The Niebla Walls

The occupation of Niebla goes all the way back to Roman times. Niebla was a major city in the Middle Ages and it is thought that the greater part of its surrounding walls were built between 1125 and 1130, when the tatib, or tax raised for the building of the wall, was introduced in Andalusia. In 1262, the city was conquered by the Christians. The Alcazar of the 10th century was replaced the Alcazar de los Guzmanes in the 15th century; it stands on the north corner of the compound, by far the safest site.

Niebla is reminiscent of a Maghrebine fortified city, which is due to the cultural exchanges between the two shores of the Mediterranean. Its walls were once topped with merlons in order to reinforce its prior defense system—one of the most remarkable elements in terms of the Islamic influence.  To the south and the east, the fortifications have the natural defense of the Tinto River. To the north and west, there is a moat and towers for defense. The ensemble comprises 41 square towers and two octagonal towers; the latter stand on the eastern slopes and were already present in the Roman baths of Carthage, in Tunisia and other cities on the Peninsula, such as Jerez de la Frontera, Cáceres, Écija and Andújar. These massive towers level off along the covered way—the heritage of caliphal architecture, which can also be seen in the distance separating the towers of ten to twelve meters. This ensemble has neither barbicans nor flanking towers, which were common features of the period.

The walls are pierced with five doors with angled entrances: that of Seville and the Embarcadero on the east side; that of the Water to the south; that of Buey to the south-west and that of Socorro to the north. The decoration of the Buey and Seville doors is very similar to the Tunisian ribat of Monastir (11th-12th century).

This work of a very sober military architecture presents a rather summary ornamentation, which is concentrated on the doors in the walls that have been preserved. The entry is made through an oversized arch, their curved stones extending beyond the decorative rectangular frame. All these arches are low down on the square towers. Some of the doors have been decorated on the outside, as is the case of the Buey Door, decorated with small blind lobed arches in brick. In addition to the main entrance doors, the walls have posterns, one of which has an entry way decorated with a low-slung arch of Islamic workmanship.

In the case of the exterior stones on the oversized arches that extend beyond the rectangular frame, other Almoravid or Almohad doors come to mind, such as those in Denia, Madina Sidonia or Baeza. This can also be seen on the door of minaret of the Hasan Mosque in Rabat. The typology of the doors in the Hueva region can be compared to those of the Monaita Door in Granada (11th century) and to the arch on the door of the Villa de Faro (Portugal), this last also covered by an inside vaulted arch. The plan of these doors recalls that of Bâb al-Qablî, of the Almoravid ribat, Tit, in Morocco.