“Teruel is synonymous with Mudéjar architecture”

Nowhere else, with the possible exception of Seville, is this glamorous amalgamation of Islamic craft and Christian taste in such evidence. Its hallmarks – patterns of terracotta bricks and glazed tiles, ornate wooden ceilings – are crafted skillfully into the town’s towers and churches, four of which are Unesco-listed.  Teruel is Spain’s smallest provincial capital, but a surprisingly bustling and lively place, with some good restaurants. A Moorish fort existed here from the 10th century onwards, but the city itself was founded in 1171 by a conquering Christian king, Alfonso II. In subsequent centuries, Teruel floundered as a forgotten outpost in Aragón’s isolated southern highlands. Its most famous historical moment was also its most tragic. The battle of Teruel in the bitter winter of 1937–38 was one of the bloodiest in the Spanish Civil War, claiming an estimated 140,000 casualties.