El sistema de torres de origen medieval en el valle de Segura de la Sierra. La construcción de un paisaje

Abstract

With the establishment of the Taifa kingdom of Segura in the 11th century, its capital would control a wide mountainous territory in the Southeast of Spain. During the 12th and 13th centuries, faced with the threat of the Castilian armies, Segura and the surrounding qaiya-s built severa! defensive fortresses. After the Christian conquest of this territory around 1214, Segura was donated to the Military Order of Santiago. Due to its strategic position on the border of the lslamic kingdorns of Granada and Murcia, the Encomienda of Segura was a key area far the defense of this extensive mountainous regían. As a result, in this territory there are still remains of a well-preserved tower system built in the Middle Ages using rammed-earth technology, which makes up and defines the landscape of this natural area landscape. This collection of historie buildings is a unique set of defensive structures with more than sixteen towers, often with a fortified enclosure, that represents a magnificent heritage that should be investigated, known and preserved. An exhaustive analysis has been carried in these never restored befare medieval buildings, with an in-depth study and survey of their functional, typological, historical, constructive and morphological features, as a previous step to apply a restoration and conservation methodology. The historical significance and cultural references of these towers with their territory, and the interest of the discoveries obtained due to the research made, are the principal contributions of this paper.