Until May 12 Historical exhibition of the old watchtowers along the Cartagena coastline

Star of the show at the Archivo Municipal is the Torre de Santa Elena in La Azohía

An exhibition of documentation relating to the old watchtowers dating from the Late Middle Ages dotted along the coastline of Cartagena is being held this spring at the Municipal Archive, with the opening of the event on 12^th March including the presentation of a new book entitled “Razzias (El Socorro de La Azohía-1599)” by Antonio López Asensio.

The book deals with the history of the Torre de Santa Elena, which still stands on the slopes of Cabo Tiñoso, looking out over the Mediterranean and the village of La Azohía, although Berber marauders no longer roam these waters as they did in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. This tower was one of many along the coastline, with others still standing in Los Alcázares (the Torre de Rame), Puerto de Mazarrón, Cartagena itself (La Navidad), Portmán, Cabo de Palos, La Encañizada in La Manga and other locations including Cope as far away as Águilas.

The exhibits on display include plans, texts and documentary references to the network of watchtowers which were built to protect the small nuclei of population in centuries past, communicating any emergencies to each other by means of beacons lit on the top of the structures.

The exhibition is open in the Municipal Archive, located in the Parque de Artillería building in Plaza Puerta de la Serreta (click for map) on weekday mornings from 9.00 to 14.00 and on Tuesday afternoons from 17.00 to 20.00.

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What’s on section of Murcia Today.