One of the largest Moorish fortresses in Spain, built in the 9th century by the Galician-Muslim rebel Ibn Marwan when he founded the city as a defensible refuge from the Emirate of Cordoba. The walls enclose a hilltop area of about eight hectares, with gardens, the Palace of the Dukes of La Roca, the small church of San Pedro and the octagonal Torre de Espantaperros — built in the 12th century by the Almohads and still the most distinctive feature of the Badajoz skyline.
The fortress saw heavy fighting through every era — Christian reconquest, the Portuguese Restoration War, the Peninsular War — and the scars are everywhere on the walls. Today the interior is open as a public park, free to wander, with paths through the gardens up to the watchtowers and panoramic views over the Guadiana valley and across to Portugal. Allow an hour or two, ideally late afternoon when the light hits the sandstone walls.