Tarifa - Castillo de Guzmán el Bueno

Tarifa's old Moorish castle, the Castillo de Guzmán el Bueno, was built in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 13th. Its name commemorates Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, commandant of the fortress after its capture by Christian forces in 1292. The Moors at once laid siege to the castle and took the commandant's nine-year-old son as a hostage, threatening to murder him unless Guzmán surrendered the castle. Legend has it that Guzmán threw his dagger to the Moors, saying that if they had no other weapon they should use it to kill his son. The niche in the walls where this is supposed to have taken place is still shown to visitors. From the castle there is a fine view of the Straits of Gibraltar.