Castillo-fortaleza de Moratalla rises on a conical hill with habitation dating to Neolithic times and subsequent Iberian stone fortifications. The castle was substantially rebuilt in the 9th century during the Islamic period to strengthen Al-Andalus border defenses, then reconfigured after the 13th-century Christian reconquest when the Order of Santiago assumed control. This fortress features a distinctive pentagonal keep built in the 15th century over earlier Islamic walls, rammed earth and rubble walls strengthened with limestone ashlar, and rectangular and semi-circular towers projecting from curtain walls. The site offers wide mountain views and irregular rocky spur topography characteristic of medieval Iberian frontier architecture, with visits arranged through the local Tourist Office.
