Torre del Agua

Tower in Granada

Ref: PM 090959 E Granada; Torre De Las Infantas — CC BY-SA 4.0 / PMRMaeyaert

Torre Del Agua, Alhambra, Grenada 3 — CC BY-SA 1.0 / Jebulon

Torre Del Agua, Alhambra, Grenada 43 — CC BY-SA 3.0 / AdriPozuelo

Torre Del Agua, Alhambra, Grenada 6 — CC BY-SA 3.0 / AdriPozuelo

The Torre del Agua or Water Tower is a defensive tower at the southeast end of the Alhambra complex in Grenada, Spain. The tower was positioned to protect the Al Saqilla al-Sultan or Acequia del Sután, Royal Ditch that distributed the water throughout the Alhambra. These waters came from the Darro river and through an infrastructure of swimming pools, cisterns and wells, they came to this area to supply water to the entire population of the Alhambra and nearby neighborhoods.

is so called because it is next to the aqueduct that takes water from the Generalife to the Alhambra.

What did the Torre del Agua look like?

The original tower was built over three floors, however due to its due to its military function it was built without decoration.

Where is the Torre del Agua located

It is the tower that is more to the east of all the fortification of the city of the Alhambra . Next to it there is an aqueduct that serves to supply water to the entire Alhambra. It establishes through a bridge that bridges the gap with the slope of the Chinese path that connects the Alhambra and the Generalife .

Destruction and restoration of the Torre del Agua

Of the original tower, only a few walls remain, because like the Tower of Cabo de la Carrera it was blown up in 1812 by the retreating French. The French planned to blow up the entire complex but José García , corporal who cut the lit fuses between the Torre de la Carrera and the Torre de las Infantas.

The tower remained a ruin until 1870 when the Alhambra was declared a national monument. During the 20th century, a reconstruction process was carried out, erecting its exterior walls.

The Torre del Agua appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Granada!