As is the case throughout the rest of southern Spain, Alicante's medieval history is marked by two major elements: Moorish rule and the Spanish reconquista. Those eras naturally have corresponding and, due to the vast differences between the two cultures, distinct architectural styles. Islamic rule lasted in Alicante from 718 until 1248, the year when the future king Alfonso X definitively captured after a series of battles. Prior to the reconquista, Moors were in Alicante for five centuries- needless to say they constructed a building or two!
Moorish Architecture
Characteristic elements of Moorish architecture include both heavy fortifications and spacious, colorful buildings. Decoration typically features slender columns, horseshoe-shaped arches, cupolas and repeating geometric patterns. You can thank the Moors for the origin of El Barrio's colorful buildings as well as the narrow, winding streets of Santa Cruz, but the Castillo de Santa Bárbara is probably the most impressive Islamic "leftover." The castle has three main sections, each of which correspond to distinct time periods; parts dating to Islamic times include the encompassing wall, the Torre del Homenaje, the Torre de los Ingleses, the Sala de Armas and the old moat.
