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The Arab Tower


Montanejos

This tower of Islamic origin is located in the middle of the town, in front of the church, integrated into the façade of the old Palace of the Counts of Vallterra. It is a monument declared in the registers of Goods of Cultural Interest of the Valencian heritage

It has a circular plan and a cylindrical elevation and is built with boulders of different sizes from the river. It is currently attached to the old palace of the Counts of Vallterra. Only the exterior load-bearing walls are preserved, since the interior ones were demolished.

These types of fortifications, also called WATCHTOWERS, were not isolated constructions, but were part of an effective network of buildings the purpose of which was to control a certain extension of territory. A main castle leaded these kinds of networks. It was called HINS by the Muslims, always built at a high point and with complex orography.

Depending on these bastions, there were other secondary fortifications for housing small garrisons, and among all of them, in the most strategic areas, the watchtowers, SAJRA, were placed, becoming the last element of the entire defensive framework.

 

In the middle of the construction, on both sides, there are two niches, which have ceramic panels in which the Virgen de los Desamparados and San José are represented. In the 2008 restoration, it was found that the image of the Virgin is a fake work that was placed after its construction. This fact confirms the origin of the popular name of the bridge.

 


Data

  • 12448 Montanejos