Minister Cortes launches new Moorish Castle book

Gibraltar's Moorish Castle has stood watch over the Rock for a thousand years, its great Tower of Homage rising higher and broader than any other fortress tower in al-Andalus, even those of the Alhambra. Once a stronghold of kings and sultans, it later became an eighteenth-century prison, its mighty walls repurposed to confine rather than defend.

A new book, "The biggest tower ever built", follows the castle's long arc of history: the rulers who shaped it, the ordinary people whose stories rarely made the record, and the notorious figures (murderers, thieves, even pirates) who passed through its gates. Designed as a companion for visitors to the newly re-opened castle and military provost prison, it offers deep insight into Gibraltar's most iconic monument and serves as a lasting reminder of a place where a millennium of human drama still clings to the stone. In addition to a support text for visitors to the castle and former prison, the book will be of interest to all those who follow Gibraltar's rich history and heritage.

The book has been written by Clive, Geraldine and Stewart Finlayson of the Gibraltar National Museum. The launch by the Minister for Heritage, the Hon Professor John Cortes MBE MP, will take place on Tuesday 10 November at 4pm at the Gibraltar National Museum.