Tres villas fortalezas islámicas en la provincia de Jaén. Segura de la Sierra, Iznatoraz y Santiesteban del Puerto

Abstract

This article is a study (archaeological or architectonic) of three towns in the province of Jaén. AU of them have Arab origins, and were created under the protection of powerful strongholds (ḥiṣn): Segura de la Sierra, Iznatoraz and Santiesteban. The first was mentioned in Arab chronicles in the 11th century and the third is documented in these sources in the 10th century. There is no such documentation forIznatoraz, but its name is undoubtedly of Arabic origin. The study also makes reference to mudéjar architecture from the 13 th and 14th centuries additions made to the castle in Segura de la Sierra by the Archbishops of Toledo. These Archbishops were the lords, in neighbouring Cazorla, of extensive lands established as «Adelantamiento de Cazorla», in order to stand against the incursions by the Almohads and later on by the Naṣrids.