Torre del Esparragal: A border watchtower between Murcia and Granada

Situated in a plain next to the camino viejo de Puerto Lumbreras, near the population of El Esparragal, the Torre del Esparragal is also known as torre Mora. This advanced watchtower dates back to the first half of the 14th century and functioned as part of a defensive network. Along with other structures like the Torre de Sancho Manuel or the Castillo de Nogalte, it controlled a strategic sector of the Nogalte field, which served as the frontier between the Reino de Murcia and the Reino Nazarí de Granada, monitoring a local vía de comunicación.

During the period when the kingdom of Murcia was incorporated into the crown of Castile, this corridor gained importance as a frontier with the kingdom of Granada. During this time, numerous incursions occurred along the Camino Real de Vera, which was protected by new structures such as the Torre de Sancho Manuel and del Obispo in Lorca, and the de los Almendros in Puerto Lumbreras. The tower's construction consists of masonry walls with corners reinforced by squared stone blocks, some of which may have been reused from earlier buildings.

The tower features a vaulted interior and a doorway on the east side delimited by sandstone. Recent cleaning and documentation of the tower have revealed three holes that cross the entire perimeter walls on all faces. These are likely conduits, suggesting that the building may have been related to the control of water in the field of Lorca. It is recognized as a Bien de Interés Cultural according to the Disposición Adicional Segunda de la Ley 16/1985 de 25 de junio.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons