Fortress
Torre del Oro
🇪🇸 Spain · 13th century
The Torre del Oro (Arabic: بُرْج الذَّهَب, romanized: burj aḏẖ-ḏẖahab, lit. 'Tower of Gold') is a dodecagonal military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain. It was erected by the Almohad Caliphate in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river.
Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay).
Text adapted from “Torre del Oro” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Torre del Oro ranks #2 of 6,412 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #2 of the 433 mapped in Spain. Founded 1221, it is older than 78% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 555 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Torre del Oro?
Torre del Oro stands in Spain, at 37.38246°, -5.9963°.
When was Torre del Oro built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1221. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Torre del Oro?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #2 of 6,412 worldwide, and #2 in Spain. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Torre del Oro?
Palacio de San Telmo, about 1 km away.
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