Alquézar

Alquézar is a municipality in the province of Huesca, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. As of 2012, its population was 301.OverviewSituated on a limestone outcrop of Eocene age to the west of the canyon of the Rio Vero in the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, the village grew up around a castle and the Collegiate church of Santa Maria, which was consecrated in 1099.The name of the village comes from the Arabic القصر al qaçr for "fort" or "castle" (renamed as Alcazar in Spanish). The castle became the main defense point of the nearby city of Barbastro.Since Alquézar is situated in the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, there are various campsites in the local area to cater outdoor pursuit enthusiasts. Popular activities include canyoning, walking, rock climbing and abseiling, as well as ornithology (since eagles nest on the steep faces of the Rio Vero canyon).