Graphic sources as the sole testament to forgotten architectural heritage: border architecture in the Kingdom of Seville in the late middle ages

Abstract

During the first half of the 14th century, the council of Seville, supported by the Castilian monarchy and the local nobility, responded to the fear of a new invasion from North Africa by embarking on a defence programme that required unprecedented logistical efforts, far beyond the resources available at the time. This programme consisted in building a defensive system across the south of the territory, the so-called “Moorish strip”, which included at least 40 defensive towers and small fortifications situated in strategic, visually connected positions. Their aim was to neutralise the Nasrid raids in this border area. Very few of these towers remain intact today, most of them having fallen into an advanced state of decay or having disappeared completely. Since they were abandoned at the end of the Granada War, very little documentation has survived and in some cases all that we have today is a handful of drawings, engravings by travellers and postcards. However, the analysis of this graphic documentation is an efficient method for acquiring knowledge about this heritage.

Keywords

• torres defensivas
• dibujos
• grabados
• historia
• análisis arquitectónico