Octagonal in shape and 28 metres tall, the tower of Boabdil or New Tower is a tourist attraction in its own right that invites travellers to visit Porcuna. A Historical Monument since 1982, the chambers inside boast Cistercian-inspired Gothic arches and vaults and the terrace looks out over the lovely landscape of Jaén’s olive-growing countryside.

The tower also houses a municipal museum that displays interesting remains of the town’s rich past. It is not for nothing that Porcuna also stands out for being one of the most important Iberian settlements in the world. It possesses such rich archaeological sites as Cerrillo Blanco, which has a Visitor Centre and is open to the public, and Cerro de los Alcores. It was also an important Roman city, known as Obulco, which Pliny, Ptolemey and Strabo frequently mention in texts from that period.

As the plaque on the main façade indicates, the tower of Boabdil was built in 1411 – 1435 by the Order of Calatrava. The military Order’s connection with the town has been constant throughout its history. In fact, it was maintained until well into the 19th century.  Curiously, of five of the priories that the Order possessed in Andalusia in the 16th century, two were in Porcuna (the priories of San Benito and Santa María).

Although the tower is the most imposing monument, it is not the only trace of the historical period in which Porcuna played a predominant role as the scene of some of the border wars with the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. The monks of the Order of Calatrava reinforced and expanded the old Moorish fort by building a fortress whose large keep would become the tower of Boabdil. Part of the gates to it are still standing. In addition, some of the towers and remains of the wall that surrounded the fortress are also visible or gradually being uncovered by the excavations and research work being carried out.