An albarrana tower ( ar, البراني, al-barrānī, lit=exterior) is a defensive tower detached from the curtain wall and connected to it by a bridge or an arcade. They were built by Muslims when they occupied the Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and the 15th centuries, especially from the 12th century during the

Almohad dynasty The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

and mainly in the south of Spain and Portugal where the Islamic influence was the longest. In Spanish, they are called ''torre albarrana''.

Background

The towers of typical appearance, with a square section, were built several meters in front of the curtain wall. They were accessible by a bridge walkway from the curtain wall. More often, the bridge had a removable wooden section allowing the tower to be isolated from the wall if the tower is occupied by attacking forces. The earliest Albarrana towers were often pentagonal or octagonal in plan (e.g. Badajoz, Tarifa, Seville) but a more rectangular plan became the norm. In France and the north of Europe, flanking towers remained a part of the wall. Even the keep was sometimes built as a part of the wall instead of inside the yard at the center of the castle. They were Philippian towers. The main albarrana towers are : * Torre de Espantaperros in

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populatio ...

, Spain. Probably the first albarrana tower, built by

Abu Yaqub Yusuf Abu Ya`qub Yusuf or Yusuf I ( ''Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf''; 1135 – 14 October 1184) was the second Almohad ''Amir'' or caliph. He reigned from 1163 until 1184 in Marrakesh. He was responsible for the construction of the Giralda in Seville, which ...

in 1170. Its plan is octagonal. * Torre del Oro, Torre de la Plata in

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

* Torre de la Malmuerta in Cordoba * Town of

Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipality of the province of Toledo and the fourth largest in the ...

near Toledo with several albarrana towers *

Òdena Òdena (Spanish: ''Ódena'') is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Anoia in Barcelona province, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the centre of the Òdena Basin, on the side of a small hill. The remains of Òdena castle with its octagon ...

castle near Barcelona *

Castle of Paderne The Castle of Paderne ( pt, Castelo de Paderne) is an ancient fortification located in the freguesia, civil parish of Paderne (Albufeira), Paderne, concelho, municipality of Albufeira Municipality, Albufeira, in the Portugal, Portuguese Algarve. I ...

in Portugal * 2 albarrana towers in the Santa Catalina castle in Jaén * Castle of

Loulé Loulé () is a city and municipality in the region of Algarve, district of Faro, Portugal. In 2011, the population of the entire municipality was 70,622 inhabitants, in an area of approximately . The municipality has two principal cities: Loulé ...

in Portugal $Reconstruction of Pontefract Castle$ Albarrana towers are almost uniquely confined in the Iberian Peninsula. In the other parts of the medieval Muslim world this defensive feature seems not to be used. However, a notable example can be found in the

Citadel of Aleppo The Citadel of Aleppo ( ar, قلعة حلب, Qalʿat Ḥalab) is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage ...

, in Syria. Possibly the only example of a true Albarrana tower in England can be found at

Pontefract Castle Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War ...

. The castle now lies in ruins, but one Albarrana tower called Swillington Tower is visible on the models of the castle and the remains of the tower itself can be seen to the north of the castle.

Gallery

File:Monasterio de San Benito 2 - Talavera.jpg, Albarrana tower in the town of

File:Castillo de Santa Catalina - JuanJaén.jpg, One of the 2 albarrana towers in the castle of Santa Catalina in Jaén File:MuralhaLoule.JPG, Albarrana tower in the castle of

(Portugal) File:Madrid muralla musulmana.jpg, Tower of Narigües

References

External links

* *
www.elperiodicoextremadura.com elperiodicoextremadura.com

{{Islamic architecture Castle architecture Moorish architecture of the Iberian peninsula Arabic fortifications

Background

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links