Medieval watchtower ruins at Windmill Hill on Gibraltar’s southern Rock.
Torre de Tarfes, also called the Genoese Tower, was a medieval Christian-era watchtower at Tarfes (Windmill Hill), on the southern side of the Rock of Gibraltar. In 1469 Henry IV of Castile assigned it a mandatory watchman. By the seventeenth century it was damaged; only ruins and a large cistern remain.
Torre de Tarfes, also known as the Genoese Tower, was a watchtower situated at Tarfes, an area identified with Windmill Hill on the southern part of the Rock of Gibraltar. It formed part of the fortifications of Gibraltar and is classified as a watchtower located within the territory of Gibraltar, in the country of the United Kingdom. The tower was constructed in the Christian medieval period. In 1469, Henry IV of Castile assigned it a compulsory garrison consisting of a tower watchman, who was required to keep watch by day and listen by night. This underlines its role as a sentinel tower controlling approaches around the Rock. By the seventeenth century the tower was already damaged. Today only remains of the structure survive together with a large cistern. The cistern measures 21.8 metres by 13.4 metres by 2.38 metres. The site and its remains are mentioned in studies about the port and fortifications of Gibraltar, as well as works on medieval defensive systems along the northern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. Torre de Tarfes is also associated with the broader group called the Fortifications of Gibraltar, reflecting its function within the historic defensive landscape of the area.
