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Walking through history

The Moorish Castle and the former prison were the subject of the first of the ‘Walks through history’ organised by the Gibraltar Museum as part of the Summer Sports and Leisure activities. Professor Clive Finlayson, Director of the Gibraltar Museum, led the young group of enthusiast would-be historians and archaeologists, into the past. This was the first of a number of walks being held every Wednesday over the next month.

First local children were transferred back through history with a visit to Moorish Castle and old prison. The children were surprised to find out that they were standing on the very spot where some prisoners had been hanged once upon a time and where “their bones stripped clean of flesh were then buried in unmarked graves”.

Professor Clive Finlayson Director of the Gibraltar Museum and senior guide Phil Smith led the informative tour for two and a half hours.

It all began at the Tower of Homage within Moorish Castle where the children learnt how King Alfonso XI of Castile placed a siege on the castle in the 1300s.

Alfonso had “bashed” the castle with his catapults creating hollows that are still visible today on the walls of the castle.

The children, some joined by their parents, were told of how Alfonso had to give up as he caught the infectious disease “the black death” and returned to his camp in La Linea where he later died.

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