ALCALA (Moorish al Kala, the " Fortress " or "

See also:

• CASTLE
• CASTLE (Lat. castellum, a fort, diminutive of castra, a camp; Fr. chateau and chdtel)

Castle ")  , the name of thirteen Spanish towns, all founded or named by the Moors . Alcala de Henares (pop . (1900) 11,206) iS' separatelydescribed on account of its historical importance . Alcala la Real (15,973), a picturesque town with a fine abbey, is situated in mountainous country in the extreme south-west of Jaen . Its distinctive name.la Real, " the Royal," was conferred in memory of its capture by Alphonso XI. of Leon in 1340 . In 18ro the French under Count Sebastiani here defeated the Spaniards . Alcala de los Gazules (8877), on the river Barbate, in the province of Cadiz, has a thriving trade in cork and agricultural produce . Alcala de Guadaira (8198), on the river Guadaira, near Seville, is popularly called Alcala de los Panadores, or " Alcala of the Bakers," because it supplies Seville with large quantities of bread . Alcala de Chisbert (6293) is situated on the coast of Castellon de la Plana; Alcala del Rio (3006), on the Guadalquivir, 6 m . N. of Seville; Alcala del Jucar (2968), on the Jilcar, in . Albacete; Alcala de la Selva (1490), on the southern slopes of the Sierra del Gudar, in Teruel; Alcala de la Vega (712), on the river Cabriel, in Cuenca; Alcalh de Gurrea (632), on the river Seton, in Huesca; Alcala del Obispo (432), in the same province; Alcala de Ebro (388) and Alcala de Moncayo (367), both in Saragossa .