Castillo Anzur, Medieval castle in Puente Genil, Spain.
Castillo Anzur is a Hispano-Muslim fortress on a 456-metre hill about six kilometres from Puente Genil, one of the highest points of the region and visible from the Vía Verde de la Subbética. Its surviving watchtower is almost square, 10.33 by 8.72 metres, built in rammed earth (tapial) by the Almoravids in the 12th century; stretches of the wall that protected the castle can still be seen.
A 10th-century defensive castle stood here with a surrounding settlement of about 2,000 square metres; the Almoravids built the surviving rammed-earth tower in the 12th century. Fernando III took it by pact in 1240–1241, and in 1258 it passed to the bishopric of Córdoba. Fernando the Catholic camped nearby in 1482 and 1485, and the area became known as Campo Real.
The ruins show traces of different peoples who settled here across the centuries. Iberian, Roman, and Moorish communities left their marks through the remains and objects found during archaeological work at this site.
The site sits on a hillside and involves a short climb to reach the main ruins. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for uneven ground since this is an archaeological site in a rural setting.
The area around the castle became known as Campo Real because Ferdinand the Catholic camped here during the War of Granada, in both 1482 and 1485. The name survives in the landscape near Puente Genil.
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