300,000 euros, to which the town hall will contribute a further 100,000 euros, bringing the total to around 400,000 euros.

The second phase will be funded under the Granada's provincial authority, the Diputación de Granada, which will allocate 140,000 euros to the project. A further 35,000 euros from municipal funds will be added, bringing the total to 175,000 euros.

In total, the two phases amount to 575,000 euros, of which 440,000 euros come from the Ministry and the Diputación and 135,000 euros are a direct contribution from the town hall. “This represents a considerable financial outlay for a village as small as ours,” said the mayor of Los Guájares, Antonio Mancilla.

According to the mayor, the project involves restoring the area, which will feature a series of footbridges to preserve the settlement. He also explained that the project has already received final approval from the Ministry and that the tender process for the works will begin in September. Mancilla added that if the deadlines are met as planned, the machinery and technical teams could start work early next year.

The ‘2% Cultural’ scheme is the Spanish Government’s main tool for ensuring the conservation of Spain’s historical, cultural and artistic heritage, prioritising the generation of economic activity, creating jobs and regenerating urban and rural areas.

Mancilla explained that the aim of this project goes far beyond the physical conservation of the archaeological site: “We want Castillejo to be a tourist attraction that draws visitors and also, given its importance as a site of cultural interest, to consolidate and restore its various areas."

El Castillejo is of great historical and archaeological value, according to the town hall. The site stands on limestone rocks on the right bank of the River Toba, at an altitude of 405 metres above sea level. The terrain’s topography provided the inhabitants with a defence against potential attacks.

Excavations have established that the site was occupied between the 11th and mid-14th centuries, but have not explained why it was destroyed and abandoned at some point in its history. Scientists have concluded that earthquakes affected the settlement of El Castillejo over a period of around 40 years, between 1224 and 1266 AD.

According to the studies that have been carried out, this makes it the first earthquake ever recorded in Granada and may solve the mystery of why the village was abandoned.

Furthermore, a group of domestic structures was uncovered at the site, along with the ceramic artefacts found in each of the rooms. “This suggests that the site was abandoned suddenly, which prevented its inhabitants from collecting all their belongings.” El Castillejo was occupied on a few occasions throughout the 16th century, but not for any length of time.

To enter the grounds, you go in via the west side through a curved gate, which leads to an area known as the defensive bastion. Inside, there are various dwellings of different types and layouts, as well as a cistern. The construction technique used for the settlement’s buildings was rammed earth on a masonry plinth. According to studies, the walls were topped with a tiled roof sloping down towards the street. The interiors were finished with whitewash.

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