Citadel of Tarifa

In 960, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III ordered the construction of a fortress in Tarifa, which was the beginning of the small town. It is possible that the attack in 955 by the Fatimid armies against Almeria led to the decision to build this fortress, used to house a garrison to ensure control of the Straits of Gibraltar. The construction was strengthened by the Almohads in the mid twelfth century.

When the Almoravids took control of Al-Andalus, Tarifa became one of the keys to the defence of the Straits of Gibraltar. However, the town only became a base for the Maghrib soldiers, because of its port, after the arrival of the Almohads. In 1146, Abd al-Mu'min   moved his army from Algeciras to the Isle of Tarifa (Isla de las Palomas). In 1231, the Almohads abandoned the city, which passed into the hands of Ibn Hud of Murcia and was eventually conquered by king Sancho IV of Castile (1258–1295).

The caliphate fortress is trapezoidal and flanked by around fifteen slightly protruding rectangular towers, which have largely been reconstructed[1]. The fortress is surrounded by an imposing wall of defence on all sides, one of whose sections merges into the cliff. The fortress has two entrances: one on the western side, which is straight and preceded by a chicane entrance in the defence wall; there is another on the eastern side, which links the fortress with the city.

In order to reinforce the fortress's defences on the west and south, the Almohads constructed an octagonal-shaped albarran tower below the fortress, which is now known as the Tower of Guzmàn el-Bueno[2]. Constructed in adobe, it has now been reinforced with freestone and masonry. This tower is connected to the western façade of the fortress via a rampart that defended the beach and cliffs. The terrace, at the top of the tower, is linked to the fortress via a perimeter walk crowning the extension of the rampart.

Another incredible remnant is the Gate of Jerez, built by the Almohads and modified at the end of the thirteenth century by the Marinids. It was later modified again by the Christians in the fourteenth century. It has a straight entrance in the north façade of the enclosure, between two flanking towers. The interior structure is comprised of two horseshoe arches built with off-centre ashlar, which have four small brackets ending in stone grotesques, on which rests a cupola. In the Christian period, the door was consolidated by an exterior entrance hall, which was aligned with the two flanking towers.

Three fortified enclosures were built around the caliphate fortress. The first, which protected the old city, lies east of the fortress. The second, of which little remains, was built by the Almoravids to defend the suburbs called al-Jara or al Jaranda. The third enclosure, which protected the northern suburbs, was built by the Almohads in the mid twelfth century and consolidated by the Marinids at the end of the thirteenth century. All the enclosures were fortified with square-shaped, rectangular, or L-shaped flanking towers with projecting corners. This ensured that the entire perimeter of the city was defended by a wall in adobe and a moat, similar to the remains of the contemporary rampart in Sevilla.

The city's main mosque has survived—it rises from the cliffs and adjoins the eastern façade of the fortress. It was transformed into a parish church and renamed Santa Maria. It is very likely that the current church, San Mateo, is standing on original site of the old Almohad mosque, which is mentioned on a stele inside the building.

This is one of the best known examples of a fortress from the caliphate period. In spite of the topography of this robust and solid construction, it has maintained its regularity and harmony. The general layout of the spaces overrides the rare decorative elements, and the residential and administrative areas were strictly reserved for military use.

[2] The Gran Cronica gave the albarran tower the name ‘Torre de Don Juan’ because of its connection with the Infant of Castile who, in alliance with the Marinids, lay siege to the town. According to the tradition passed on in the House of Medina Sidonia, this was the tower in which Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán performed his legendary acts, particularly the episode in which he threw the dagger used by the Marinids to kill his son.