CASTLES PROVINCIA DE ZARAGOZA

Castillo de Miranda crowns a rocky hilltop on the left bank of the Ebro River near Juslibol, commanding the Ebro valley approximately 4 kilometers southeast of Zaragoza. In 1118, King Alfonso I of Aragón strategically positioned this medieval fortress as a vital coordination point during the campaign to reconquer Zaragoza from Muslim forces. By the 13th century, Miranda flourished—King James I granted it charter rights in 1235 and received it for the crown in 1258. The castle's prosperity was curtailed when James II sold it to the Archbishopric of Zaragoza in 1323, after which it gradually fell into abandonment, likely due to demographic shifts caused by 14th-century epidemics.

Castillo de Juslibol, popularly known as Picote de San Martín, is a medieval defensive stronghold positioned dominantly over the Ebro River landscape approximately 5 kilometers north of Zaragoza. Built during the 11th-century taifa period as a watchtower and fortress against Christian incursion, the castle was conquered in 1101 by King Pedro I of Aragón. Its name derives from the Crusade battle cry "Deus lo vol" (God wills it), reflecting its religious-military significance during the Reconquista. Today the fortress stands in progressive ruin, with visible remains of adobe and stone walls and the vestiges of a square tower, protected as a Cultural Heritage site under Aragonese law.

Castle of Rueda de Jalón stands on a gypsum outcrop approximately 35–40 kilometers southwest of Zaragoza, among Spain's oldest Moorish-built fortifications dating to the 9th century. Constructed by Muslims on the right bank of the Jalón River, the castle was conquered by the Banu Qasi in 882 and later passed to Christian control in the 12th century. The fortress features a Tower of Homage at its summit with up to three defensive perimeters adapted to the steep terrain, plus two watchtowers popularly called the "Hermanas" (Sisters). The Ximenez de Rada family owned the castle until the 18th century, and while now in serious risk of ruin, it remains a significant testament to Aragón's medieval strategic fortifications.