The first occupation of the enclave where the castle is located dates from the end of the 11th century, according to the chronicles of the end of this century.
The castle is located 2.5 kilometres southeast of the town of Benifairó, in the Valldigna region. On the summit and on the northwest slope of a mountain steep of about 237 meters high, which is situated in the middle of two deep ravines that flank it on the northeast (barranc del Raboser) and southwest (barranc del Castillo) that descend through l’Ombria de la Valldigna to the plain. To the south of the fortress is el Pla del Toro i Simat, and to the east la Penya dels Ferraguts.
With the name of Marignen or Marynén the valley of Alfàndec is indicated in el llibre del Repartiment (the book of the Distribution), the same as the alqueries that were in it.
The name of el castell de la Reina Mora comes from a legend according to which a Muslim queen threw herself off the cliff from the castle. Jurisdictionally, the whole valley with its castles (Marinyén and Alcalá) belonged from its origins to Alzira. After the conquest, it would become an entity of its own, with el Rei Jaume I as Lord. The history of the castle would begin with the first Muslim constructions which, like most of these Muslim castles, would serve as a refuge for the population of the nearby farmsteads.
After the conquest, a period of splendour began in which a multitude of different structures were built, such as new walls, cisterns and other rooms and buildings. At the time of the lordship of the Cistercian monks, granted by Jaume II in 1287, the valley changed its name to Valldigna and the castle had a special interest. Different structures were erected, some of them of some importance, such as the highest part of the castle, which would have three heights and where the small chapel of the cross vaults stands out. From the 17th century onwards, the castle was no longer relevant. The structures of the castle belong to two different periods. The first was carried out during the Muslim period and the second, during the Christian period, under the rule of the Cistercian monks.
Two walled enclosures can be distinguished, in the first one there are the houses that formed the village. The access to it is through a lowered arch door of masonry. This enclosure is protected by a one-metre wide wall that adjusts to the terrain’s orography. (Source: C.Pérez-Olagüe)