The Torre del Rame in Los Alcazares
A 16th-century watchtower in Los Alcázares which was adapted from a 13th-century Moorish construction
The Torre del Rame is the oldest complete building remaining in Los Alcázares, having originally been built under the name of the Torre de Faray (“tower of the crossbowman”) in the 13th century, shortly after Christian forces took control of the area of Murcia from the Moors in the “Reconquista”.
In the 16th century, at the time when the Berbers from north Africa were constantly launching pirate raids against settlements on the Murcia coastline, it was remodelled on the orders of Diego Bienvengud Rosique, governor of Cartagena, as a watchtower from which warnings of imminent attacks were given to the population.
The location on which the Torre de Faray was built was not chosen by accident: it was close to a freshwater well alongside the runoff channel of the Rambla del Albujón and also to the 12th-century palace of the Moorish ruler Ibn Mardanish, the “Wolf King”. It is claimed that the remains of this palace now lie under the military airbase of Los Alcázares.
Click here for a brief history of Los Alcázares.
The structure is fairly typical of fortifications in Murcia at that time, consisting of a slightly tapering tower reaching a height of around 10 metres and containing three floors in total.
These days the tower cuts a slightly forlorn figure, standing isolated alongside the golf course of La Serena and surrounded by untended land, and like its sister structure the Torre del Negro, which stands next to the exit from the AP-7 motorway at km 797, in the late 20th century it was unfortunately allowed to deteriorate despite having been declared an Item of Cultural Interest.
The tower is most easily reached by heading inland from the roundabout opposite the fire station on the N-332 in Los Alcázares, from where it can be found at a distance of just 200 metres.
For more local information contact the tourist offices in Los Alcázares or go to the home page of Los Alcázares Today.