badajoz, albarranas towers os de arab fortress of badajoz

ALBARRANAS TOWERS OF THE ALCAZABA OF BADAJOZ

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Albarranas towers are those that are advanced to the outside of the main wall, to which they were linked either by an arch or by a kind of drawbridge. These were defense points, from where the enemy could be harassed from the sides and even from behind.

In Badajoz, they date from the Almohade era, and strengthen the city's defenses by those weaker areas, not protected by the Guadiana and Rivillas rivers.

ALBARRANA TOWER OF THE ATALAYA OR OF ESPANTAPERROS (1) The most important of the entire fortress is the Tower of Espantaperros. It is of exagonal plant and solid construction until its average height. In its upper courtyard housed a dovecote that is still preserved, although amortized by the temple mudejar that currently crown. It is next to the Gate of Palmas, one of the symbols of the city. It is located south of the alcazaba, having its origin in the almohad reforms that strengthened it considerably.

TOWER (2)

This tower is located north of that of Espantaperros and supposedly, has lost its upper body since by logical construction would also be a cavalry tower, which as its companions would stand out in height to the main fence. It is not known as a particular name or name. It is noteworthy how in its construction have been used ancient Visigothic decorative elements.

TOWER OF THE CABALLEROS (3) Also known as Abarlongada. It has a semicircular plant from its base to its average height. The coronation is polygonal with six faces plus its gola. It appears that it was built after the Reconquest of the city by Alfonso IX of León, on some other pre-successful tower since the arab era.

TOWER (4)

It is square in plan and does not seem to have a known name either. Equally chivalrous, it has a upper-glazed courtyard which is accessed by means of a sparsely accessible staircase. It is next to Espantaperro one of the most outstanding sighted about this part of the alcazaba and the population. As tower 2 is not visible from the Plaza de Marín de Rodezno, due to the buildings that were joined to configure this space so representative of the old city.

DESMOCHADA TOWER OF THE SAINT JOSE SQUARE (5) This building only preserves its lower floor, as it was truncated in an indeterminate time at the height of the barbacan. It retains its stirrup stoboard back to the fence. In the Almohade expansion of the old towers, they supported the albarranas being amortized in order to have advanced defenses. Specifically this one had a very important mission, since it served as a defense of the whole of the Gate of the Capitel.

TOWER OF THE SAINT JOSE SQUARE (6)

Continuing in a northerly direction and already in the Plaza de San José, there is a tower not highlighted in the initial image of this page because it is not albarrana. Waiting for the necessary excavations, we expect to know the whole of the remains that are in the vicinity of this element, because it seems to gather somewhat undefined characteristics. Already at the height of the church of San Jose is the next albarrana, to which also at the time his upper body was suppressed. This is heavily modified by internventions possibly carried out in modern time,

TOWER OF THE CHURCH OF THE CONSOLACION (7)

Before the last almohade extension the alcazaba was of smaller dimensions than the one that reached our day. At the height of the Yelbes Gate the wall towards a 90-degree break and lined up in the direction of the Puertas del Tuck. This whole sector, parallel to the river, was also protected by Albarranas towers. One of them corresponds to the extension currently in the hermitage of the Consolation. About fifty meters later you can guess some remains that may well correspond to the base of another of these towers.

OLD TOWER, OR OF THE OULD (8) The primitive defenses of the marwanies and aftasids were defended by semicircular cubes, some of which have been preserved after the last archaeological acts. The cubes were amortized, either becoming square-section towers or serving as a stirrup or support for poterior elements. Others were simply embedded in the new fences or reinforcements made. In the area of the current garden of la Galera there is a portillo, at the top of the base of the Old Tower. In principle this was flanked by two buckets, which escorted a long staircase of about 25 or 30 meters. Possibly in the old season the Old Tower was built, which considerably fortified this entire flank of the alcazaba.

ALBARRANAS TOWERS OF THE MISSING OLD FENCE A few years ago it was decovered by Badajocense invenants, the oldest plan of the city of Badajoz. As an anonymous author and dated 1641 it was found in the archives of the military museum in Stockholm. This document has the peculiarity of collecting in its entirety, the legendary Old Fence that surrounded the city. In several sectors of it are shown in detail, walls, albarranas and barbacan towers, as well as the first defenses consisting of small crescents located in strategic points. The presence of these elements confirms that the city extended to the old town of Badajoz already in the time of the Reconquest. Arab cemeteries found in the bastions of Santiago and San Juan, as well as the presence of furnaces and other buildings always located on the outskirts of the towns corroborate all of the above.

TOWERS OF THE PRIMITIVE ARAB FORTRESS ARAB MARWANI OR AFTASIDA According to the original Marwanies and Aftasid towers, photographs of the remains of these buildings that appeared and were consolidated in the last excavations are shown. Although they were found in the area between the Alpendiz and Espantaperros, in the stretch next to the Church of San José seem to remain vestiges of remains corresponding to these periods.

OTHERS TOWERS OFM HTE ARAB FORTRESS OF BADAJOZ

From the Tower of the Hangman and the Pendón, the flanks of the Alcazaba adjoining the rivers Guadiana and Rivillas lack Albarranas towers. Outstanding constructions in these sectors are the Coracha (or Corachas), the Tower of the Seven Windows and numerous towers that continue to spread through the fortification until you reach the Alpendiz door.

fotografías propiedad del autor
Antonio García Candelas Sugestiones e impresiones

ARAB FORTRESS

BADAJOZ

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