Strategic Watchtowers

The Strategic Watchtowers of Ibiza, also called the Pirate Towers, are a chain of round stone towers along the coast of the island, built to give warning of pirates, and they are among the most characteristic features of its landscape. After the conquest of the island by the Catalans in 1235, Ibiza was a frontier of Christian Europe, exposed to raids from North African corsairs and, later, from Ottoman fleets, and it had a small population that was vulnerable to attack. From the sixteenth century, the crown and the island’s authorities set up a system of coastal towers, with the aim of watching the sea, raising the alarm and giving the inhabitants of the countryside a place to shelter. They continued to be built and rebuilt until the eighteenth century, and about seven survive in a good state, with others in ruins.

The towers follow a common design. Each is a cylindrical tower, slightly tapered, built of rough stone with lime mortar, and about nine metres high, with walls two and a half metres thick, which made them strong enough to resist attack. The tower has two floors, with a ground-floor storeroom and a living space above, linked by a spiral staircase built into the thickness of the wall. The entrance was at first-floor level, reached by a ladder that could be pulled up, a feature that made the tower hard to storm. A flat roof, with a parapet, served as an observation and fighting platform, and some towers had a small cannon. The positions were chosen on high ground or headlands, so that each tower could see the next one, and a message could be passed along the coast.

Warning was given by simple means. Watchmen blew horns made from large sea shells, which carried the sound over a long distance, and during the day they raised smoke, while at night they lit fires, so that the signal was passed from tower to tower around the island in a short time. When pirates were sighted, the people of nearby farms could take refuge in the tower or in the fortified churches, and the town’s militia was called out. Local families were required to take turns in guard duty.

Several towers can be visited on foot, and each offers wide views over the coast and the sea. Among the best known are the Torre des Savinar, near the cliffs facing the islet of Es Vedrà, and the Torre de ses Portes and the Torre de sa Sal Rossa in the area of the salt pans, and others stand on headlands in the north and the south of the island. Most are not open inside, either because of the state of repair or because of private ownership, but their exteriors are easy to see from public paths and roads, and the walks to reach them give a taste of the island away from the beaches.

A visit can be arranged as a day by car, stopping at several towers, with sunset a favourite time. The paths are rough in places, and the sun is strong, so wear sturdy shoes and take water. The towers are a way to understand Ibiza’s history of insecurity, a contrast with its present as a holiday destination.