Templar alcazaba and Bloody Tower

From Muslim Xeris to the Templar bailiwick

The alcazaba occupies the top of the hill on which Jerez grew. Its origin is Muslim, from when the town was called Xerixa or Xeris, and inside you can still read features of that first fortress. In 1230 Alfonso IX of León reconquered the town and gave it to the Order of the Temple, which rebuilt the fortress and wall and made Jerez the capital of its bailiwick, the district from which it administered its lands in the area. When the Order was dissolved, at the beginning of the 14th century, tradition places the last Templar resistance in the keep, and from that story it takes the name Bloody Tower. Later Henry II gave the town to the knights of Santiago, who made the last alterations.

What you see on the climb

The plan is pentagonal, with semicircular crenellated towers and the keep dominating everything. From above you see the old town from a bird's-eye view, with the Baroque towers of San Bartolomé and San Miguel standing out over the rooftops, and the dehesa pastureland that surrounds the town.

Right next to it is the church of Santa María de la Encarnación, the oldest in the town, and on the same square, the Restaurante Santa María, in case the climb coincides with lunchtime.

In by one gate and out by another

The wall had six gates, and the tourist office proposes a simple route: enter by the Burgos gate, climb to the alcazaba and leave by the Villa gate. The Burgos gate takes its name from the road to Burguillos del Cerro; it is a pointed arch of granite voussoirs under the crenellated wall, damaged in 1706 and rebuilt in the mid-19th century. The Villa gate is the most important in the enclosure, with a semicircular arch, remains of a machicolation and an interior ramped, bent passage covered with brick vaults. They are at opposite ends, so walking between them is the best way to understand the medieval town. If you want to complete the circuit, the walk along the wall and its gates adds the Santiago gate, beside the chapel of the same name, and the remains of the others.

When and how

The wall, the gates and the surroundings of the alcazaba can be walked freely and without a ticket. The streets of the old town are cobbled and steep: comfortable shoes, and in July and August avoid the middle of the day. For a guided visit, ask at the tourist office, in the Centro Cultural San Agustín (924 730 372), which is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 18:30. If you come on the dates of the Templar Festival, check the programme first: much of the activity takes place in the old town.