Megmet's Fotothing

Moorish Castle Alora

Alora sits right in the heart of the Guadalhorce Valley, its urban centre and old Moorish castle perched on top of a hill making for one of the most spectacular entrances to any town in Andalucía. The area itself is sometimes known as the Valle del Sol, due to the sunny weather it enjoys for most of the year.

From a distance Alora is a typical Pueblo Blanco; a whitewashed village nestled between three rocky spurs topped by the ruins of a magnificent castle which has an interesting history. Alora's castle was first built by the Phoenicians and subsequently expanded under Roman rule. In the 5th century the castle was virtually destroyed by the Visigoths, only to be rebuilt under the Moors; remnants of this era still remain, namely the decorative steel door and the traditional Arab mirador.

In between 1587 and 1593 Alora was home to the fabled Cervantes and in 1628 Alora gained independence from Málaga. Alora is said to be the birthplace of Malagueño flamenco.
A visit to the village, which consists of a series of very steep slopes and attractive cobbled streets, is well worthwhile. The whitewashed streets are lined with lemon trees and converge on a square on the lowest level, overlooked by the impressive seventeenth century church of La Encarnación which was built during the Catholic era of rule on the site of a former mosque.