Mainsites - Walls

Ronda's extensive walls, murallas, were begun by its Moorish rulers in the 13th century, renovated in the 16th by the Christians the earlier walls were built to keep out, and parts are still being rebuilt in the 21st century. Originally, this feat of medieval engineering wrapped the entire city, and must have made it one of the most securely defended settlements of its time. Even today, with the outer walls fallen (especially to the south, near the Arab baths), only two paths, two gates and one bridge offer routes out of the fortress city. The southerly battlements are large enough to host outdoor summer concerts, and the most impressive section, the westerly puerta del Almocábar, was only reconstructed in its original form in the late 20th century. The Hispanicized name is taken from the Arabic al-Maqabir, cemetery, the function originally served by what today is a leafy square. (It also names one of Ronda's best restaurants, which with its neighbour the Casa Maria makes the rest of Ronda very jealous of this square.)