Good evening! We are Lorena, Esperanza and Cristina and you are listening to the podcast first episode belonging to the IES Mediterráneo Podcast Project. In this week recording, we are going to have a look at the history of Salobreña trough its Arab castle. 

Let’s focus first, however, on the main facts about Salobreña:

Salobreña is a Spanish town which belongs to Granada, in Andalusia. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, on the Guadalfeo river mouth, 77 kilometres to the south of the province. Salobreña has an approximate population of 12,000 people and its economy is based on agriculture and fishing, although tourism has recently become the main source of income. The Mudejar church of La Virgen del Rosario is the most significant monument alongside the castle.

Now, in relation to our castle, let us tell you that it was built at an altitude of 80 kilometres on the top of a mountain. Moreover, the castle is opposite the Rock of Salobreña. To the west, the castle is bounded by the Cambrón Tower; and to the East, by the Trafa de Rama tower, which nowadays is disappeared. Finally, from the castle you can see Velilla Punta and Sacratif.

Our castle has a rich history too:

The castle was built by the Arabs as a place for withdrawal, rest and imprisonment of important people. Indeed, the King of Granada Yusuf I was a prisoner here in the 15^th century. Other monarchs imprisoned were Yusuf III, Muhammad VIII the little, Muhammad IX the left-handed, Abu Nasr Sad and Muley Hacén.

Legends and romances tell that it was built by the Arabs and, after the surrender of Salobreña to the Christian troops in December 1489, Francisco Ramírez de Madrid, in reward for the conquest of Salobreña, was appointed governor of the fortress of Salobreña by the Catholic Monarchs. The castle could preserve its military importance until the 18th century. Nevertheless, it was later abandoned and spoilt, as certain reports of the 18^th century can confirm. Since this century, it has been rebuilt and occupied without a precise function: it has not been useful for the defence any more.

But, what is it like? We are going to give a description of its structure so that you can imagine it:

The castle is an Arab limestone building which has received a lot of modifications. It has three different areas with irregular form and two platforms. At present, it has a little store and a big tank.

Moreover, the castle has a trapezoidal floor and it is formed by three enclosures: one enclosure in the inside with a triangular floor, which belongs to the Nazari fortress and guarded by four towers (the Homenaje, Nueva, Polvorín and Vieja towers); and the other two enclosures, which were built with defence purposes at the end of the 15^th century by the Christians. One of them defends the eastern and southeastern faces, and the other one defends the northern face.

 Finally, let us tell you that the castle is protected by a Decree published on 22^nd April 1949, and the law 16/1985 concerning Spanish Heritage. In the year 1993, the Andalusian Government recognized our castle as a special cultural piece in our region.

Well, that was all. We hope you have found this information interesting and you want to visit our castle… and its lion Jimmy. Yes, there’s lion. Come and see it!

Thanks for listening!

ACTIVITIES

1. Listen to the previous podcast file and answer the following questions:
 

a) How long has tourism been an important industry in Salobreña?

b) How high is the castle?

c) What was the castle useful for in ancient times?

d) What is the material the castle is made of?

e) How many towers can you name?

2. Imagine you are a British student. Write an e-mail in English to book tickets for the whole class. You have decided to go in winter, but you would like to have a guided visist.

3. Who were these people in accordance with the podcast?

a) Francisco Ramírez de Madrid

b) Yusuf I

c) Catholic Monarchs

Esperanza, Lorena and Cristina

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