Awatchtower orguardtower (also speltwatch tower,guard tower) is a type ofmilitary/paramilitary orpoliciarytower used for guarding an area. Sometimesfortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are built in areas of established control. These include military bases, cities occupied by military forces, prisons and more. A common equipment issearchlights.
It differs from a regulartower in that itsprimary use is military/policiary and from aturret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such asreligious towers, may also be used as watchtowers.
Similar constructions include:observation towers, which are generally civilian structures, andcontrol towers, used on airports or harbours.
The Romans built numerous towers as part of a system of communications,[1] one example being the towers alongHadrian's Wall inBritain.[2] Romans built manylighthouses,[3] such as theTower of Hercules in northernSpain, which survives to this day as a working building,[4] and the equally famous lighthouse atDover Castle, which survives to about half its original height as a ruin.[5]
In medieval Europe, many castles andmanor houses, or similar fortified buildings, were equipped with watchtowers.[6] In some of the manor houses of western France, the watchtower equipped with arrow or gun loopholes was one of the principal means of defense. A feudal lord could keep watch over his domain from the top of his tower.
In southernSaudi Arabia andYemen, small stone and mud towers called "qasaba" were constructed as either watchtowers or keeps in theAsir mountains.[7] Furthermore, inNajd, a watchtower, called "Margab", was used to watch for approaching enemies far in distance and shout calling warnings from atop.[8]
Scotland saw the construction ofPeel towers[9] that combined the function of watchtower with that of akeep[10] ortower house[11] that served as the residence for a local notable family.
Mediterranean countries, andItaly in particular, saw the construction of numerous coastal watchtowers since the early Middle Ages, connected to the menace ofSaracen attacks from the various Muslim states existing at the time (such as theBalearic Islands,Ifriqiya orSicily). Later (starting from the 16th century) many were restored or built against theBarbary pirates.[12] Similarly, the city state of Hamburg gained political power in the 13th century over a remote island 150 kilometers down the Elbe river estuary to erect theGreat Tower Neuwerk by 1310 to protect its trading routes. They also claimed customs at the watchtower protecting the passage.
Some notable examples of military Mediterranean watchtowers include the towers that theKnights of Malta had constructed on the coasts ofMalta. These towers ranged in size from small watchtowers to large structures armed with numerous cannons. They include theWignacourt,[13]de Redin,[14] andLascaris towers,[15] named for theGrand Master, such asMartin de Redin, that commissioned each series.
The name ofTunisia's second biggest city,Sfax, is theberber-punic translation from thegreek "Taphroúria" (Ταφρούρια) meaning watchtower, which may mean that the 9th century Muslim town was built as an extension of what is currently known as theKasbah, one of the corners of the surviving completerampart of themedina.[16]
In the Channel Islands, theJersey Round Towers[17] and theGuernsey loophole towers[18] date from the late 18th century. They were erected to give warning of attacks by the French.
TheMartello towers[19] that the British built in the UK and elsewhere in theBritish Empire were defensive fortifications that were armed with cannon and that were often within line of sight of each other. One of the last Martello towers to be built wasFort Denison inSydney harbour.[20] The most recent descendants of the Martello Towers are theflak towers that the various combatants erected inWorld War II as mounts foranti-aircraft artillery.[citation needed]
Inmodern warfare the relevance of watchtowers has decreased due to the availability of alternative forms ofmilitary intelligence, such asreconnaissance byspy satellites andunmanned aerial vehicles. However watch towers have been used incounter-insurgency wars to maintain a military presence in conflict areas in case such as by theFrench Army inFrench Indochina, by theBritish Army and theRUC inNorthern Ireland and theIDF inGaza andWest Bank.[citation needed]
An example of the non-military watchtower in history is the one of Jerusalem. Though theHebrews used it to keep a watch for approaching armies, the religious authorities forbade the taking of weapons up into the tower as this would require bringing weapons through the temple. Rebuilt by King Herod, that Watchtower was renamed afterMark Antony, his friend who battled against Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (laterAugustus) and lost.[citation needed]
.JPG)
Media related toWatch towers at Wikimedia Commons
