Álora is a town and municipality in southern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the

province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to the east. The province ...

, in the autonomous community of

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. Located c. 40 km from

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, on the right bank of the river

Guadalhorce The Guadalhorce (from Arabic وَادِي ('' wādī''), "river" + Latin ''forfex'', "scissors") is the principal river of the Province of Málaga in southern Spain. Its source is in the Sierra de Alhama in the Province of Granada, from wh ...

and on the Córdoba-Málaga railway, within the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

of Valle del Guadalhorce. It is a typical pueblo blanco, a whitewashed village nestled between three rocky spurs topped by the ruins of the castle. The municipality covers an area of 169 km² that covers a wide territory in which the large landforms of Málaga are located. The hills are occupied by cereal, olive and oak trees and orchards of fruit and vegetables that cover the valley floor. Its population is 13,436 inhabitants, according to the INE census of 2008. Álora's history dates back to prehistoric times in the Hoyo del Conde, a little over a kilometer from the city. The ecological environment (hunting, water, natural protection) favored this presence until the

Turdetani The Turdetani were an ancient pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula, living in the valley of the Guadalquivir (the river that the Turdetani called by two names: ''Kertis'' and ''Rérkēs'' (Ῥέ� ...

s of

Tartessos Tartessos () is, as defined by archaeological discoveries, a historical civilization settled in the southern Iberian Peninsula characterized by its mixture of local Prehistoric Iberia, Paleohispanic and Phoenician traits. It had a writing syste ...

and the

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

ns discovered the commercial potential of the area. The latter built the foundations of the castle, which the Romans would take advantage of by fortifying it. The inhabitants are known as ''Perotes''.

Adjective

There are several versions of the origin of the term "perote," while it is best known for being the first alderman Don Pero, in time immediately after the reconquest by the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

, hence the name of the area "The Perocia".

Geography

Álora is the crown in the Valle del Guadalhorce between three hills on the right bank of the Guadalhorce river and on the railway route between

and

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Córdoba or

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. The towers of its castle, lookouts for the movement of people and goods to the inner lands, in the realms of Bobastro, stand over the town which is sheltered discretely between two small headlands and Mount Hacho (559 m). It is spread over a vast territory in which are located the major landforms of Málaga. To the north of Arco Calizo Central is the natural setting of El Chorro, the Sierra de Huma (1,191 m) and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, where the famous Caminito del Rey is found (so called because it was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII). To the west, the Sierra de Aguas (949 m) extends to these lands and the mountain complex of Serranía de Ronda, a landscape of pine forests extending from the Guadalhorce river to the road that joins Álora with Carratraca. AloraFort

History

The area was first inhabited in prehistoric times, and was exploited for its commercial position by

and by the

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

, who most likely built the castle. The Romans, after their conquest of Spain, restored the fortress and had here a ''

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

'' known as ''Iluritanum'', as attested by an inscription dating to 79 BC. The fortress was further enlarged by the

Visigoth The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

s and, above all, by the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

, who conquered it early during their conquest of Spain. Álora became a stronghold of the rebellious Umar ibn Hafsun, semi-independent lord of Bobastro in the time of the

emirate of Córdoba An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

. The Christians of northern and central Spain attempted numerous times to conquer the town, but were successful only in 1484. Álora enjoyed a period of prosperity during the 16th and 17th centuries, and in 1628 it became autonomous from the commune of Málaga. In the 20th century much of the population emigrated, especially to Argentina and, starting from the 1960s, Germany, Australia and Switzerland.

Main sights

Álora's castle was built by the

ns and then expanded under Roman rule. In the 5th century the castle was virtually destroyed by the

s, but was rebuilt under the

; remnants of this era still remain, namely the decorative steel door and the traditional Arab '' mirador''. Other sights include: *church and convent of ''Nuestra Señora de Flores'' (16th century) *''Iglesia de la Veracruz'' (16th century) *church of ''Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación'', located on the site of the castle's mosque. It houses a crucifix by José Navas Parejo. *chapel of St. Brigida (16th century) *chapel of ''Las Torres'' (15th century), in late Gothic style

Local transport

Álora is connected to Málaga by the

Cercanías The commuter rail systems of Spain's major metropolitan areas are called ''Cercanías'' () in most of Spain, ''Rodalia'' () in the Valencian Community, ''Aldiriak'' () in the Basque Country and ''Rodalies'' () in Catalonia. There are twelve ''C ...

(commuter or suburban) railway Line 2, which runs up the valley of the Guadalhorce river from Málaga Centro-Alameda via the mainline station at Málaga María Zambrano to Álora, taking about forty minutes for the forty kilometre journey with six other intermediate stations. For visitors arriving from the airport, Cercanías Line 1 runs frequently to Málaga Victoria Kent or María Zambrano, where connections may be made to Line 2. Buses run by Málaga Metropolitan Transport Consortium (''Consorcio de Transporte Metropolitano del Área de Málaga'') are the main form of transport around the town of Álora and the villages of the metropolitan area.

References

External links

Tourist Information for the El Chorro, Camino del Rey and Gudalhorce reservoirs in English

Alora City Council Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alora Municipalities in the Province of Málaga