La Vall d’Alcalà
Al-Azraq was a Muslim leader who became probably the most famous one of the 13th century: he faced the king of Aragon, Jaume I, in the context of the Christian conquest of what would become the Kingdom of Valencia (Regne de València). He was born in La Vall d’Alcalà and was known as “the one with blue eyes” (el dels ulls blaus). He came to occupy a vast territory of what today are the central Valencian regions.
The historical memory of the chieftain is present throughout the village and there are two fountains that commemorate him.
The first fountain is almost a natural spring, built with stones next to the mountain rock and below the church called Església de La Puríssima. The fountain has a stone sink and, in the upper part, there is a solid wooden plank. It is surrounded by vegetation.
In front of the fountain there is a bust of Al-Azraq where one can read:
"Al-Azraq, visir i senyor musulmà dels llocs d'Alcalà fins 1276 quan eixí de nostra terra per tots temps sense que ja més no hi tornàs. Ara fa 708 anys. La Vall d'Alcalà. 1984".
(Al-Azraq, vizier and Muslim lord of the places of Alcalà until 1276 when he left our land forever without ever coming back. Now, 708 years have passed since that moment. La Vall d’Alcalà. 1984.)
The second one, more modern in style, is located in the square called Plaça del Bisbe Vilaplana, opposite the Town Hall. It is a stone fountain attached to the wall that crosses the square. There is a bronze sculpture of Al-Azraq’s head and through its mouth gushes water that falls into a semicircular basin.