The Torre de la Plata, literally meaning the "Tower of Silver" (برج الفضة), is an octagonal military fortification tower in al-Andalusia, located in present-day Seville, southern Spain. It was constructed during the Almohad Caliphate.
It is located in Calle Santander and formed part of the then city walls, along with the well-known Torre del Oro.
In the 16th century, the defensive function of the wall had been lost and, consequently, it served as a support for houses, shops and warehouses. This fact made the Torre de la Plata itself lose importance in the city. In the late 1860s it was completely separated from the Torre del Oro and from then on it went into progressive decline and abandonment. Surrounded by buildings that meant it could not be seen from the street.
It was partially restored in 1992 CE.
When Ferdinand III conquered the city it was renamed Torre de la Victoria, meaning the "Victory Tower", but the name Torre de la Plata remain in popular use. During the time of Alfonso X’s, the tower was known as the Tower of the Azacanes (drudge/slave).
circa 1145 CE
Construction Details
It is an octagonal tower with irregular sides in which two rooms were known to exist, one located on the ground floor, above which was located one on the main floor with access to the upper deck, closed by a crenellated parapet. However, the restoration works have discovered a lower space that served as a cistern for collecting water. The lower floor is covered with a primitive Gothic ribbed vault, arranged in eight elements that support as many ribs and that start from some simple pilasters with some no less simple imposts and all come together in a polygonal-shaped keystone. The tower dates from the thirteenth century and was linked by the city wall (known as La Coracha) to another Moorish fortification, the Torre del Oro (the Tower of Gold).
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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