Camino Mozarabe

Vindens Port

Jeg har stået i Vindens Port, indgangen til Fortaleza de La Mota. Porten som er forsidebilledet på Anne-Cathrine Riebnitzskys roman af samme navn. I min optik en ganske fortræffelig bog, som har sendt en hel del danskere forbi Alcalá de Real. Bogens historie udspiller sig under den sidste muslimske borgherres tid og handler om de 9 måneders belejring der skulle til, før de overgav borgen til de kristne. 

La Mota er et kæmpe borgkomplex beliggende i 1000 meters højde med meget stejle skråninger. Tæt på uindtagelig. Borgen indeholder de sædvanlige vandcisterner, der kunne holde byen med vand i krisetider. Derudover var der også en hule med en brønd/kilde. Da de kriste fandt ud af, at beboerne på borgen ikke overgav sig trods langvarig belejring, endte de med, at grave en tunnel op igennem bjerget og forgiftede den hemmelige brønd med blandt andet gamle hundekadavrer. Det er faktisk muligt, at komme på rundvisning op igennem den tunnel, men der var desværre ikke nogen tur, mens jeg var i området. Jeg må tilbage igen en anden gang. 
I mere end 3 timer rendte jeg rundt med min audioguide og lyttede til historier om borgen. Meget interessant og spændende. Jeg ville dog ønske, at der var lidt mere fokus på den arabiske del, men historien bliver jo ofte skrevet af vinderen, i dette tilfælde katolikkerne. 
I was right there. In the same gate as the cover on one of my favourite books. A book call Vindens Port (Gate of the wind) by Anne-Cathrine Riebnitzsky. In my opinion, an excellent book. Because of that novel, they have a boom of Danish tourists in Alcalá la Real. The story takes place at the time of the last Moorish Lord and the 9 months siege before they surrendered to the Catholics. 

La Mota is not just a fortress, it's a city complex. Situated at an altitude of 1000 meters on a very steep mountain. Close to impregnable. The castle contained the usual water cisterns and in addition they had a cave with a spring/well. After 9 months of siege, the Moors surrendered to the Catholics and gave up the fortress. Only because the Christians had found out about the well in the mountain and had dug a tunnel through the mountain to poision it with dead dogs amongst other things. It's actually possible to go on a guided tour through that tunnel. Unfortunately no tours were available while I was in the area. I really have to come back some another time. 

I spent more than 3 hours running about checking the site with my audio guide listing to the stories of the fortress. It was very informative and interesting, but I do wish, that they would tell more about the Arabic time of the castle. But… history is often written by the winner, in this case the Catholics. 

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