On our coast, it is still possible to spot watchtowers or defense towers; some are well-preserved, others abandoned and in ruins, while others have disappeared over the centuries.
These towers were built during the 16th and 17th centuries with the mission of monitoring and protecting the inhabitants of coastal towns from attacks by Barbary pirates. The entire coast could communicate from tower to tower and, in turn, with the castles, in order to sound the alarm about their dangerous presence.
But who were they?
Barbary pirates and privateers, with their galleys powered by the oars of abducted slaves, disrupted maritime traffic coming from the area now equivalent to the Maghreb and, from their bases, sowed terror and turned the Mediterranean into a literal hell. Although piracy was by no means a new phenomenon, it was exacerbated during the conflict between Christianity and Islam, which culminated in the conquest of Granada and the fall of Constantinople.
Another key event was the expulsion of the Moorish population ordered in 1609, which led to the forced expulsion and loss of almost one third of the population of the Kingdom of Valencia… That human tragedy undoubtedly fueled piracy.
Silent witnesses to this are the enormous depopulated areas on the Spanish and Italian Mediterranean coast, which remained so until well into the 20th century, as happened in our province. It is estimated that between the 16th and 19th centuries, more than one and a half million people could have been captured to be sold in the slave market. Some of these raids have endured in the collective memory due to their dramatic impact on coastal towns, and that is where the expression “Moors on the coast” comes from, and they are even at the origin of the names of towns like Torreblanca.
In response to these incursions, we find towers of various types in our province, whether in castles and fortifications, rural towers, beach towers, or watchtowers located on high ground or cliffs.
Among the watchtowers, we highlight the spectacular Torre Badum in the Serra d’Irta or the Torre Ebrí, at 499 meters above sea level. On the Oropesa Greenway, we find two towers like the Cordà and the Colomera, built to support the Torre del Rey. Regarding beach towers, we highlight the Torre del Mar in Borriana, the Sant Vicent in Benicàssim, Torre la Sal, and Torre Nostra or Capicorp in Alcossebre. And there are many others that have disappeared and have been definitively swallowed by time.
This summer we propose a unique experience that will recover, from the sea, the memory forgotten for centuries on our coasts, including piracy…
It is called “Sea Twilights, stories and wine.”
Embark to rediscover our history through the ancestral connection between our wines and the sea, including a tasting of 3 select wines with history from the Maestrat.
All information and bookings at www.exploramaestrat.com
