If you stroll along Madrid Avenue, at the height of the Plaza de la Ciudadanía, it is inevitable that your gaze will be drawn to the imposing palace that rises on one side. With its 17 towers surrounding the building and its eclectic style—a testament to centuries of conquests and the dominance of various civilizations—the Aljafería is one of the most significant examples of Zaragoza’s history. It houses both the present—currently serving as the seat of the Cortes of Aragon—and the legends of the past. Like any respectable castle, the so-called “Palace of Joy,” named by the monarch Al-Muqtadir, is wrapped in an aura of mystery and grandeur, keeping these myths alive to this day.
The Origin of the Aljafería
The first of these legends is directly related to the construction of the palace. It is said that the Muslim king Al-Muqtadir longed to have a palace that, due to its grandeur and majesty, would transcend collective memory. However, he soon faced an obstacle: bringing that building to reality was too costly, even for a member of royalty.
One night he met an old man who was, in fact, the personification of the Ebro River. He sensed the monarch’s concern and when Al-Muqtadir confided his frustrated desire, the old man offered his help in exchange for the most precious thing the king possessed.
The next day, just as that mysterious man had promised, the king beheld his dream palace materialized before him. However, his favorite concubine, of whom he was profoundly in love, had disappeared into the waters of the Ebro.
The Tower of the Troubadour
The following stories take us directly to the Tower of the Troubadour, the oldest part of the palace, whose name comes from a dramatic work written by Antonio García Gutiérrez, later transformed into an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. This piece narrated the passionate confrontation between Manrique, an uncertain-origin troubadour who was imprisoned in the Aljafería tower by order of the Count of Luna, the other protagonist of the story, a nobleman who yearned to marry Leonor Sesé, of whom he had been in love for years.
The conflict arises on the day Leonor, walking through the palace gardens, hears the troubadour singing and, despite having never seen each other, the sensitivity and beauty of his voice completely captivates her. The woman pleads with the nobleman to allow her to meet Manrique, but he, unable to tolerate that his beloved loves his enemy, forbids it. Faced with this refusal, the cunning Leonor devises a plan and promises the count that if he offers her the opportunity to meet the troubadour, she, no matter what, would marry him the next day. Moved by his desire to be with her, the count eventually approves the meeting, and that very night Leonor heads to Manrique’s cell. However, the lady was not willing to accept a future with a man she did not love. For this reason, before entering the troubadour’s cell, she drank a vial of poison intending to die alongside her true love.
Finally, the poison takes effect, and Leonor dies in Manrique’s arms, just at the moment when, very conveniently, the count appears on the scene. In light of such a scenario, he accuses Manrique of murder and orders his soldiers to behead him. But the entanglement does not end here; the moment the troubadour’s head falls to the ground, a prisoner raises her voice and reveals to the count that the man he has just killed is none other than his lost brother. An ending that could very well belong in a soap opera of our time.
The Well of Sighs
Within this same tower lies a well that reaches the groundwater level of the Ebro River. Although this well does not grant wishes, a legend surrounds it, giving it a haunting and singular aura.
During the 15th century, the Aljafería was inhabited by King Alfonso V and his wife, Queen María of Castile and Lancaster. However, the queen often found herself alone in the palace, as Alfonso V spent much of his life in Naples.
One day she was visited by the Archbishop of Zaragoza, Don Alonso de Argüella. The queen, as a good host, showed him around the palace, and having grown very tired from the day’s activities, she let out a sigh. Don Alonso took this gesture as an irrefutable sign of love towards him, so he approached her majesty and whispered that this sigh had an easy remedy. Offended by the archbishop’s boldness, the queen ordered that he be thrown into the well that very night, and from that moment on, he was never seen again.
These are just a few of the many secrets and legends that the Aljafería holds. Whether they are true or merely rumors, we leave it to everyone’s interpretation. What we are sure of is that there are still many enigmas to be unraveled behind its walls, but only those who dare to cross them will discover them.
