Today the Castillo del Maldegollado is a mix of archaeological rests of the Byzantine, Arabic and Roman empires Even so, once it looked very different.
Its geographical position was significant to control the surroundings as well as to dominate the commercial route. In fact, the castle was built on the highest hill, with the cities of Tolote and Esparragosa growing at the hillside.
During my stay at the Los Blazquez, Cordoba, South Spain, people told me about the legends and tales of the “Castillo del Maldegollado”, something which has been told all over generations.
Among them, Carmen confessed she became very fond of Los Blazquez and their story thanks to these legends and tales; today the on-site archaeological research got stuck and the story slowly melts with legend...
Let's see what tells the legend of the castle "El Castillo del Maldegollado"...
Once upon a time (1200 CA) the Caliph An-Nasir fell in love with one of his slaves: Zorima.
Zorima was a "Mozarab", a Christian, and refused to convert to Islam despite the Caliph's promise to give her anything and all the honour which would mean to become his wife.
The reason was especially due to her love, for who she was secretly running along the Castle tunnels; the same castle today we know as the "Castillo del Maldegollado"
Indeed, the legend tells Zorima was in love with Yazid, a sheperd of Esparragosa. And they were meeting every night, until the night of her wedding.
The Caliph An-Nasir was determined to marry Zorima and decided to make her bride a very special gift. During the wedding, after some celebration and traditional music, the Caliph decides to serve a unique plate dedicated to Zorima - as part of the delicious cuisine:
It was the shepherd's head. The Caliph had him executed once he had discovered the secret love; in the end, we all know that lies don't last long, imagine under a Caliph.
Seeing all that, Zorima lost her consciousness. Only when she woke up again, she gathered all her energies together to follow the melody of a flute.
Zorima runs, runs, and runs along the hidden tunnels of the Castle, following that sad melody. It was her lover's voice, Yazid was calling her for the last time. And so, she reached the Esparragosa Well, to finally hug her beloved Yazid.
Up to now, it's unknown whether those tunnels Zorima used to walk in really existed or not. However, one thing is true: some legends tell that until not long ago, local families used to hunt for treasures all over the Castle of Maldegollado ruins. cercare ricchezza tra i resti del Castello del Maldegollado.
Although - I'm sure - somehow you thought about trying your luck, today excavations are not allowed. However, you can still see the Castle ruins and you should pay attention to this detail: they look like they are slowly melting with the hill; this suggests that it might not have been just a legend.
