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Benalauría
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Town history
Gastronomy
  • Located between the valleys of Genal and Guadiaro, Benalauría owes its name which dates back to the time of Moorish domination, namely the Berber tribes. Benalauría is a picturesque village located in the Serrania de Ronda, included in the famous route of White Towns.

    Lush pine and chestnut forests, guarded by the mountain systems of the Loma de la Sierra and Peñón de Benadalid, makes Benalauría an ideal place to take a picture, surely one of the best pictures of the region.

    IN BENALAURÍA YOU CANNOT MISS

    MONUMENTS

    In Benalauría you can find the famous Roman Columbarium of Cortijo del Moro. This archaeological site consists of a Roman funeral pantheon dating from around the first century. Also, the debris around a small farming village can be found, where possibly the families of the time were residing.

    Nor can we forget the Lagar de Benalauría. Today, it is a place where different groups of handicrafts union gather to perform their delicate job. At one time, it was the place where the grapes are stepped on for further preparation of different wines.

    If you want to know about the traditions of this town, there is nothing better than Benalauría Ethnographic Museum, housed in an XVIII century building that was once an oil mill. In this gallery we can find, among other things, utensils and traditional objects of the area. The museum offers visitors a guide service, and a shop where you can buy souvenirs and typical products of Benalauría.

    The church of Santo Domingo de Guzman is a temple dating from the XVI century. Inside, it treasures the image of the Saint and Saint of Benalauría, Santo Domingo and the Virgin of the Rosary. The latter, being the only survivor of the fire in the chapel during the Civil War.

  • If you're travelling to Benalauría from Malaga city by car, you've got a couple of options.

    We recommend you take the A-7, leaving the motorway at exit 142 and continuing on the A-377 in the direction of Casares/Gaucín. Once you’ve passed the town, continue on the MA-535, which will take you to Benalauría.

    The second option is to go inland on the A-357, A-367 and A-369 and continuing along the MA-8306 until you reach the centre of Benalauria.

    Both routes will take you about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

  • NATURAL RESOURCES

    Benalauría is an ideal place for trekking, climbing or canyoneering.

    For lovers of climbing, Benalauría offers a unique natural heritage area, Canyon of Buitreras. In addition to climbing 100 meters above the river Guadiaro, you can spot vultures and their younger ones nesting on the highest rocks of this rock formation.

    Benalauría also forms part of the Great Path of Malaga. Until the city reached the stage number 26 from Jimera de Líbar, and from there, partly step 27 towards Genalguacil. The journey to Genalguacil lasts about four hours, consisting of 11.6 km in length and runs largely along the river Genal and strong ups and downs.

    POPULAR FESTIVALS

    The festival par excellence for all young wild boars (this is the singular name for those born in Benalauría) is the popular festival of Moors and Christians. Celebrated in the first week of August and declared by Andalusian Tourist Interest and Provincial Singularity, this festival highlights the numerous activities of various kinds, such as horse races, musical performances or traditional opening speech.

    Another prominent Benaularía celebration takes place on Good Friday. Well early in the morning, the boars perform their religious ceremonies in honour of the processions of the "Mandaítos" (Mandates) and the Santo Entierro (Entombment).

    CUISINE

    Jabata kitchen is known for its tradition and seasonality of its products. Dishes such as fennel soup with chickpeas, hot gazpacho (thick tomato soup with peppers and other vegetables), pork products, tomato soup and fritters. Not forgetting the famous roasted chestnut on day of All Saints, when residents and visitors gather in the streets to taste roasted chestnuts.

  • Town history

    The origin of Benalauría is associated with the Berber colonisation of the first decades of the eighth century. The town"s name is Arabic in origin, associated with Banu l-Hawariya Berber tribe. It belonged to the Al-Andalus province of Takurunna and, as from the fourteenth century, to the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. Living in harmony with the environment even after the Reconquista in 1485, its residents optimised their resources to make a living.

    After the Christian conquest, the Moors were allowed to stay under the jurisdiction of the Dukes of Feria, Alcalá and Medinaceli. With the Muslim riots of the sixteenth century, they were expelled and the area was depopulated. In the seventeenth century, Christian settlers began to arrive from the countryside and the Baetic sierras.

    The population rose in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as the local economy expanded as a result of olive, vine and fruit tree growing, the extension of corn fields and the strengthening of husbandry. The boom continued well into the twentieth century. However, the crisis of traditional farming models brought prosperity to a halt, with many people emigrating and leaving their fields unattended.

  • The cuisine at Benalauría is defined by tradition and the clever combination of seasonal and locally grown produce.

    Dishes like fennel and chickpea soup, gazpacho, olla serrana and traditional pork products are just some of the recipes that you’ll be tempted to try during your day-out in the village.

    In terms of dessert, there are doughnuts, tortas de masa with almonds and walnuts, and the famous chestnut tostón, a traditional dessert that is eaten on All Saints’ Day.


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Characteristics

  • Inhabitants (501-1,000)
  • Inland area

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