The detached farmstead towers from 12th Century Sierra de Segura (Jaén, Spain): contributions to the territorial settlement of the al- Andalus period. Results of the R&D&I project #ProyectoSegura

In Memoriam Professor Gregory Ashworth (1941-2016) HERITAGE 2018 10th Anniversary Edition HERITAGE 2018 10th Anniversary Edition Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development Volume 2 Granada, Spain 12-15 June Edited by Rogério Amoêda Sérgio Lira Cristina Pinheiro Juan M. Santiago Zaragoza Julio Calvo Serrano Fabián García Carrillo HERITAGE 2018 Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development Edited by Rogério Amoêda, Sérgio Lira, Cristina Pinheiro, Juan M. Santiago Zaragoza, Julio Calvo Serrano & Fabián García Carrillo Cover photo: Alhambra, Granada © 2018 The Editors and the Authors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from the Publisher. e-ISBN 978-84-338-6261-7 Published by Editorial Universidad de Granada Campus Universitario de Cartuja Colegio Máximo, s/n Granada, Spain https://editorial.ugr.es Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development Av. Alcaides de Faria, 377 S.12 4750-106 Barcelos, Portugal [email protected] http://www.greenlines-institute.org 1st edition, June 2018 Legal Notice The Editors and the Publisher are not responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. Aiming at a sustainable tourism management: infield study of the indoor environmental conditions of two heritage libraries 1831 L. D. Pereira, A. R. Gaspar, J. J. Costa & F. B. Lamas Achilles and the Tortoise: a paradox between authenticity and cultural tourism 1841 V. Pracchi Landscape values for tourists in traditional Silesian health resorts. Szczawno-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój and Sokoáowsko 1851 M. H. Skomorowska A Study of villa design approaches related to Hindu philosophy in space since the late 90s in Bali 1859 S. P. S. Soegondo, T. Ozawa & H. Ping Cultural heritage, tourism and the sustainable development of the local communities: the case of the manor houses in Romania 1871 C. Veghe܈ Tourist imaginaries of Mexico: particularities of the Architectural Heritage visited by tourist cruise ships in the City of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico 1883 L. S. Zamudio Vega Chapter 9 - Muslim heritage Preserving and valorizing the settlement system of Southern Morocco 1895 A. Bertini, C. Cuturi, I. Caruso & T. Vitolo Changes in the Alhambra Palaces algal biodeterioration after 25 years 1907 F. C. Bolívar-Galiano, C. Abad-Ruiz, E. Hidalgo-Hernández, R. Bailón-Moreno, V. M. Torres-Agudo, M. Bolívar-Feriche & P. Sánchez-Castillo Augmenting the art of the Alhambra: a digital perspective for al-Andalus heritage sustainability 1915 E. La Duca The graphic survey as a basis for the intervention on historical heritage. The case of a dwelling in the medina of Chefchaouene 1923 C. Luque Campaña, J. Calvo Serrano, C. Malagón Luesma & F. García Carrillo Almohad sebka as a reference element in the Gothic-Mudejar architecture of Seville: analysis through digital models 1933 J. F. Molina Rozalem & A. Atanasio Guisado Masjid Jamek: Kuala Lumpur's important Muslim heritage; a case study on the challenges and sustainability in the development of its surroundings 1945 H. J. Ng & R. A. Rashid The detached farmstead towers from 12th Century Sierra de Segura (Jaén, Spain): contributions to the territorial settlement of the al-Andalus period. Results of the R&D&I project #ProyectoSegura 1955 S. Quesada-García & G. Romero-Vergara Reconsidering Islamic art and Muslim heritage: migration, cultural exchange and the dominance of the Arab-centric aesthetic 1967 L. F. Ryan Contents xxv 1 INTRODUCTION In the Segura de la Sierra valley and the surrounding area, located in the northeast of the province of Jaén (Spain), there is a system of fourteen dispersed and sparsely spread out medieval towers, built during the 11 th and 12 th centuries during the height of the Almohad Empire. A little-known heritage, it is made up of a series of fragile elements using the rammed earth construction technique and which today build and define a landscape that is not only natural but, above all, cultural. Many of these towers have not been modified or undergone any interventions since they were built; therefore, they offer the perfect opportunity to gain more indepth knowledge about them, as they represent an unaltered record that has reached present day practically intact. This exceptional series of disperse elements of Muslim architecture had not been systematically and thoroughly studied before 2003, when we began to study these towers with the aim of conducting intervention and conservation projects in order to develop an in-depth understanding of them and to contribute, within the scope of our disciplinary area, towards scientific knowledge within the extensive historiography of medieval Islamic architecture. The work carried out since then has resulted, since 2014, in various competitive research projects, including the Research, Development and Innovation project financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Within the framework of this project, various studies and assignments have been carried out using techniques such as material tests, 14 C dating, and stratigraphic and parameterisation The detached farmstead towers from 12 th &entury Sierra de Segura (Jaén, Spain): contributions to the territorial settlement of the alAndalus period. Results of the R&D&I project #ProyectoSegura S. Quesada-García & G. Romero-Vergara School of Architecture, University of Seville, Seville, Spain ABSTRACT: On the border between the ancient g arb alA ndalus and s harq alA ndalus lies the Segura de la Sierra valley (Jaén, Spain), an area in which the medieval ways from Seville and Granada came together on the way to the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Given its strategic position and fertile orography, during the 11 th and 12 th centuries, Saqura became an important Islamic cora (administrative division of al-Andalus). A complex system of towers still remains from this era, built using the rammed earth construction technique. With the aim of delving further into this rich heritage, the research project #ProyectoSegura is being carried out, designed to obtain details that provide more information about the implementation criteria, chronological dating, and construction techniques used by applying a methodology based on the use of new technologies. The description of this work process and the presentation of the main results are the contributions of this communication. Chapter 9: Muslim heritage 1955 methods, among others. A detailed architectural study of the entire valley’s towers has been conducted, along with studying the topography and construction area thereof, using photogrammetric techniques and drone flights, which has enabled detailed 2D drawings to be created along with 3D modelling of the buildings and their surrounding areas. These techniques have enabled the digitalisation, classification and dissemination of this heritage. Figure 1. Al-Andalus in the 13 t h century with an indication of the main roads and cities during that time, among which is the cora of Saqura (Segura de la Sierra). Lastly, knowledge has been transferred with the creation of a patent applied to the restoration of free-standing rammed earth buildings, as is the case with these towers. The information and results obtained to date are contributing to the creation of a historical, typological and functional characterisation of these medieval elements, which enables them to be interpreted and compared with one another and with other similar cases on the Iberian Peninsula, allowing their origin to be confirmed and the theories set out at the beginning of the research to be proven. These tasks are being carried out by researchers from the TEP-965 research group from University of Seville with occasional collaborators from other Spanish and international research groups, all of whom are coordinated by Prof. Santiago Quesada-García, the lead researcher for the project. Among the various articles and communications through which this research has been disseminated, mention should be made of the article published four years ago in REHAB 2014 entitled: “Rehabilitation Proposal of some of the Islamic Towers in the Segura de la Sierra Valley (Spain). Significance and cultural values of this built heritage and their territory”. The article focused on presenting an in-depth individual description of these towers, analysing them from a constructive, morphological and functional point of view. The communication presented the first photogrammetric surveys and proposals for the restoration of the rammed earth constructions, called tapia in Spanish. It also set out some territorial theories that intended to explain the criteria for constructing the towers in the territory. This communication is a continuation of previous publications; it explains new findings and results, as well as the method used to obtain these. It also, for the first time, compares the Sierra de Segura towers with other disperse Muslim architectural elements built in the territory of alHERITAGE 2018 R . Amoêda, S. Lira, C. Pinheiro, J. M. Santiago Zaragoza, J. Calvo Serrano & F. García Carrillo (eds.) 1956 Andalus during the 12 th century, with the aim of identifying common patterns and finding criteria for constructing these sparsely spread out elements in the territory that do not form part of urban centres. To do so, it illustrates how the tower system defines the region, connecting ways, waterways, farmed areas, topographies, etc., as well as how these elements have the capacity to organise regions, anthropise spaces and become essential elements of the landscape that we admire today. These territorial relationships in this type of sparsely spread out, medieval Islamic architecture are seldom studied in our discipline, and yet research is providing information of significant documentary value in this regard, which will serve as a new reference for knowledge of these detached and dispersed buildings constructed during the 11 th and 12 th centuries on the Iberian Peninsula (Fig. 1). The description of the work process, the methodology and the main results obtained to date are the contributions of this communication to the REHAB2018 international congress, to be held in June 2018 in Granada. 2 BACKGROUND Given the extensive nature of this research, it is worth including the main milestones achieved over the last fifteen years regarding these towers in Sierra de Segura, to ensure the relevant documentary evidence is recorded: 2003 Photogrammetric survey and restitution of the tower of El Cardete (Benatae), North and South Watchtowers of Santa Catalina (Orcera), the Tower of Góntar and the Tower of Water (Segura de la Sierra). 2006 Drafting of the restoration and consolidation project for the North and South Watchtowers of Santa Catalina (Orcera). Laboratory tests on the physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of materials. 2007 Drafting of the restoration and consolidation project for the Tower of Góntar and Tower of Water (Segura de la Sierra). Laboratory tests on the physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of materials. 2010 Execution and management of the project for the consolidation of the Tower of Góntar 2013 Pre-competitive research project “The construction of a landscape: rammed earth architecture in High Andalusia during the 13 th century. Study and analysis of the Andalusi tower system in the Segura de la Sierra valley”, University of Malaga. 2014 Update of the execution projects for the North and South Towers of Santa Catalina (Orcera) and for the Torre del Agua project (Segura de la Sierra). 2015 Research, Development and Innovation Project, “The Islamic medieval tower system in Segura de la Sierra: establishment, construction techniques and restoration of rammed-earth constructions” (#ProyectoSegura). In other words, an initial consolidation project was drawn up, still to be executed, for the North and South Watchtowers of Santa Catalina (2005). Subsequently, two intervention projects were carried out for the Tower of Water and the Tower of Góntar (2007). Of all these projects, only the one referring to the remains of walls and the Tower of Góntar was carried out in 2009. The towers in the Segura de la Sierra valley are subjected to various pressures, which sometimes compromise their survival or leave them open to interventions without guarantees or without prior research projects being conducted to gain greater knowledge of them and to establish the best techniques to be applied, based on specialist knowledge. Furthermore, this historical heritage forms an unbreakable part of the identity and the sustainable use of a cultural landscape defined within the framework of a natural protected area such as the Cazorla, Sierra de Segura y las Villas Natural Park, making it essential to carry out comprehensive research, as outlined below (Fig. 2). Chapter 9: Muslim heritage 1957 Figure 2. Location of the husun (small castles and enclosures with towers), watchtowers and castles in the Segura de la Sierra valley (Jaén) with medieval ways. 3 GOALS This research, development and innovation project is proposed and developed as part of the Spanish Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation, within the “Challenge in social changes and innovations v protection and preservation of culture and heritage: artistic-cultural and archaeological heritage as a source for developing new scientific-technical capacities and sustainable exploitation models”, in order to conduct a systematic and thorough study of all the towers in this valley at a documentary, territorial, graphic, constructive or pathological level. The project includes the following general objectives: 1. To study and define the characteristics of the cultural landscape in which this medieval architectural heritage is located, which complements the natural landscape HERITAGE 2018 R . Amoêda, S. Lira, C. Pinheiro, J. M. Santiago Zaragoza, J. Calvo Serrano & F. García Carrillo (eds.) 1958 Figure 8. Left: A study of the visual basins and the intervisibility between the different towers of the valley. Right: The visual basins are from the Tower of Santa Catalina (Orcera). 5. Another contribution of this research is the discovery in the Góntar and Cardete towers of lime coatings with shapes and drawings simulating false ashlars. This aspect would confirm the chronological detail outlined in the preceding section, given that this particular technique is attributed to that African Berber dynasty. Therefore, these Sierra de Segura towers can be related to similar examples built by the Almohads in al-Andalus, bearing in mind that the age of the original tree in the analysed sample would have to be added to those dates. 6. The stratigraphic reading of the walls has enabled the manner in which some of these towers were accessed to be established. In the case of the North Watchtower of Santa Catalina, the access was 7.18m high, and it was 6.85m high on the South Watchtower. These significant heights made it impossible to reach with a single step (wooden or ropes) given the weight and the difficulties involved in handling it. We were able to determine through the location of alcoves and wall drains, planned during the execution, that the access system was via different external platforms, which, like a scaffolding, enabled a logical and rational access. 7. We should point out, given the importance and implication of the restoration of these types of rammed earth constructions, the result obtained in the transfer of knowledge from this research which has led to a national invention patent granted by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, consisting of a “Flexible Anchor for Attaching an Elastic Tie to an Earthen Wall” ES 2329207B1. The patent is related to the restoration of heritage and consolidation interventions in rammed earth architecture. 6 CONCLUSIONS These Muslim architectural elements, located in the Segura de la Sierra valley, are situated in an area in which the two medieval ways from Seville and Granada meet, joining to head towards the east of the Iberian Peninsula. They are towers built using the rammed earth construction technique. As a result of the stratigraphic analyses carried out, comparisons with similar examples of al-Andalus, the presence of shapes simulating false ashlars on the lime coatings and the results of the 14 C dating, it can be definitely concluded that these are Muslim towers, built between the 11 th and 12 th centuries. One of the main contributions of this work has been to discover the construction criteria for these Islamic constructions in the territory, dispersed and detached constructions that, nevertheless, form part of a complex system of infrastructures made up of ways, livestock trails, rivers, water dams, farming land, etc. and in which these enclosures with towers constitute the main hubs. This aspect has been verified by determining that the different locations of the Chapter 9: Muslim heritage 1965 towers triangulate the territory, eliminating dead angles and blind spots, creating an intricate network of visual connections. However, the most significant aspect is that these towers are closely related to the surrounding land area, with a gentle topography and, therefore, are easily accessible and irrigable, which justifies the location. This situation can be clearly appreciated in Altamira, Gutamarta, Catena, La Torre, Sta. Catalina, Orcera, El Cardete, Fuente de la Torre, Benatae and Torres de Albanchez. All of them are elements that control equivalent areas comprising between 350 and 500 ha. This enables us to conclude that these towers were associated with farmsteads and buildings related to productive activities in this valley, some of which are still present today in the form of small hamlets, groups of country houses or farmhouses still in use today (Altamira, La Torre), and others are now urban centres (La Puerta, Orcera, Benatae). As a provisional conclusion, we could say that this research into the tower system in the territory of Sierra de Segura has enabled and is managing to extract a large amount of information from the new details now emerging. The insight offered by this knowledge will enable aspects such as the territorial establishment of these free-standing Islamic architectural elements to be covered and addressed from a new perspective. Likewise, the increasing depth of understanding regarding their construction systems enables new contrasted methodological patterns to be established for interventions on rammed earth buildings. The interest and scope of the findings obtained justify their dissemination in this communication. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work has been possible thanks to the research carried out within the framework of the State Programme for Research, Development and Innovation Aimed at Society’s Challenges, as part of the 2013-2016 State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research, with the project entitled “The Islamic medieval tower system in Segura de la Sierra: establishment, construction techniques and restoration of rammed-earth constructions”. The precursor to this project was the pre-competitive research project from University of Malaga called: “The construction of a landscape: rammed-earth architecture in High Andalusia during the 13th century. 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