Torre del Oro

Torre del Oro stands beside the Guadalquivir in Seville as a twelve-sided military watchtower from the early thirteenth century. Its position beside the water reveals how closely the city grew around river traffic. About thirty-six metres high, the tower rises through three distinct levels. The first two are dodecagonal, while the upper section forms a circle.

The Almohad governor Abu l-Ula ordered the original structure around 1220 or 1221. A wall connected it with the nearby Torre de la Plata, strengthening the defences around the Alcázar and Seville. An underwater chain once stretched from the tower to the opposite bank, blocking hostile ships. Castilian forces broke through those river defences during the Reconquista in 1248. Peter of Castile added the second level in the fourteenth century, while Sebastian van der Borcht designed the circular top after earthquake damage.

Today, the Naval Museum of Seville occupies two floors inside the historic tower. Antique instruments, ship models, navigation charts, compasses and documents trace Seville’s maritime history. From the upper level, you can look across the Guadalquivir and the surrounding city. The tower’s golden appearance may come from mortar, lime and pressed straw catching the sunlight.