Siurana, Medieval fortress site in Cornudella de Montsant, Spain.
Siurana is a medieval settlement on a limestone plateau in Cornudella de Montsant, Spain, that used natural rock walls as defense. The houses cluster along the edge of the cliff and offer wide views over the reservoir and surrounding valleys.
The fortress was the last Moorish bastion in Catalonia and fell in 1153 after the capture of major strongholds in Lleida and Tortosa. Christian reconquest brought new settlers and religious buildings to the abandoned village.
The Salto de la Reina connects the site with a local legend about the last Moorish queen who supposedly jumped from the cliff with her horse. This story remains alive in the narrow streets and among the residents to this day.
The village is reached by a narrow mountain road that winds through wooded slopes and ends at a small parking area on the edge of the settlement. From there, short walking paths lead to viewpoints and through the stone lanes of the village center.
The limestone cliffs around the village hold more than 700 climbing routes of different difficulty levels that have been developed since the eighties. Climbers from many countries use the walls for multi-day stays in the open air.
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