page_title: List of castles in Spain
section_title: Cádiz
hierarchical_section_title: List of castles in Spain / Andalucía / Cádiz
caption_attribution_description: English: This is an image of the "Castillo de Aznalmara" (Castle of Aznalmara) in Spain. Español: Ruinas del Castillo de Aznalmara, en el municipio andaluz de Benaocaz (provincia de Cádiz, España).
context_page_description: The castles in Spain were built mainly for the country's defense, particularly with respect to fortification. During the Middle Ages, northern Christian kingdoms had to secure their borders with their Muslim southern neighbours, thus forcing both Christian and Muslim kings to grant border fiefs to their liege noblemen so as to keep and maintain defensive fortresses. When the Reconquista advanced, those border castles lost their initial purpose, and, as in the rest of medieval Europe, they were used as noble residences and fief-keeps. Sporadic threats of war maintained their initial military purposes as enemy invasions were common. In some locations, such as the Basque country, fiefdoms did not exist as such, and noble families could not afford nor did they need huge fortresses, giving rise to many tower houses. In Muslim Spain many castle-palaces were built: the petty taifa kingdoms that arose after the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba were militarily weak thus castles began taking on a more aesthetic purpose.
context_section_description: Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera
  Caliphate Alcazaba of Tarifa
  Castle of Aznalmara
  Castle of Berroquejo
  Castle del Espíritu Santo
  Castle of Gigonza
  Castle of Melgarejo
  Castle of Santa Catalina (Cádiz)
  Castle of San Sebastián (Cádiz)
  Castle of Sancti Petri
  Castle of San Romualdo
  Castle of San Marcos (El Puerto de Santa María)
  Castle of Guzmán el Bueno
  Castle of Tarifa
  Castle of Zahara de la Sierra
  Castle of Zahara de los Atunes
  Castle of Jimena de la Frontera
  Castle of Alcalá de los Gazules
  Castle of Bornos
  Castle of Olvera
  Castle of Carastas
  Castle of Setenil de las Bodegas
  Castle of Arcos de la Frontera
  Castle of Benaocaz
  Castle of San Lorenzo del Puntal
  Castle del Puntal
  Castle of Conil de la Frontera
  Castle of La Cortadura
  Castle of Vejer de la Frontera
  Castle of Ben Alud
  Castle of Luna (Rota)
  Castle of Torre-Alháquime
  Castle of Fátima (Ubrique)
  Castle of Matrera (Villamartín)
  Castle of Berroquejo (Jerez de la Frontera)
  Castle of Torrestrella
  Castle Fortress of Tempul (Algar)
  Castle of Santiago (Sanlúcar de Barrameda)
  Castle of Medina-Sidonia
  Castle of Algeciras
  Castle del Lirio (Chiclana de la Frontera)
  Castle of Carteia (San Roque)
  Castle of Fatetar
  Castle of Doña Blanca
  Castle of Gibalbín
  Castle of Jimena
  Castle of Castellar de la Frontera
  Fort of San Luis
  Battery of Aspiroz
  Battery of San Genís
  Battery of Urrutia
  Battery of Zuazo
  Tower del Almirante
  Tower Alta
  Walls of Jerez del Frontera
caption: Castle of Aznalmara
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