Photo: Torre Del Oro Tower Seville City Andalusia Spain Dusk

The Torre del Oro, which means Tower of Gold, is lit up at dusk along the Paseo Alcalde Marques del Contadero, located in the El Arenal District of Seville, Spain. This tower also houses the Museo Maritimo aka Naval Museum.

Lit up brightly at dusk, this tower named "Torre Del Oro" (Tower of Gold) is actually a military watchtower that was built during the Almohad Dynasty - a period in history during the 12th century when a group of people called the Berber people conquered the entire section of northern Africa all the way to Libya. The Torre del Oro was built with the specific purpose to control the access to the ancient city of Seville, via the Guadalquivir River (the fifth longest river in Spain). People in this tower would be able to see who was approaching the city and either allow them access or make them wait and go through a checkpoint before entering the city.

Construction began on Torre del Oro ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Andalusia Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

... in the 13th century and during the Middle Ages it served as a prison and was also the place where precious metals were kept when they were first brought to the city from India (much like the Tower of London in England). Many historians think that this keeping of precious metals is where the tower got its name from.

Today tourists can visit the tower, as it is a naval museum due to its long history of acting as a guard to the river, and it also contains old letters, models, engravings and documents.

Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) which also houses the Museo Maritimo (Naval Museum) along Paseo Alcalde Marques del Contadero at dusk, El Arenal District, City of Sevilla (Seville), Province of Sevilla, Andalusia (Andalucia), Spain, Europe.