You’re now standing in front of the legendary Rastrillo de Espadas del Fuerte de San Miguel! Picture yourself back in the late 1700s-the air is tense with the possibility of invasion, and soldiers walk briskly along these old stones, their armor clanking. This tower guarded the southwest corner of Melilla’s mighty old fortress, and it was much more than just a lookout.
It was first pieced together in 1707 with humble stone and mud, but over the years it got a serious makeover. By the 1730s, they rebuilt it properly with sturdy local stone and solid brick arches. I bet the construction team never knew their work would last over two centuries! And don’t be fooled by its size-a semicircular tower with a sentry box and a thick, heavy door called a “rastrillo.” Imagine a big, medieval portcullis dropping down with a bang as enemies try to sneak in.
Whoever built this tower wasn’t messing around. This spot was the way out from the fortress to the vegetable gardens-because even defenders need their daily veggies, right? Luckily, when they tore down the main fort in the 1940s, the tower escaped the demolition crew’s wrath. It got a beautiful restoration in the 1980s, so it looks nearly as heroic as in its prime.
Look up-can you feel the history lingering in the stones? If these walls could talk, they’d have stories of old soldiers, late-night patrols, and maybe even a ghost or two. But don’t worry-if you hear footsteps behind you, it’s probably just another tourist… or is it?
