La Tour Sarrasine - Les Baux-de-Provence, France
Posted by: denben
N 43° 44.592 E 004° 47.735
31T E 644579 N 4844917
The Tour Sarrasine is located on the site of the Castle of Baux in Baux-de-Provence a commune in the French department of Bouches-du-Rhone and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France.
Waymark Code: WMTV4W
Location: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Date Posted: 01/08/2017
Views: 10
"The Sarrasine tower is built on top of a rocky projection. It closes the castle to the south and thus protects the access by the "Gate of the Auro". Auro, in Provencal means the north wind, the terrible mistral. This structure proposed an ingenious defensive system devised to mislead the intruders who, believing they were entering the castle, were pushed back under the walls of the fortress. False gates and field accidents thus deceived the assailants." (
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The sign reads:
"The name of Tour Sarrasine or "Saracen Tower", reminds us that during the Middle Ages, the plains of Provence were regularly swept by Saracen attacks. The Moorish raiders swept in from the sea, penetrating up to 30 km inland, sowing death and destruction on their way. To counter these raids, watch towers and men-at-arms had to be constantly maintained. After the ramparts between the Tour des Bannes on the left and the Tour Sarrasine on the right were demolished, the space was nicknamed the "prevailing wind gap", because the dreaded Mistral blew through it from the north."