Torre Alta

Torre Alta is a medieval watchtower in the municipality of Priego de Córdoba, in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. It stands on a limestone rocky ridge at roughly 659 metres above sea level and forms part of a defensive complex known as the Tres Torres (Three Towers), alongside Torre Media (also called Torre de los Pradillos) and Torre Bajera. The whole group is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Monument category.

When was Torre Alta built?

The tower dates from 1332–1341, during the reign of Sultan Yusuf I of Granada. At the time, Priego sat directly on the frontier between the Crown of Castile and the Nasrid Emirate of Granada — Ferdinand III had taken the wider area for Castile in 1225, but the region did not come permanently under Christian control until Alfonso XI's conquest in 1341. Torre Alta was therefore built as part of a border-watch network intended to give early warning of incursions from across that frontier.

What does the tower look like, and how was it built?

Torre Alta has a cylindrical plan and was raised using mampostería, rubble masonry bound with mortar — the standard technique for Andalusian atalayas of the period. Its original height was around 10 metres, with a diameter of roughly 6.5 metres. The internal structure is worth noting: the lower section, up to about 5–6 metres, is solid masonry, while everything above that level is hollow. This combination gave the base extra stability while cutting down on material needed higher up.

Today the structure survives only as a ruin. The height of the surviving walls varies by section — from around 4 metres on the western side to about 7 metres in the best-preserved southeastern stretch.

What was its purpose, and which other towers did it "talk" to?

Torre Alta is the northernmost of the three towers and occupies the lowest elevation point within the Tres Torres complex. Its role was purely one of observation and warning: sentries stationed on top kept direct visual contact with the other two towers and with the castle (Castillo) in Priego. Signals were passed by fire at night and smoke by day, relayed tower to tower until they reached the main fortress, buying time to organise a defence or evacuate the area.

What else has been found on the Torre Alta hill?

The site was significant well before the medieval period. Numismatic research carried out at the Torre Alta site has uncovered a group of coins linked to an earlier Iberian-Roman oppidum, a settlement that predates the Nasrid tower by centuries. Studying these finds has helped archaeologists piece together trade patterns and monetary circulation in the wider Subbética region of Córdoba, adding a much older layer of history beneath the visible medieval ruin.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Torre Alta differ from the other towers in the Tres Torres group? Torre Alta sits furthest north and occupies the lowest point on the ridge among the three towers, while Torre Media and Torre Bajera occupy separate positions along the same high ground.

Can visitors climb to the top of the tower? No — the structure survives only as a ruin, with a few metres of wall remaining in places. There is no intact staircase or viewing platform to climb.

Why was Torre Alta built in the first place? It served as a lookout and early-warning post on the Castilian-Nasrid frontier, relaying fire and smoke signals to neighbouring towers and the castle in Priego whenever a threat was spotted.

Was the site occupied before the tower was built? Yes. Numismatic finds point to an earlier Iberian-Roman oppidum on the same hill, making Torre Alta a site of interest to archaeologists studying periods long before the medieval tower was raised.