Watchtower of El Berrueco, Muslim watchtower in El Berrueco, Spain.
The Watchtower of El Berrueco is a stone tower positioned on a mountain ridge in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near the El Atazar dam. The structure has a cylindrical shape and was built with thick stone walls that are wider at the base than at the top.
The structure was built between the 9th and 10th centuries when the caliphs Muhammad I and Abd al-Rahman III controlled this territory. It was part of a broader defensive system that monitored this frontier region.
The tower was built during a period when people in this region needed to transmit messages and warnings across large distances. Its position on the mountain ridge allowed watchers to monitor activity in the valley below and communicate with other defensive points nearby.
The tower sits in hilly terrain and is best reached on foot, as the paths are steep. Visitors should bring sturdy shoes and plenty of water, since the area offers little shade.
The entrance to the tower sits several meters above ground level, which protected the watchers from direct attack. This height advantage combined with the steep mountain position made the structure nearly impossible to surprise.
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