| Aledo |
Town in southeastern Spain, 52 km from Murcia and 21 km from Lorca. The Moorish castle of the Cid's day remains in remarkably good condition.
The grand tower of Calahorra is in especially good condition. Aledo, commanded by Yusuf ibn-Tekhufin, withstood a five year siege before falling to Garcia Ximenez in 1085.
Now at this time a Moor called Ali Abenaxa, the Adelantado of the Almoravides, that is to say, of the Moors from beyond sea, came with a great power of the Moors of Andalusia to besiege the Castle of Aledo.
As soon as he had taken Murcia he went against the Castle of Aledo, of which you have heard, and assaulted it vigorously, and took it by force and by famine.
And when he had won Murcia and Aledo, he wished to have Valencia also, and they of Valencia, because of the yoke of the Cid, longed to be his vassals, even as the sick man longeth after health.
And the Moors did not venture to give him battle, but left the Castle of Aledo and retreated to Murcia, and the King returned to Ubeda.