Crowning the gleaming-white old town, Salobreña's landmark Moorish castle dates to the 12th century, though the site was fortified as early as the 10th century. It served as the summer residence for the Granada emirs, but also became a prison. The inner alcazaba (Moorish fort) retains much of its Nasrid structure, including remnants of a bathhouse uncovered in 2014.
Legend has it that Emir Muhammad IX had his three daughters – Zaida, Zoraida and Zorahaida – held captive here. Washington Irving relates the story in his Tales of the Alhambra.
