Very little remains today of the military complex built at the beginning of the 10th century by Fath ben Musa ben Zennún (908-915) because in later centuries the Christians destroyed or reused it, completely altering the structure.
The fortress of the Order of Santiago, a bastion of the reconquest from the late 12th century until the end of the 15th century, was more fortunate but even so most of it has disappeared because in 1529 Charles I decided to use the site of the old monastery and part of the old fortress for the construction of the Order’s monastery that we see today.
We do not have any old plans of the fortification or of the old monastery but, based on the descriptions in the “visitors’ books”, we know that the fortress that once stood on this site had at least seven towers. The Póntida and Palomar towers are still standing, as are a stretch of the wall and the Albarrana tower (also known as the New Keep).
The walled precinct descends from the Albarrana tower to the River Bedija, passing through the Sicuendes gate and continuing along the saw-tooth wall until it meets the Santa Catalina cemetery. Another one encircled the town.