The Faro de Cabo de Palos marks a Spanish coastline

The Faro de Cabo de Palos is situated on a rocky promontory in the municipality of Cartagena, in the Region of Murcia. The site marks the end of the coastal mountains of Cartagena, which sink under the sea before resurfacing at the Islas Hormigas. In 2025, the lighthouse was officially declared a Bien de Interés Cultural with the category of Monument.

Historical records indicate that in antiquity, a temple dedicated to Baal Hammon, later identified by the Romans as Saturn, stood on this promontory. In 1554, King Carlos I ordered the construction of a watchtower called Torre de San Antonio to defend against Berber pirates. This tower was completed in 1578 as a hexagonal structure used to spot enemy ships. In 1862, this tower was demolished, and its stones were used to construct the current lighthouse.

Construction of the current lighthouse was finished in 1864, and it entered into operation on January 31, 1865. The building is square in plan, with sides of 20 meters, and the walls are made of masonry with varying thicknesses. The tower is situated in the center of the building. It features a focal plane at a height of 51 meters above the ground and 81 meters above sea level, emitting a white light in groups of two flashes every 10 seconds with a nominal night range of 23 nautical miles.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons