When in Tarifa, one must not neglect to visit the number of historical sites that are present. First among these is the magnificent church of Iglesia del San Mateo (“Church of San Mateo”) in the town center was built sometime in the 16th to the 17th century. The main structure of the church is of Gothic styling, while the façade is Neoclassical.
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There is also the Castillo Guzmán el Bueno (“The castle of Guzman the Good”), called Tarifa Castle, this castle was built around the 960 AD under orders by the Caliph Abderraman III. The castle has an unusual shape that leads historians to believe that it was built on the ruins of an old Roman castle or fort.
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The town walls are monuments in their own right, showing the scars of battles past. The most interesting features of the walls are the archways or gates, for various sections of the walls were built at different times. In the Muslim built section, only one gate remains, the Puerta de la Almedina. When the Christians took the town, the walls were continually widened until their present day condition. In the north edge of the current walls, the last existing gate, the Puerta de Jerez, can be found.
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