La Asomada Castle

La Asomada Castle, locally known as Castillo de la Asomada, Castillo del Puerto de la Cadena or Castillo del Morrón, lies on a mountain above the La Cadena pass, south of the city of Murcia in the province of Murcia in Spain.

La Asomada Castle was founded somewhere in the middle of the 12th century, probably by the Emir of the Taifa of Murcia, Abu ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Mardanis, nicknamed "the Wolf King". It was built on a mountain top some 532 meters above sea level guarding the pass down below, which was an important route between the cities of Murcia and Cartagena.

It has a rectangular layout of 65 by 48 meters. It was built out of tapia (rammed earth) with square towers. Archaeological research showed that the building was never finished. This was probably caused by the invasion of Murcia by the Almohads in 1176.

At present La Asomada Castle is freely accessible. You can drive up the mountain over a dirt road but at some point you will have to park the car and continue on foot. Although there is not much architectural detail to be seen, I do like this castle for its beautiful location, offering fantastic views all around.

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