Castillo de Burgalimar - Baños de la Encina
Baños de la Encina is marked by the presence of its imposing Caliphal fortress, built on a rocky spur that dominates the Guarromán River. Its structure follows the contour of the rock, narrowing at the ends. It is built in tabiyya, a typically Arab material made from a mixture of clay, sand, lime and very fine stones, which is placed in layers, in a similar way to the current cement formwork, by means of wooden “drawers”, a mould of fixed measures inside which the mixture is poured, which solidifies due to the evaporation of the water and the setting of the lime. It is considered a very fast and cheap construction procedure, which is why it is commonly regarded in opposition to careful works made with masonry or ashlars. However, its use is justified by the extraordinary resistance and hardness that it can achieve, which is determined by the ratio of the mixed ingredients. The bathroom walls of the castle have a total of 11 drawers, each about 75 or 80cm high.
The castle is equipped with 14 square-plan towers, most likely originally 15, with one being replaced in the fifteenth century by the great keep visible today. In the courtyard, there is a large cistern divided into two naves, separated by pillars, and covered with a semicircular vault. Thanks to an inscription, preserved today in the National Archaeological Museum, and of which there is a copy and translation on the jambs of the castle gate, we know that the Caliph al-Hakam ordered the castle’s construction and that it was completed in 968. Like other castles built in Andalucía at this time, such as those of Tarifa (Cádiz), El Vacar (Córdoba) or Zorita (Guadalajara), the castle was destined to be a cantonment for Berber troops enlisted for the annual campaigns against the Christians, whose final place of concentration, already on the border, would be the fortress of Gormaz (Soria). Declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1931.
Location
Located on Cerro del Cueto Plaza de Santa María.