The town of Huercal Overa has adopted an ancient ‘tree of life’ as its new symbol and sponsored a photographic competition which has gone worldwide.
The symbol was discovered during restoration works in the ancient castle there and is thought to be a unique example of a natural symbol in a Spanish Christian castle.
Residents of the town who were travelling abroad were offered free t-shirts with the logo and asked to take photos of themselves wearing the shirts.
A public jury then decided on which where the best photos. The symbolic prizes were awarded to four competitors, who sent back photos from Scotland, New York, Costa Rica and Warsaw respectively.
The castle of Huercal Overa was originally built by Mohammed V in the 14th century against Christian aggression. It was later conquered by the armies of the Catholic Kings and became a Christian fortress.
During restoration work it was discovered that an Islamic motif called ‘Hom’, or the tree of life, was adopted by its later Christian garrison. There is only one other such example in the whole of the Peninsula.