THE MEDIEVAL
WALLS
OF AVILA, SPAIN
G'day folks,
These magnificent city walls rise from the
barren sun-baked Spanish plains like something straight out of a
fairytale.
The great fortified walls
that surround the medieval city of Ávila date back to the end of the 11th
century, built to defend the town’s population against the threat of the
Moorish armies. Stretching for 1.5 miles with over 80 towers and 9 gates, these
stone walls have been incredibly well-preserved over the centuries, and are
considered among the finest medieval walls in all Europe.
The 11th and 12th centuries
were turbulent times in Spain, marked by
an escalation in the war of attrition between the Almohad Islamic
caliphate of southern Spain and the northern Christian kingdom of Asturias.
Peace treaties were drawn and territories demarcated, but tensions between the
two regional powers would inevitably heighten across the Iberian Penninsula and
explode into violence.
For centuries
the province of Ávila was something of a buffer zone and no man’s land
between the two regions, called the “Desierto del Duero” (“Desert of the
Duero”), and whenever conflict sparked between the two powers the area
would become a battlefield. But by the 11th century, the no man’s land was
becoming repopulated as the Christian kingdoms pushed further south and began
to resettle areas that had been long abandoned. This burgeoning population
faced a constant threat of attack and siege, and so giant fortifications
were built up enclosing the city within.
Some 900 years later, these
magnificent walls look much as they did during the Middle Ages, and they
continue to define the city of Ávila.
You can walk on top of about half of the length of the walls, and
climb some of the turrets to take in the view of the city. The climbing access
points are at the cathedral, the El Puente gate, and El Alcazar gate.
Clancy's comment: Magnificent brickwork, eh? Beautiful part of the world.
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