Hins Canit Castle, Cañete la Real

An Arabic castle begun in the 9th century and completed in the 16th century. This great fortress was one of the most important during the Humar Bem Hafsum uprising and the Christian and Granada wars. Its name can be traced back to the Arabic Hins Cannit or Qanit, which, depending on the author consulted, either means “Canit Castle” or is a reference to the canes that can still be found close to the town centre. The present-day name is derived from the aforementioned term, to which the adjective real or royal was added following an order issued by Alfonso XI.