The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula was launched with the disembarkation at Gibraltar of the Berber captain, Tarik, in 711 A.D. leaving the whole of this region under the rule of Islam. The Arabs transformed the practice of agriculture, constructing the irrigation system of tanks and channels, part of which may still be seen; they introduced the cultivation of new crops including sugar cane and many of the fruits and vegetables suited to the area.

At the end of the IXth century they built the castle which occupied an area of approximately 4,000 m². It was supplied with fresh water by means of a small aqueduct which had previously served the military fortress.

This important defensive structure was destroyed by the Christian armies in 1569 after having been surrendered to the troops of Luis de Requesens in one of the final battles of the Morisco uprising.

After the battle, the Moriscos were exiled to Extremadura as far north as Zamora, and Frigiliana was repopulated by “old Christinas” primarily from Granada and Valencia. Today all that remains of the castle are a few fragments of brickwork and part of the access ramp. In the 1960s twelve ceramic panels were mounted on walls throughout the old part of the village (Barrio Morisco), telling the story of the uprising and the fainal, fatal battle.
Economically speaking, the immediate consequence of the Muslim presence in regards to the way of life of the inhabitants of this area was the transformation of agriculture with the introduction of irrigation, building part of the hydraulic system of canals that served not only the fortress, but irrigation for the fertile slopes, the same procedure as is currently used today.

The arabs introduced both orchard crops and sugar cane however, due to the steepness of the available land they were forced to terrace it all therefore enabling them to successfully cultivate the land.

After the battle, the Moriscos were exiled to Extremadura as far north as Zamora, and Frigiliana was repopulated by “old Christinas” primarily from Granada and Valencia. Today all that remains of the castle are a few fragments of brickwork and part of the access ramp. In the 1960s twelve ceramic panels were mounted on walls throughout the old part of the village (Barrio Morisco), telling the story of the uprising and the fainal, fatal battle.
Economically speaking, the immediate consequence of the Muslim presence in regards to the way of life of the inhabitants of this area was the transformation of agriculture with the introduction of irrigation, building part of the hydraulic system of canals that served not only the fortress, but irrigation for the fertile slopes, the same procedure as is currently used today.

The arabs introduced both orchard crops and sugar cane however, due to the steepness of the available land they were forced to terrace it all therefore enabling them to successfully cultivate the land.

An example of this is the existence of a Moorish village only a few miles away in the North in the Cerro de Calixto, whose chapel dating from the eleventh century was used for worship.