Aledo Castle

The castle is located 9 kms from Totana, and stands on a small ridge beside the Sierra Espuña mountains. It is Muslim in origin, and is built of tamped earth which gives it its reddish colour. The outstanding feature of the castle is its defensive character, and the way it adapts to the unevenness of the terrain. It has several underground spaces with different channels and corridors which lead to the area beside the river. Particularly significant are the tower and other structures which were used to defend some of the areas near the castle. Today only the keep, dating from the 11th century and with a square floor plan, remains in a good state of conservation. It has three floors; the third still conserves the ribs of pointed arches; while there are small arrow slits on the other floors. It is crowned with battlements.