Castillo de la Alcozaiba - Guadalest

The Castle of Alcozaiba is located in the part of the rocky cliffs of greater verticality of the town of El Castell de Guadalest, province of Alicante. The fortress of Alcozaiba was built in the 11th century by the Muslims, and is located in the domain of the old Casa Orduña. Guadalest, a town of Islamic origin, whose fortifications were considered very valuable, was conquered by the troops of Jaime I, who yielded it to Vidal de Sarrià, whose family he belonged to until 1335, and later to the Infante Pedro de Aragón. From 1543 it was the center of the Marquesado de Guadalest, with which Carlos I distinguished Sancho Folc de Cardona and Ruíz de Lihory. It exerted its territoriality over a large number of population centers, most of which were depopulated after the expulsion of the Moors in 1609. It is noteworthy that the Orduña family maintained a permanent link with the city, as wardens of their strengths, governors or justices. A strong earthquake in 1644 seriously affected the fortification and the houses of the town. During the War of Succession it would suffer serious damage again due to the explosion of a mine. The defensive structure of the old Guadalest was composed of two castles, the castle of Alcozaiba and the castle of San José. The castle of San José is of Muslim origin. Currently, only one tower remains that has been restored.