Ardales information
Located between the Serrania de Ronda, the Antequera Basin
and the Guadalhorce Valley, doesn't belong, geographically-speaking,
to any of the aforementioned areas, though the presence
in its area of the Guadalhorce-Guadalteba hydrological complex
is probably a enough reason to situate it in the latter.
The village, of Arabic origin, lies at the foot of the rock
which bears its name and is typically Andalusian, with its
narrow streets and white houses. It contains a number of
places of interest, such as Doña Trinidad Grund Cave,
with its interesting pantings; Turon Castle, La Peña
Castle and La Molina Bridge. Furthermore, the reservoir
area boasts facilities for camping, swimming and spectacular
excursions on foot, such as El Caminito del Rey route in
The Gaitanes Pass.
History
F irst human settlements in the municipal area date back to prehistoric
times. Near the village stands a cave known as Cueva de Ardales, and Cueva
de Doña Trinidad Grund, which contains animal paintings, goats,
horses and stags, and other illustrations pertaining to the Upper Paleolithic
peroid - Solutrean and Magdalenian eras, 18,000 – 14,000 years B.C.
- . During the Roman occupation, The Peña fortress was built, along
with La Molina Bridge, which crossed the River Turon. Ardales and its
municipal area enjoyed its period of greatest glory during Moslem times,
particularly during the muladi (Christian convert to Islam) uprising of
the late 9th-early 10th century, led by Omar Ben Hafsun, who, with Bobastro
as his headquarters, created a defensive arc made up by the castles of
Ardales, Turon, Teba and Alora, even stretching as far as Archidona. Many
studies establish the location of the fortress town of Bobastro in the
Villaverde Plateaux, near Ardales. This important Mozarabic settlement
contained a cave basilica, houses, hermitages, and, on the hill, a caliphal
fortress, all of which are no more than archaeological remains today.
Ardales’ strategic position saw it change hands frequently during
the Middle Ages, alternating between Christian and Moslem control. It
was definitively captured by the Christians in 1389, during the reign
of John I. Its castle was the scene of the “Pact of Ardales”
between King John I y and Yusuf Ben Al Mavi, prince of the Nazari Kingdom
in Granada.
Malaga province
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