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A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or Police tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes Fortification, 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 is searchlight.
It differs from a regular tower in that its Fortified tower and from a turret 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 as pagoda, may also be used as watchtowers.
Similar constructions include: observation towers, which are generally civilian structures, and , used on airports or harbours.
In medieval Europe, many castles and , or similar fortified buildings, were equipped with watchtowers. Timelines TV Interactive video timeline of British history with section on medieval manors. 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 southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen, small stone and mud towers called "qasaba" were constructed as either watchtowers or keeps in the Asir mountains. The New Encyclopædia Britannica. 1998. "Asir." 15th edition. Volume 1, "Micropedia". p. 635. Furthermore, in Najd, a watchtower, called "Margab", was used to watch for approaching enemies far in distance and shout calling warnings from atop.
Scotland saw the construction of Peel towers "Peel Towers, the name given to fortresses of the moss-troopers on the Scottish border". p. 490. that combined the function of watchtower with that of a keepDixon, Philip. (2002) "The Myth of the Keep," in Meirion-Jones, Impey and Jones (ed) (2002). p. 9. or tower houseSidney Toy (1985) Castles: Their Construction and History, Courier Dover Publications, (reissue of Castles: a short history of fortification from 1600 B.C. to A.D. 1600; London: Heinemann, 1939) that served as the residence for a local notable family.
Mediterranean countries, and Italy in particular, saw the construction of numerous coastal watchtowers since the early Middle Ages, connected to the menace of Saracen attacks from the various Muslim states existing at the time (such as the Balearic Islands, Ifriqiya or Sicily). Later (starting from the 16th century) many were restored or built against the Barbary coast pirates.* Salvatore Mazzarella, Renato Zanca, Il libro delle Torri, le torri costiere di Sicilia nei secoli XVI-XX , Palermo: Sellerio, 1985. 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 the Great 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 the Knights of Malta had constructed on the coasts of Malta. These towers ranged in size from small watchtowers to large structures armed with numerous cannons. They include the Wignacourt, de Redin, and Lascaris towers, named for the Grand Master, such as Martin de Redin, that commissioned each series.
The name of Tunisia's second biggest city, Sfax, is the Berber languages-Punic language translation from the Greek language "Taphroúria" ( Ταφρούρια) meaning watchtower, which may mean that the 9th century Muslim town was built as an extension of what is currently known as the Kasbah, one of the corners of the surviving complete rampart of the medina." سر تسمية صفاقس". تاريخ صفاقس (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-11-14.
In the Channel Islands, the Jersey Round Towers and the Guernsey loophole towersClements, William H. (1998) Towers of Strength: Martello Towers Worldwide. (London: Pen & Sword). . pp. 83-87. date from the late 18th century. They were erected to give warning of attacks by the French.
The Abram, David (2003) The Rough Guide to Corsica Rough Guides. p. 103. that the British built in the UK and elsewhere in the British 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 was Fort Denison in Sydney harbour. History of Fort Denison at official website. Accessed 27 March 2013 The most recent descendants of the Martello Towers are the that the various combatants erected in World War II as mounts for anti-aircraft artillery.
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