Torre del Oro

The Torre del Oro (English: "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).

The tower is divided into three levels, with the third and uppermost being circular in shape and added in 1769. The Torre de la Plata, an octagonal tower, is located nearby, and is believed to have been constructed during the same era.

It is one of two anchor points for a large chain that would have been able to block the river. The other anchor-point has since been demolished or disappeared, possibly from collapsing during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The chain was used in the city's defense against the Castilian fleet under Ramón de Bonifaz in 1248 Reconquista. Bonifaz broke the river defenses and isolated Seville from Triana. The besieged Muslim city soon surrendered to the Christian forces.

The Tower of Gold was built 1220-1221, by order of the Almohad governor of Seville, Abu l-Ulà, with a twelve-sided base. It barred the way to the Arenal district with a section of wall joining it to the Tower of Silver, a part of the city walls that defended the Alcazar.

There is a false tradition that a heavy chain went across the river from this tower to another located on the modern-day Fortaleza (Fortress) Street in Triana. That street was called Limones (Limes) Street until the nineteenth century, and also, the Chronicles written by King Alfonso X the Wise describe in detail the taking of the city of Seville. They mention the Torre del Oro by name, and only a chain that held a set of boats bridging Seville with what is now the Castle of St. George, on the Triana side. The Castilian fleet commanded by Admiral Ramon de Bonifaz broke through that chain and bridge of boats in 1248 to go up the river, while the troops of Ferdinand III of Castile besieged the city. This historic passage led by Asturian and Cantabrian sailors in the service of the Castilian navy has been immortalized on the shields of Aviles and of the Four Villas of the Coast of Cantabria (Laredo, Castro Urdiales, Santander, and San Vicente de la Barquera). It was later incorporated in the Coat of Arms of Cantabria as well, represented by the Tower of Gold and a ship breaking chains that closed passage up the Guadalquivir River. After this re-conquest, the tower was first used as a chapel dedicated to St. Isidore of Seville, and later it became a prison.

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