Description
What struck me about this place is how it puts the Alhambra into context. These towers were here first, built around the 8th-9th centuries as part of an early fortress called "Hizn Mawror." They're actually older than most of what you'll see across the valley. The central tower dominates the group with its three stories, while the other two are smaller – one with two floors, the other just one. There's something satisfying about their asymmetry.
The towers went through multiple lives over the centuries. The Nasrid rulers renovated them in the 13th century, then the Catholic Monarchs added that curved artillery bastion you see on the central tower. Later uses were less glamorous – they served as barracks, prison, and even housed the city's female inmates until 1936. You can still see Muslim burial slabs embedded in the interior walls, remnants from when the site was repurposed after the Christian conquest.
Getting there is straightforward. It's an easy eleven-minute walk from Plaza Nueva, or you can catch buses C30, C32, or C35 from Plaza Isabel la Católica and walk six minutes from the Manuel de Falla Auditorium stop. The Torres Bermejas audio guide provides deeper historical context if you want to understand the complex layers of history here.
The restoration work completed in 2018 revealed fascinating details – original battlements, intact vaults, and traces of the medieval wall that once connected this fortress to the Alhambra's defensive system. You can visit weekends only, and entry is free, which feels generous given what you're seeing.
From up here, the views across Granada are exceptional. You get that perfect angle on the Alhambra that helps you understand how these defensive positions worked together. It's particularly striking how the Tower of the Vela aligns visually with these towers – a reminder that this wasn't just one isolated palace but an integrated military system protecting the last Muslim kingdom in Spain.
Información adicional
per person
Total price of audio guides
