Calatalifa deposit in Villaviciosa de Odón
Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Area of Archaeological Interest
The Calatalifa site is a valuable material testimony of the Andalusian culture in the territory of the Community of Madrid, located to the southwest of the municipality of Villaviciosa de Odón. Calatalifa means "Castle of the Caliph" (Qal'at Khalifa) and, as its name indicates, it would be a what linked to a river axis and important communications such as the Guadarrama valley was in the Middle Ages, the natural and most direct route from the ports of Tablada and Fuenfría to Toledo.
Historic context
The Calatalifa site is a valuable material testimony of Islamic culture in
the Community of Madrid, since it is one of the four most important Andalusian settlements in the region, then belonging to the Marca Media, together with Alcalá la Vieja, Talamanca del Jarama and Madrid.
It is one of the few Andalusian cities located and fossilized in time. This acquires an added value in the territories that currently make up the Community of Madrid, where the presence of Islamic vestiges is not particularly abundant and, in many cases, they are either minor or, as in the case of the capital itself, they are hidden. or very transformed by the later evolution of the settlement.
The enclave also has great cultural value for knowing how the cities were
andalusíes of the plateau, since during the different archaeological interventions numerous elements that conformed the same have been located.
The Andalusian footprint in the Community of Madrid can be seen not only in the urban and fluvial place names, but also in the remains of fortifications with which the border area was protected. An example of this is the settlement of Calatalifa, whose occupation lasted from the XNUMXth century until the Castilian conquest, the settlement being abandoned during the late Middle Ages. However, archaeological excavations have confirmed the presence of an Emiral and even earlier occupation.
Using the valley crossed by the Guadarrama river, the path would be marked out by a series of fortifications of great importance, such as Olmos and Canales, which, together with the Calatalifa fortification, represented a stop and provisioning point towards the wadi ummayyat, which is linked to the port of Tablada.
On the other hand, probably the road that comes from Talavera de la Reina, talabira Andalusian, in the direction of Mayrit (Madrid) and from here to Qal'at Abd-al Salam (Alcalá la Vieja), would serve as a variant and would mean a crossroads at the height of Calatalifa.
The enclave, due to its size and findings, was more than just a lookout place or
castle. The population, with a military character, would also have other resources and occupations, with an eminently horticultural agriculture, as indicated by the findings of waterwheel arcaduces, and sheep and goat farming. The ceramic remains found point to the existence of looms and pottery.
The first news about this settlement in the written sources belong to the chronicler Ibn Hayyan in the chronicles about the Caliph Abd al-Rahman III, in which he recounts
how in the year 939 the caliph led the campaign against the Christian base of Simancas. After going through Toledo and Olmos, he stopped in Calatalifa where he was surprised by a solar eclipse. A year later, the fortification of the place would begin by a governor or qaid of the Banu Di l-Nun family appointed by the caliph.
After the Christian conquest, Calatalifa was included in the territory that was then granted to the city of Segovia. The first reference in sources after the conquest is from the year 1118, appearing as a place of medianedo, becoming a place with advantages for its repopulation by Castilians. Since the 80s, various surveys, excavations, and the study and consolidation of deposit structures have been carried out.
Description of the deposit
Calatalifa is made up of a main hill, the Miradero hill, which is located on the eastern shore of the Guadarrama and at a height of 600 meters. The westernmost elevation is badly eroded and part of the structure has collapsed. It was configured as a citadel-fortress or with a walled complex. Scattered pottery has been documented in several neighboring plots, which points to the presence of slums and a mausoleum (cemetery) in its perimeter, completing the urban structure.
Although currently there are few visible remains, it is worth noting the conservation of two cisterns, located respectively in the elevated area of the enclosure and on the slope that dominates the bed of the Guadarrama river and the section of the wall.
The vast majority of the pottery found, most of which is guarded today in the National Archaeological Museum, has an Islamic chronology, having found a great variety of forms: caskets, pots, casseroles, lids, cups, jugs, jugs, jars or oil lamps. Some ceramics are decorated with various motifs such as lotus flowers, zoomorphic or epigraphic motifs and, although much less frequently, because they are more luxurious pieces, there are fragments of ceramics decorated with dry rope. This ceramic seems to correspond to the different phases of Islamic occupation of the place, from at least the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century.
The findings also include numismatic material Andalusian chronology and metal utensils such as knives, horseshoes or buckles.
