Exterior Almorávides y Almohades inglés:Folleto negro 15/12/2010 8:49 Página 1

Route of the Almoravids and Almohads TRADITION This Route evokes the long and GASTRONOMY profound relationship between his route could be described as a full gastronomic two continents, barely tour through the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga and separated by a narrow strip of TGranada, given the variety and quality of products and recipes that can be found all along these itineraries. sea. This fascinating journey The Atlantic coast of Cadiz offers delicious and fresh fish revolves around the strategic and shellfish, while the crossroads, where Africa and countryside provides a delight Europe face each other, sharing the foundations of the for the palate in its wines from Jerez, along with gazpachos, mythical Pillars of Hercules. The old people, with thick soups and other expressive sensitivity, call this region, "The Two specialities. From the sierras Banks" due to their proximity and mutual dependence. come cured pork products of all kinds, as well as game, It is a region linked by the dense network of paths casseroles and stews cooked that crossed and converged, multiplying the ties with aromatic herbs, while the

between men. The essence of this fruitful contact has plains in the interior round Europe of Council the of Route Cultural Major and Granada, offer survived: a common cultural and artistic source and a Almohads and vegetables, fruit and olive oil of

special art of living. What better way to discover and the highest quality, providing

enjoy it but to follow the path taken by the the basis for a rich country

Almoravids and Almohads, the people from the cuisine. Special mention has to be made of the wide range Almoravids

Sahara, who, between the 11th and 12th centuries, of sweets, full of references to al-Andalus, such as pestiños, amarguillos, alfajores and an on-going list of sweets that moulded the Western Maghreb and al-Andalus into a titillate the taste buds. of Route huge empire. Following its African prelude, this cultural route commences in , which together HANDICRAFTS

with , are the starting points of the trip. The he arts and crafts traditions are still going strong today in the countryside, some inherited directly Velez-Malaga

journey reveals the irresistible charms of the coast, the

from the urban guilds, others connected with the w

T and Jerez, Cadiz, through passing w

cultivated plains and the sierras of Cadiz and Malaga, agricultural and ranching background so predominant in w this area. The diversity of products ranges from high Granada, to Algeciras From .

with villages and towns which preserve the most pure r u

quality book-binding to musical instruments in the t Andalusian charm. Breathtaking landscapes, a

workshops of Cadiz and Granada; inlaid woodwork and s l legendary towns and castles, monuments, traditions, e furniture in Cadiz, Jerez or Ronda; fine wrought iron g a

along with the warm hospitality of its people, are the and metal work in Ronda or Granada. Pottery and d

ceramics are o a ingredients of this irresistible itinerary, which andalusí legado El present n

traverses valleys and mountains and ends in the final d a everywhere; of Routes The l magical destination of Granada. u

textiles in s i .

Grazalema, where e The Route of the Almoravids its well-known s and Almohads connects the ALMORAVIDS AND ALMOHADS ITINERARIES AND DISTANCES coast and the villages of the woolen blankets Straits with Granada via are still woven on Cadiz, Jerez and Ronda, following the main means of age-old looms; he name of this route makes reference to the two he route covers a stretch of about 300 to 450 communication of the leather goods, network that linked the Information Points Pavilion of al-Andalus and Science movements which forged great empires in North kilometers between Algeciras and Granada, north of Africa and the south with the principal Africa and the Iberian Peninsula between the 11th depending on the options of path chosen. From of al-Andalus. The stretch centers of production in the Sierra of Cadiz; carved ALGECIRAS MEDINA SIDONIA Oficina Municipal de Turismo T T that runs through the Oficina de Turismo de la Junta Oficina Municipal de Turismo Paseo Blas Infante s/n and 13th centuries. From the Western Sahara and Algeciras and Tarifa a first branch goes directly to Ronda provinces of Cadiz, Malaga woodwork and barrel making, objects made from de Andalucía Ortega, 10 Tel. 952 187 119 and Granada, splits into two Marrakech, the capital founded in 1070, the Almoravids through the serrania, and passing through Castellar, Juan de la Cierva, s/n Tel. 956 412 404 Cádiz branches in Algeciras, which vegetable fibers and other crafts, like saddle-making, Granada Tel. 956 784 131 Ayuntamiento he Pavilion of al-Andalus and Science in the created a vast dominion, which stretched from Senegal to , Gaucín and the villages located in Algeciras converge in Ronda, from which are all witness to deep popular roots. CÁDIZ Macroscope building of the Science Park of the kingdoms of al-Andalus. Their successors and rivals, the Genal river valley, along the A-369 road. The western where a single final section TARIFA Oficina de Turismo de la Junta Plaza de la Constitución, 13 goes on to Granada. Today Oficina Municipal de Turismo de Andalucía Tel. 952 748 020 Granada offers the visitor a view of the Arabic the Almohads, or “The Unitarians”, came from the Atlas branch of the route, on the other hand, covers longer the journey follows a modern Paseo de la Alameda s/n Ramón de Carranza s/n FIESTAS AND FESTIVALS T network of roads (A-369, A- Tel. 956 680 993 Tel. 956 203 191 Ayuntamiento scientific legacy and the different contributions made by mountains. Following a great conflict in the middle of the distances. It passes through Alcalá de los Gazules and 381, A-382, A-92, A-367, he calendar of festivities along the route is very Avda. Sta. Mª del Reposo, 4 Andalusian civilization. Its exhibits offer an insight into 12th century, the Almohads took control of Marrakech Medina Sidonia, connected by the A-381 and goes on to N-331 and A-359). CASTELLAR DE LA EL PUERTO tight. The Carnival, which has its epicenter in FRONTERA DE SANTA MARÍA Tel. 952 722 168 Oficina de Información Oficina Municipal de Turismo the period of al-Andalus, the Arabic-Muslim scientific and consolidated their power in the lands of the Maghreb Cadiz, El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez. From here it ÉLEZ ÁLAGA Cadiz, marks the end of winter. In spring, a whole Turística Luna, 22 V -M When considering the altitudes on the route, there is a marked contrast in the course Área de Cultura del legacy and its contributions to the world of science, and and the Peninsula. follows the A-382 towards Arcos and the White Villages T Plaza de Andalucía s/n of the journey. The first part runs through villages situated at sea level; Algeciras, series of events take place: Holy Week with its Tel. 956 542 413 Ayuntamiento Castillo de Castellar its subsequent development. The museum resources used of Cadiz: Grazalema, Zahara, , , Cadiz, El Puerto and in slightly elevated sections of the plains like Alcalá, Medina and Palacio de Beniel s/n processions, the first fairs like the Horse Fair in Jerez, the Tel. 956 693 001 JEREZ DE LA in the different permanent and temporary exhibition Setenil, until it reaches Ronda. The route then rises up the Arcos, at altitudes between 100 and 300 m. Further on, the large part of the journey FRONTERA Tel. 952 558 640 THE WHITE VILLAGES runs through mountainous and highland areas between 500 and 800 m. in altitude. pilgrimages and the Corpus Christi festivities, which JIMENA DE LA Oficina de Información ALCAUCÍN spaces are spread over two floors that house the different A-367 to Teba and Campillos, where it joins the N-331 Ronda and Granada are over 700 m. The highest point in the journey is the town of RONTERA Turística precede the endless succession of ferias and fiestas in F Oficina de Turismo Grazalema, boxed in by mountains at 812 m. Oficina Municipal de Turismo Alameda Cristina s/n subject areas, lecture rooms, and the C-340 towards Vélez-Málaga. After the route Paseo de las Barriadas summer, amongst which there are various festivals of Antigua Iglesia de la Junto al Convento de Sto. a bookshop and a multi- he group of small towns and whitewashed villages along the villages in the province of Granada, we shall Tel. 952 510 077 Moors and Christians. Flamenco, which has its most Misericordia Domingo purpose hall. It covers that stand out in the beautiful countryside of the arrive at our goal: Granada Tel. 956 640 569 Tel. 956 338 874 ZAFARRAYA genuine roots here, is present in all these festivals. Ayuntamiento AUCÍN RCOS DE LA almost 4,500 square metres sierras between Arcos and Ronda, the so-called G A Entrada de Granada, 2 T Ayuntamiento FRONTERA and aims to promote cultural Pueblos Blancos (White Villages), constitute an essential Plaza Guzmán el Bueno, 23 Oficina Municipal de Turismo Tel. 958 362 560 exchanges between section of this route. Their romantic appearance, clustered Tel. 952 151 000 Plaza del Cabildo s/n LA MALAHÁ Tel. 956 702 264 Ayuntamiento ASARES and the Arab World by around castles and churches and dominating the horizon C Real, 16 Casa Natal de Blas Infante GRAZALEMA implementing the latest from cliff tops and hilltops, or sheltered under imposing HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE IN CLOSE-UP Carrera, 51 Centro de Información Turística Tel. 958 587 101 trends in museology and an mountains, impress and captivate the traveller. Tel. 952 895 521 Plaza Asomaderos, 3 LAS GABIAS Tel. 956 132 052 Ayuntamiento LGATOCÍN up-to-date, diverse The same feeling occurs when the visitor enters the A Plaza de España, 1 TOWNS, VILLAGES AND CASTLES Ayuntamiento methodology. charming maze of the old town centers, with winding t is not by chance that many Spanish and foreign Fuente, 2 Información Turística Tel. 958 580 261 streets that still retain all the essence of medieval times he traces of the legacy of al-Andalus become patent along every step of the road, in the travellers think that the different stages covered by Tel. 952 150 000 Plaza del Rey, 3 GRANADA Tel. 956 123 114 Oficina de Turismo de la Junta ENALAURÍA and the atmosphere of an architecture which embodies compact appearance of the villages, in their defensive and monumental construction this route reflect the essential traits of the image of B de Andalucía I Ayuntamiento ALGODONALES Plaza Nueva. Santa Ana, 4 the ideal of typically Andalusian construction: sober and in their traditional architecture; a panorama, which later on was enriched in Andalusia, as if in a mirror: splendid vestiges of a Muslim Plaza Teniente Viñas, 1 Ayuntamiento T Tel. 958 575 202 elegant façades, whitewashed walls, empty gaps enclosed artistic forms and constructions, which ranged from Mudejar to Baroque, following the past, which flourish from Algeciras to Ronda and Tel. 952 152 502 Avda. de Andalucía, 2 View of the Macroscope. The Pavilion of al-Andalus and Science is inside. Tel. 956137003 Alhambra y Generalife by wrought iron grills, roofs of red tiles and, inside, patios Christian conquest. The Almoravids, like their successors at the head of the Hispano-Muslim Granada. Towns and fortifications swathed in chivalrous BENADALID Avda. del Generalife s/n Science Park. Granada. Ayuntamiento LVERA O Tel. 958 544 002/003 with wells, flowerpots and plants that are a haven of empire, the Almohads, were skillful constructors, who notably promoted the enlargement of romances, unusually vibrant and dramatic landscapes, the Plaza Beni al-Jalí, 1 Oficina Municipal de Turismo intimacy. Arcos, Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Olvera, the Andalusian towns, cosmopolitan atmosphere of Cadiz, in contrast to the Tel. 952 152 753 Edificio la Cilla Oficina de Información Plaza de la Iglesia, s/n Turística del Patronato Setenil de las endowing them with extensive rustic authenticity of the villages in the sierras. The Tel. 956 120 816 Provincial Bodegas and a walls, alcazabas (fortresses) ubiquitous presence of flamenco as the deepest example Ayuntamiento Plaza Mariana Pineda, 10 Plaza de la Constitución, 3 SETENIL DE LAS Tel. 958 247 128 whole bunch of and other buildings. The of popular expression, Tel. 952 183 504 BODEGAS Oficina Municipal de Turismo Centro Municipal de Recepción villages, make period covering the 12th to and, finally, the ALCALÁ DE LOS Villa, 2 Turística GAZULES Tel. 956 134 261 Virgen Blanca, 9 up one of the the 15th centuries was equally decisive, when these lands importance and interest Oficina Municipal de Turismo Tel. 958 535 761 most attractive constituted the western frontier of the Kingdom of Granada, until incited by the horse and Biblioteca RONDA Avda. de los Alcornocales s/n Oficina de Turismo de la Junta Oficina de Información itineraries of its fall in 1492. It was then, either on the initiative of the Muslims the fighting bull, Tel. 956 420 327 de Andalucía Turística Municipal popular or the Christians, that the villages along the route acquired the protagonists in so many Paza de España, 9 Plaza del Carmen s/n Tel. 902 405 045 architecture unmistakable and legendary medieval appearance which festivals and places in Tel. 952 169 311 that can be characterizes them, with tightly grouped centers, surrounded by these lands. El legado andalusí followed in walls, sheltered by defiant castles and fortresses and connected Pabellón de al-Andalus y la Ciencia - Parque de las Ciencias Avda. de la Ciencia s/n. 18006 Granada (Spain) Andalusia. by a network of fortified towers and watchtowers. Tel.: + 34 958 225 995 Fax: +34 958 228 644 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.rutaslegadoandalusi.es - www.legadoandalusi.es Almorávides y almohades interior inglés:Folleto pueblos 07/12/2010 12:15 Página 1

castle and the magnificent church of Santa Maria de la ALGECIRAS CASARES CÁDIZ Asunción, with its hefty tower that competes in appearance RONDA ALCAUCÍN with the imposing church of San Pedro. All this bordered by Whether approaching along the Genal or the Setenil rivers, the From Vélez, the road winds up Algeciras and Granada symbolize Opposite Gaucín, at the foot of From mountains and hills, the route descends towards Cadiz, lots of beautiful palaces, mansions and magnificent houses with route reaches one of its fundamental landmarks, Ronda, “the the Axarquía to Alcaucín, on the North African presence in Sierra Crestellina, the whitewashed considered the first urban settlement of the Western World, patios, remains of the ramparts, convents and other religious dreamt city” of the poets, the throbbing heart of Romantic the edge of the rugged national Andalusia. Algeciras, from the hamlet of Casares stands out as a founded more than 3,000 years ago, when the Phoenicians buildings that make up an enchanting maze. Arabic al-Yazira al Jadra, the perfect example of an “Andalusian settled the island enclave of Gadir. A privileged stop for trade, its Andalusia and also one of the most remarkable bulwarks of park of the Sierras of Alhama, green island, was founded to fulfill village”, given its precarious setting dense history runs from its splendour in Roman times, its Muslim Spain. Its position on the edge of the gorge, in the midst Tejeda and Almijara, an area of a role as a bridge between the on a large rock, the blinding important role in the times of al-Andalus, to its definitive peak in GRAZALEMA of a grandiose landscape of mountains and valleys, is completely many antiquities and grandiose Peninsula and Africa. In the 11th whiteness of its buildings and the the 18th century, as the metropolis of the Overseas Empire. breathtaking. Its character didn’t take shape until the arrival of landscapes. The legendary castle c., it was the first town in Al castle which crowns it, with an old church built upon a mosque During its difficult existence in the Middle Ages, it was sacked The journey reaches its highest point at Grazalema, the capital the Moors, when Rundah of Zalía rises up on a hill above Andalus to pass into the hands of set within its walls. From Moorish Casares, the home town of several times by the town of the Sierra, which is surrounded by rugged peaks over appeared as the capital the town, of Phoenician foundations and Moorish walls but the Almoravids, when the grand Blas Infante, pioneer in the creation of an Andalusian regional Vikings. Cadiz was 1,500 m. high. The town took shape under the Moors, following of Takurunna, an ample the most outstanding spot is the Alcázar. emir Yusuf Ibn Tasufin chose it to consciousness, the mountains give onto the Mediterranean, which the base of the its settlement by Berbers from the mountains, who adapted to its mountainous district be a strategic bastion on the can be made out in the distance, like a fascinating backdrop. Almoravid fleet that environment of forests and livestock and gave it its name, with a largely Berber ZAFARRAYA Andalusian coast. Following a controlled the derived from the tribal Banu Salim or Ben Zulema. From the 13th population. The nature c. the Nasrids used it as a bulwark until it fell into the hands of period of splendour under the ALGATOCÍN Straits, serving in of its inhabitants and the Beyond the spectacular mountain pass, the Christians in 1485, together with the remainder of the North African dynasties, it turn as a favourable conditions of known as Boquete de Zafarraya, which mountainous areas of Cadiz and Ronda. Along with its town the terrain gave it an suffered a sudden decline in the Algatocín, in the lands of the Banu bridgehead for the introduces the traveller to the province centre, calmed by the relaxing sound of the fountains, this haven independent character, 14th c., when it was sacked by the Nasrids from Granada. Its Atus clan, is situated in the lush Almohad of Granada, comes the town of in the sierra is the key to the treasure of the Sierra de Grazalema to the extent that it recuperation came in the 18th c., experiencing constant growth Genal river valley, carpeted with penetration in the Zafarraya, surrounded by orchards in Natural Park, an established itself as an independent kingdom in the 11th century, and turning into one of the largest towns in the province of one of the best preserved forests in mid-12th century. a plain, which is encircled by rocky extraordinary landscape, led by the Banu Ifran clan, of African lineage. Following the Cadiz. Stimulated by the bustle of the Straits and the maritime Andalusia, with chestnut trees that After its conquest around 1262, the Christians reinforced its crests. Its most important sites are the which apart from consolidation of the Nasrid kingdom, between the 13th and 14th traffic, the old town centre looks out over the bay, with become spectacular in the autumn. naval function. The oldest part of the city, around the quarters of ruins of the Old Church, the constituting the enclave of centuries, the sultans ceded Ronda to their Marinid allies from Gibraltar in the background. Interesting places are the Plaza It is a charming white village on the Santa María and El Pópulo, are adorned with Roman vestiges Hermitage and the Parish Church. most rainfall rate in the Morocco, which acted as the main axis of the western frontier, Alta, streets with Baroque, Modernist and English-style houses, side of a hill, where mills and other and medieval walls, the Old Cathedral and the colossal New Peninsula, is also home to until its capitulation to the Catholic Monarchs in 1485. The Tajo a Municipal Museum and gardened areas in the Old Town. attractive elements of traditional Cathedral, fruit of the richness that trade with the New World brought, whereas the remainder of the old town delights the woods of rare Spanish firs, (steep cliff) , spanned by the Puente Nuevo of 1793, divides the architecture are well preserved. dating from the Tertiary and LA MALAHÁ TARIFA visitor with its incomparable atmosphere, both artistic and town centre into two parts. On one side “La Ciudad”, the popular. There is an endless list of worthwhile places to visit, other marvels of Nature. Andalusian medina, with walls and gates, like the Puerta de BENALAURÍA from fortifications like Puerta de Tierra, walks and squares, such Almocábar, the main church of La Encarnación, which was a Granada and its Vega (valley) can We move on to another key location of the Straits. Tarifa, the as San Antonio and Mina, to the splendid Museum of Cádiz, the mosque, the Mondragon Palace, formerly the emirs’ court and already be observed upon reaching most southerly point, reaches so far out to sea that the coast of ZAHARA DE LA SIERRA Benalauría, which has clung to the oratory of San Felipe Neri, where the first Spanish Constitution now Museum of the Town, the mysterious stairway of the Mina La Malahá, a place with Roman Morocco can be contemplated in minute detail. Founded over precipitous slope of the hillside since the was proclaimed in 1812, or Santa Cueva, with its outstanding de la Casa del Rey Moro, some perfect 13th c. Moorish Baths baths and salt flats, which the Phoenician and Roman remains, the Muslims created a key city The vibrant stamp of this “white village” looks as if it emerged 8th c., owes its name to the Banu-l- Goya frescoes and an interminable list of other references. and an endless collection of charming spots. Opposite, on the Moors exploited by means of an for Hispano-African relationships and named it after the Berber from the imagination of a romantic painter; a cluster of houses Hawariyya clan, who came from other side of the ravine, the Mercadillo, more modern in outlay elaborate system of canals and Tarif Ibn Malluk, who in 710 perched on a cliff top, with a castle at the summit. Its name Morocco. Strolling about the winding but also full of monuments, like Maestranza bullring, pools. These were so considerable undertook an exploratory EL PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA comes from the Arab word sajara, “the rock”, which is already streets, one reaches the Town Hall, a mid- inaugurated in 1785, and the leafy Alameda (promenade), which and productive that the salt flats gave their name to the visit before the conquest. Its a clue to its past, because Zahara stood out among the villages 18th c. edifice, the19th c. church of Santo runs along the ravine’s edge and gives free rein to the village, for this is the meaning of the Arab word al-malaha. importance was established in This popular seaside and wine- that marked the limits of the Kingdom Domingo and in the upper part of the imagination. the 10th c., with the producing town, on the other side of of Granada. Taken by the Christians in village, the handsome building, La 1407, the sudden attack by Moors in LAS GABIAS construction of a formidable Molienda, now an ethnographic museum. the bay, near the mouth of the castle. Following the river, is referred to in the 1481, served as an excuse for the TEBA Christian reconquest in 1292, chronicles as the Moorish al-Qanatir, Catholic monarchs to undertake the Water is responsible for rich and it became legendary owing to BENADALID meaning “port of the salt mines”. A final stage of the war against the From Ronda, the route sets off fertile irrigation farming and olive Guzmán el Bueno’s gesture, in choosing to sacrifice his son, very old mosque remains from that Nasrids. Its history is as impressive as inland, crossing plains and wheat groves in this town. Its monuments, rather than surrender the village. A lot remains from that time, as The rosary of small villages time, perhaps dating from the 10th the beauty of the village and its fields. Teba is located on a hilltop like the Torreón fortress take us back can be seen in the Municipal Museum. At the same time, the continues through Benadalid, century, covered by the castle of San surroundings, which includes some of on the way to Antequera. It has the to the 14th c. and this 15-meter high winds of change blow strongly here and have turned its beaches the farmstead of the Banu Marcos, which was built by Alfonso X the most imposing enclaves of Sierra de unmistakable layout of a frontier structure, indicates the importance of into a paradise for windsurfing, together with other attractions Khalid family. Below an in 1265, shortly after the Christian Grazalema Natural Park. town, with its Castle of La Estrella the town to us. The Roman Baptistry, like the ruins of Bolonia. outstanding Arab castle, conquest. Among other things, The standing on a rock; an immense the only one preserved in Spain, together with the parish which nowadays serves as a Prior church, the Municipal Museum, ALGODONALES fortress built in the10th century and church of La Encarnación, the church of El Rosario, the Hermitage of Las Nieves, Depósito and its stately mansions, ASTELLAR DE LA RONTERA cemetery, there is a beautiful the Ribera del Marisco –an extraordinary gastronomic enlarged by the Almohads and the C F in Mudejar style, make this town the anteroom to Granada. old town, which becomes inducement–, the abundant palaces and wine houses and La Situated at the foot of the Sierra de Nasrids from the 12th century. Its especially lively during the “Moors and Christians” festivities, Victoria monastery, add up to make El Puerto de Santa María a conquest by Alfonso X in 1330 is Moving inland, the route branches off towards Ronda through Líjar, it was settled in the 16th which are also held in the neighbouring town of Benalauría. recommendable destination. shrouded in legend. The stepped the mountains, and all of a sudden the impressive sight of a century on the site of a former streets wind up the skirt of the hill GRANADA walled precinct appears, a construction whose appearance has Muslim settlement that was and its rich past is displayed in the hardly changed since the Middle Ages. The lovely village of ATAJATE EREZ DE LA RONTERA dependent on Zahara. The colourful J F local museum, which is well worth a visit. Old Castellar, surrounded by its impressive walls, constitutes a Baroque of the church of Santa Ana, The last part of the route perfect example of the The last link along the valley is the village of Jerez is situated amidst fields and vineyards, which have made it considered to be one of the most reveals a universally borderline villages of the Atajate, which controls the access to Ronda famous. Its fame stems from Hispano-Muslim period, when Saris notable in the province of Cadiz, CAMPILLOS renowned city to the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and a handful of villages bunched together appears as one of the principal towns of the province of Saduna. stands out in the midst of endless whitewashed walls. Thanks to traveller, steeped in history, and perfectly illustrates those in the vicinity of El Havaral, at the source of In Almoravid times, a chronicler described it as, a fortified town of the conditions in its sierra, Algodonales is an important centre The cultivated fields that artistic treasures and a times of intensive struggle and the Genal river. These wild places served as a medium size, ringed by walls; its surroundings are pleasant, because it for hang-gliding and parachuting. surround this town define unique atmosphere, born of interchange. The modern part a refuge for the brigands and smugglers, is located in the midst of vineyards, olive groves and fig trees. The town’s the landscape of the fruitful interchange between of the village occupies an area who proliferated in the 19th c. This importance increased upon OLVERA Guadalquivir and Genil different peoples and down the hill. whitewashed township, with its Arab roof being incorporated into the rivers and the very origin of cultures. Its long history, from the old Iliberis to the tiles, is centered round the main square, in Kingdom of Castile in 1264, At a distance and from all angles, Olvera appears on the crest of this place. Campillos came 11th c. Garnata, inhabited the shadow of the church of San José. as a frontier town with the a hill, crowned by its castle’s tower and the magnificent church into being around 1536, by Berbers and Jews, Kingdom of Granada. Along of La Encarnacion, which make Olvera the perfect example of a following the upheavals of JIMENA DE LA FRONTERA which came to be the capital LCALÁ DE LOS AZULES with the reconstruction of its medieval town. The Muslim Wubira, then named Olvera or medieval times, when this A G of the last Muslim kingdom historical past, that can be Olivera by the Castilians after its conquest in 1327, was one of area, formerly so subject to The landscape gets rougher on catching sight of the Roman in the Peninsula, until its The second branch of the route roams seen in the Archaeological the most important fortified towns on the western frontier of frontier skirmishes, was repopulated. Its outlay is geometrical Oba, then named Xemina, at the foot of a Nasrid castle, which eclipse in 1492, constitutes an especially significant chapter of through the western parts of Cadiz, Museum, the legacy of al- the Kingdom of Granada. Along with its quiet urban corners and well ordered and centered on the parish church of El passed into Christian hands in 1456. In Jimena one can this trip. Granada was the main stronghold of Almoravid passing through historical villages Andalus becomes tangible in its Alcázar, built by the Almohads and artistic buildings, it is Reposo. In the surrounding area, there is no lack of interesting appreciate the first hint of the architecture of the sierra villages, domination in al-Andalus, ruled by members of the Royal located between the mountain range of and dating from the late 12th c. It includes a mosque, that was worth a visiting the places, like the lagoons which constitute a natural reserve, the reflected in the design of the Family of the Moroccan dynasty, as well as being one of the last Sierra de Cadiz and the coastal plains, later consecrated as a church, and Moorish Baths. It is difficult Cultural Center of La Cilla, gorges and historical settlements like Bobastro, on the nearby steep and uneven streets. Here bastions of its power, which survived, even after the loss of its following the so-called Ruta del Toro to do justice to the wealth of this well-endowed town with a located inside the walls of the Guadalhorce reservoirs. nature displays the vast stretch of imperial seat in Marrakech. Lauded as the Damascus of the West, (route of the Bull). Thus Alcalá de los great cathedral, a prolific number of religious buildings, covering the castle, which contains the Natural Park of Los a feast for the eyes, rapture for the soul, Granada captivates the Gazules, “the fortress of the Gazules”, all styles, and civil buildings like the Cabildo Viejo, or its an attractive and detailed Alcornocales, a huge range of VÉLEZ-MÁLAGA visitor with the enchantment that irradiates from the splendid the haughty silhouette of which Carthusian monastery, where the purest breed of Andalusian exhibition on the hectic Mediterranean virgin forest, palatine fortress of the Alhambra, town quarters with an climbing up a slope containing remains horses was preserved, apart from its aromatic wine cellars, period at the end of the which hosts some of the most The final section of the Route leads to Granada along a road indelible stamp of al-Andalus such as the Albayzin, a fabulous of the castle and the gothic church of temples to the delicate sherry wines, and its traditional quarters, Middle Ages, full of legends precious flora and fauna. which runs directly from the Malaga coast to the former Nasrid maze of walls, carmenes (prosperous town houses), palaces and San Jorge at the top, stands out against where the most genuine in flamenco art thrives. and romantic tales. capital, via Vélez-Málaga. The old Islamic Velix, “the valley”, old mosques, and a truly overwhelming repertoire of historic the mountainous backdrop of Los crops up in the middle of a fertile valley of fruit trees and sites of all kinds, such as the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the GAUCÍN Alcornocales National Park. tropical plants. Populous and historic, it is the capital of the Madrasa, Corral del Carbón or the Carthusian Monastery. lovely mountainous region of The route leads round Serranía de Ronda, already in the The route now continues through cultivated fields and hills until Málaga, the Axarquía. In tone province of Malaga. Gaucín, the former Sair Guazan, “the strong MEDINA SIDONIA This unusual village can both confuse it reaches Arcos, which is considered one of the most beautiful with its importance, it is rock” of the Andalusian Muslims, stands at the foot of the and impress the traveller. Instead of villages in Spain. The town occupies a fantastic site right on top crowned by the large fortified defiant castle of El Aguila, tinged with legendary events, such as The former Assido with its Phoenician, announcing itself at a distance, it takes of rock, with a sheer drop of 150 meters. Its origins date back tower of its Alcazaba, in the the death of Guzman el Bueno in 1309. A rural atmosphere Roman and Visigoth origins, is located one by surprise, half-hidden in a so far, that it is said that one of Noahs grandsons founded it, shadow of which the medieval combines with the presence of tourists, who are drawn from the on a strategic crossroads between the narrow gorge cut by the Trejo river. although the most tangible remains date from the Muslim quarter of La Villa spreads out nearby Costa del Sol, in its small squares and winding streets, sierra, the plains and the coast. It Above, at the level of the plateau and period, when Arkus appears as with its magnificent buildings: dotted with fountains, stately mansions and interesting buildings. acquired importance in the times of al- fields, stands the citadel, which was Andalus, when it became the capital of one of the main Berber taken by the Catholic Monarchs in Santa Maria la Mayor, which is the province with an Arab aristocracy settlements, which eventually 1484 and the remains of the alcázar Mudejar, with a tower that was and a principally Berber population. headed an ephemeral Taifa and the church.The unusual buildings a minaret; San Juan Bautista, According to chronicles of the Almoravid and Almohad periods, kingdom in the 11th century. of Setenil line the depths of the gorge, which also has a slim belfry and Madinat Saduna or Abu Salim, was noted for its ramparts, the Enveloped in old stories and some of them being semi-excavated a multitude of beautifully built remains of which, such as Arco de Pastora or Puerta de Belén, romances, a town with a truly into the terrain and often under convents and palaces, which are still evoke its strength. The church of Santa Maria la Coronada impressive architectural wealth massive protruding rocks. full of historical references, such embellishes its enchanting town centre. came into being. At the top, the as the presence of Cervantes.