Alquézar

Alquézar is best understood through its origins: it was a frontier fortress. In the 9th century, Jalaf ibn Rashid ordered a castle to be built here, and it became the main line of defence for Barbastro and the approach to Barbitania against the Christian kingdoms of Sobrarbe. That military calling still beats at the heart of this town in the Somontano de Barbastro, recognised since 2015 as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

The name itself carries echoes of its Andalusi past, though there is no single explanation. It may derive from alcázar, a word meaning both a palace and a fortress, which would point to its role on the edges of Muslim territory. Another theory links it to the works built to dam a river and divert its water into irrigation channels: structures of stone, earth and timber so solid that they resembled a castle.

After the Christian conquest, Alquézar became fully part of the history of the Kingdom of Aragon. In 1067 Sancho Ramírez thanked the abbot of Fanlo for building the town's tower; he granted it a charter in 1069 and further privileges in 1075, when the Saracen siege was lifted. Alfonso I the Battler granted it a charter once again in 1125, and in 1245 James I confirmed those of Sancho Ramírez, adding the right to hold a fair and market.

The centuries that followed show just how coveted this spot was. James I handed the church to the Bishop of Tortosa and the castle and town to Artal de Foces, and during the reign of Peter IV the stronghold changed hands several times: sold to Pedro Jordán de Urriés, ceded to Gonzalo González in exchange for Ricla and finally bought back by the king from Violante de Urrea in 1380. To stroll through Alquézar is, in large part, to trace that long tale of kings, lords and charters written around its castle.