CASTLES NÍJAR

Torre de los Lobos stands in Níjar municipality, Almería province, at 280 meters elevation—Spain's highest lighthouse tower. Originally constructed by Nasrid forces and destroyed in the 1680 earthquake, the tower was rebuilt in 1767 under Manuel Salcedo's direction following royal regulations established by Charles III to strengthen coastal surveillance. The restored tower now serves dual purposes as a lighthouse with telecommunications equipment installed on its summit after its 1991 transfer to the Ministry of Public Works and renovation. Designated as a Cultural Heritage Asset, the tower remains accessible by a 2.5-kilometer walking trail from the parking area, providing visitors with dramatic views of the Mediterranean coast and insights into centuries of coastal defense architecture.

Atalaya de Cala Higuera stands on a 224-meter hilltop at Punta de los Frailes near San José in Níjar, Almería, overlooking the anchorages of San José and Los Genoveses. Built in the 16th century as part of the Nasrid Kingdom's defensive system, this cone-shaped tower of masonry construction was integrated into the 18th-century coastal fortification network established by King Charles III. After suffering fire damage and ruination by 1847, it underwent restoration in 1941 for coastal surveillance and became part of Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in 1987. The tower communicates the strategic importance of maritime defense along Andalusia's rugged coastline.

Castillo de San Pedro is an 18th-century coastal fortress located in Níjar within the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, built on the remains of an earlier Muslim tower. Constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, it features a rectangular plan with a truncated cone tower and semicircular artillery battery, reflecting its strategic importance as the second most significant fortification in the Cabo de Gata defensive system. The castle was designed to protect a natural anchorage near a freshwater spring against pirate raids and served a crucial role in the Kingdom of Granada's maritime defenses.