Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera

The Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera is a former Moorish alcázar, now housing a park, in Jerez de la Frontera, in the South of Spain. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931. The first fortress was probably built in the 11th century, when Jerez was part of the small kingdom of the Taifa of Arcos de la Frontera, on a site settled since prehistoric times in the south-eastern corner of the city. In the 12th century, a new structure was erected to be used as both residence and fortress by the Almohad Caliphate. Later, after the Reconquista, it was the seat of the first Christian mayors and its development continued with a palace and other structures. The alcázar is one of a few structures that best exemplify Almohad architecture in the Iberian Peninsula.