The Muslim presence in Spain over several centuries made many of its castles quite unique in many ways. Several Spanish monarchs took advantage of the architectural knowledge of the Arabs who settled on the peninsula to build impregnable defensive jewels. Since the Middle Ages, over 20,000 castles have been built in Spain, where palace intrigues, military crusades, love dramas and family successions became legend. Explore castles such as Loarre, Mota, Coca, Belmonte, Almodovar, Calatrava la Nueva, Manzanares el Real, Olite, PenĂscola and the Alcazar of Segovia.