Country
Spain
City / Region
Barbate / Cádiz / Andaluzia
Construction Date
Built between 1585 and 1588. Part of the coastal fortification system ordered by Felipe II for defense against Barbary pirates.
Conservation status
Declared Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC) with the category of Monument (code RI-51-0011399) in 1985. It is in excellent condition due to a restoration carried out by the Junta de Andalucía between 1992 and 1993. It is visitable by prior contact with the Natural Park information point. It is located on the popular hiking trail of the same name.
Latitude and Longitude
36°10'44"N 5°58'21"W
Main characteristics
It stands on the edge of an impressive 100-meter-high cliff (Tajo). It has a circular plan and a truncated conical shape on a circular plinth, reaching 13.35 meters in height. Built of masonry. It has a single entrance opening that gives access to a circular chamber covered by a hemispherical dome, with an oculus (opening) at the keystone for communication with the upper terrace. A helical staircase embedded in the wall leads to the sentry box on the terrace. Its location allowed surveillance of a wide stretch of the Atlantic coast.
Source(s)
ARAGÓN FERNÁNDEZ, A. Asaltos de piratas berberiscos al litoral gaditano de La Janda. Tarifa: Diputación de Cádiz, 2009. ESPANHA. Jefatura del Estado. Ley 16/1985, de 25 de junio, del Patrimonio Histórico Español. Boletín Oficial del Estado, Madrid, n. 155, p. 20342-20352, 29 jun. 1985.
ESPANHA. Ministerio de Cultura. Consulta a la base de datos de bienes inmuebles. [Online]. Disponível em: https://www.cultura.gob.es/cultura/patrimonio/bienes-culturales-protegidos/consulta-de-bienes-inmuebles.html. Acesso em: 30 de Abril de 2025.
GUÍA DE CÁDIZ. Torre del Tajo. [Online]. Disponível em: https://www.guiadecadiz.com/es/torre-del-tajo. Acesso em: 30 de Abril de 2025.
JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA. Consejería de Sostenibilidad, Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul. Ventana del Visitante: Torre del Tajo. [Online]. Disponível em: https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/portal/web/ventanadelvisitante/detalle-buscador-mapa/-/asset_publisher/Jlbxh2qB3NwR/content/torre-del-tajo-1/255035. Acesso em: 30 de Abril de 2025.
SANCHO DE SOPRANIS, H. El viaje de Luis Bravo de Laguna y su proyecto de fortificación de las costas occidentales de Andalucía de Gibraltar a Ayamonte. Madrid: Instituto de Estudios Africanos, 1957. (Año IX, Núm. 42).