El valor excepcional del paisaje defensivo costero mediterráneo como candidato a Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO

Starting in the 16th century, the struggle for hegemony in the Mediterranean and the imposition of faith between the Christian and Islamic sides led the Hispanic Monarchy to promote a program of fortifications, whose construction techniques, architectural typologies, and planning strategies were replicated along the coastline by both European crowns and the Turkish Empire. This heritage complex, which encompasses more than 1,200 components, including castles, fortifications, watchtowers, walled cities, and ports, constitutes a transnational serial property that transcends the borders of multiple states. It is one of the most vast and extraordinary monumental systems of military architecture in the world, and a unique example in terms of quantity, homogeneity, and high level of authenticity. Recognition as a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is proposed in this article as the fundamental instrument for the protection and valuation of the coastal defensive system as a sign of identity for Mediterranean culture.