Bentomiz Castle is an ancient

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

fortress built on a hill near the village of

Arenas :''This is a disambiguation page for the name ''Arenas''. For the sporting event venue, see arena; for other meanings of ''arena'', see arena (disambiguation).'' Arenas (meaning ''sands'' in Spanish) may refer to: Persons * Abbygale Arenas (born ...

in the

province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to the east. The province ...

. It sits at a height of , and lies to the northeast of

Vélez-Málaga Vélez-Málaga () is a municipality and the capital of the Axarquía comarca in the province of Málaga, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the most important city in the comarca. Locally it is referred to as Vélez. Vélez- ...

. The castle site is thought to have been occupied by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, although it is not clear which parts of the ruins date to which period. Roman baths have been found there. The berbers built on the existing structure. The fortress, then called Munt Mās, was mentioned in the memoirs of

Abdallah ibn Buluggin Abdallah ibn Buluggin (), full name: ʿAbd Allāh ben Buluggīn ben Bādīs ben Ḥabūs ben Zīrī (1056–after 1090), also known as "Al-Muzaffar" (the conqueror), was the grandson of Badis ben Habus and the last Zirid ruler of the Taifa of Gr ...

, ruler of the

Taifa of Granada The Taifa of Granada (, ) or Zirid Kingdom of Granada was a Muslim kingdom that was formed in al-Andalus (in present-day Spain) in 1013 following the deposition of Umayyad Caliph Hisham II in 1009. The kingdom was centered on Granada, its capit ...

in the eleventh century. He described it as a formidable stronghold. The fortress surrendered to him during a civil war that he fought with his brother Tamim. When

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

reached the area en route to Vélez-Málaga, in the campaign that culminated in the

Siege of Málaga (1487) The 1487 siege of Málaga was an action during the Reconquest of Spain in which the Catholic Monarchs of Spain conquered the city of Mālaqa from the Emirate of Granada. The siege lasted about four months. It was the first conflict in which a ...

, the Granadan Sultan

El Zagal Abu Abdallah Muhammad al-Zaghal (the Valiant) () ( 1444 – 1494) was the 23rd Nasrid ruler of Granada in Spain. Christians called him Mahoma XIII el Zagal. Life Muhammad fought in the Granada War next to his brother Abu'l-Hasan Ali, also know ...

brought a force to oppose them which he stationed around the Bentomiz castle. The Moors attacked the Christian siege train during the night of 25 April 1487 but were repulsed, and in panic retreated towards

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. The castle was taken over by the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

in 1487 and maintained as a defensive post. The castle is now ruined, but there are still towers, walls and underground chambers.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{refend Castles in Andalusia Buildings and structures in the Province of Málaga Ruined castles in Spain Moorish architecture in Spain