Medieval Moorish castle complex with dominant Tower of Homage in Gibraltar.
Moorish Castle is a medieval Moorish fortress complex in Gibraltar, composed of buildings, gates and defensive walls dominated by the Tower of Homage and a gatehouse. Built from about 711 in the eighth century, it later served partly as Gibraltar’s prison until 2010 and today functions as a major tourist attraction.
Moorish Castle is a medieval fortress in Gibraltar, formed from various buildings, gates and fortified walls, whose most prominent feature is the Tower of Homage and the gatehouse. Construction began in the eighth century, probably around 711, during the first Moorish occupation. Its walls once enclosed a large area stretching from the upper part of the Rock of Gibraltar down towards the sea. The castle is closely associated with the Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, launched under Tariq ibn Ziyad and Musa ibn Nusayr, after landings at or near Gibraltar. From 711 to 1309 and again from 1333 to 1462, the Moors controlled Gibraltar, making their occupation the longest in the territory’s history. During the second Moorish period, after heavy damage following Spanish recapture between 1309 and 1333, the Tower of Homage and much of the visible complex were rebuilt in the early fourteenth century. The Tower of Homage is described as the highest Islamic tower on the Iberian Peninsula, and the kasbah as the largest in the region. Part of the castle served as Gibraltar’s prison until relocation in 2010. Today Moorish Castle is a major tourist attraction and appears on a Gibraltar five‑pound banknote.
