 It does not seem improbable that the Arabs after the difficult conquest of this area of the Nebrodi (one of the last conquests, after almost a century after their landing on the island) had called for a network of fortifications for control of the territory.Nevertheless, the first real historic reference of the existence of Alcara is from a document from 1096, a certificate from Count Roger, written in Greek, which indicated Alcara as a possession of the bishop of Messina.The oldest quarter of the village, rising at the foot of the Turio Castle (nowadays a tower on top of a rocky spur, poorly rebuilt recently on a preexisting ruin) took the name of Motta in this period, referring to the typical model of Norman fortifications which included a tower surrounded by a wall, named "motte".