Castle · Riba de Saelices
Riba de Saelices watchtower: the Berber tower above Los Casares cave
Riba de Saelices watchtower is a square tower of Arab origin dating from the 9th century, built on the hillside of a former Berber settlement inhabited for around 300 years, just above Los Casares cave. It has a raised entrance facing south and two floors with corbelled vaults. Nearby finds include 11th-century pottery and coins minted in Zaragoza.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the territory
These readings connect Riba de Saelices watchtower: the Berber tower above Los Casares cave with the history, work, and villages around it.
This place across time
Which eras you can read here
A single place can preserve traces from different eras. These layers connect what you see with the stories in the atlas.
- Municipality
- Riba de Saelices
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Altitude
- 1,039 m
- 9th century
- Berber settlement
- Raised entrance
- Above Los Casares cave
Watchtower of a Berber settlement
The watchtower guarded a Berber settlement on the same hillside, inhabited for around 300 years. From that village the name of the locality likely derives. In the area, 11th-century pottery and an Arabic coin from the Zaragoza mint have been found.
What it looks like
It has a square floor plan, with an elevated entrance facing south, as was customary to hinder assault, and two storeys with false vaults.
Saved in time
Due to its poor condition, the Hispania Nostra association included it in 2008 on its Red List of Endangered Heritage. Following restoration, it was removed from the list in 2016. It is considered the only Berber tower in the province of Guadalajara. Sources disagree on its date: some place it in the 9th century and others in the 10th.
A place inhabited since always
Just below is the Cueva de los Casares, occupied since the Paleolithic. Very close by lies the Valle de los Milagros.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Reference villages: Riba de Saelices · Saelices de la Sal · Santa María del Espino · Ablanque.
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Trail 4: Valle de los Milagros (Riba de Saelices)
3 km · 1.5 h · Linear