Boquete de Zafarraya Cave

It is a newly constructed building, where there is an assembly hall, training rooms and an exhibition hall.

Monday to Friday, 10:30-13:30h

They are a archaeological ruins which are located 5 kilometres from the town of Alcaucín. The access is complex and only one spring remains. Its waters, due to their composition and sulphide content, are particularly suitable for the treatment of skin diseases, which is why these facilities were built.

Located in the heart of the Sierra Tejeda mountain range, an obligatory stop on some of the walking routes that lead to the peak of La Maroma, the highest peak in Malaga at 2,068 m., with excellent facilities for a day in the countryside.

This is a recreational area, located on the banks of the river Alcaucín. The small waterfalls that form in the first few metres of the course of this stream and the thick vegetation that surrounds it are some of the natural attractions of this charming spot.

Recommendations:

• REMEMBER, DRIVING MOTORISED VEHICLES WITHIN THE RECREATION AREA IS NOT PERMITTED.
• AVOID MAKING NOISE
• HELP TO AVOID THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE
• RESPECT PRIVATE GOODS AND PROPERTY
• PLACE RUBBISH IN CONTAINERS. NEVER LEAVE IT OUTSIDE.

The place is well communicated with the basin of the river Alcaucín and the Boquete de Zafarraya, access roads to the Granada high plateau.

The scarce archaeological record in the mountainous arc formed by the Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama sierras, which served as a backdrop during these stages, shows this territory as a foreseeable frontier between the Byzantine and Visigothic worlds, exercising control functions, mainly in the area of Campo de Zafarraya.

In the early stages of the formation of al-Andalus, written sources report that Arab and Berber armies penetrated this area of the Upper Axarquia only sparsely. Although there is evidence of the establishment of Berber groups in Zafarraya or Alhama from the second half of the 8th or early 9th century onwards, in general, the sparse population that occupied this rugged mountainous area was presumably of indigenous origin; they are those identified in the written sources as Mozarabs. The toponymy of some of the towns in the area, such as Sayalonga, Sedella or Corumbela, refer to this pre-Islamic origin.

La Mesa de Zalía would be one of the places inhabited by these communities. The location of wall remains, ceramic materials found on the surface and the presence of tombs excavated in the rock point to occupation between the 9th and 11th centuries.

The city of Zalía was located on the mesa of the same name (Mesa de Zalía), at the gates of the Zafarraya pass. Some authors identify it with the Phoenician city of Tágara, others, however, connect it with the mythical Odiscya.

There is a Christian legend which tells us that the bishop of Malaga, Saint Patrick made a trip to the town to convert its people, but he did not achieve his aims. It is said that as a punishment, he caused the ground to open up and snakes began to emerge and bite the inhabitants of Zalía during the day. The inhabitants had to flee the place and the town is deserted to this day.

Located in Calle de la Fuente, there is no evidence of its construction. Its current appearance is the result of the restoration carried out in the 1990s.
This popular fountain, known as the "Cinco Caños" (Five Spouts), is named, indisputably after the five pumps that water gushes out of it without interruption. It is said that the spring has never dried up.

As a singular fact, its water comes out very cool in summer and in winter it is warmer to the delight of the palate. According to tradition, if you drink from the middle pipe, you will marry a young man or woman from the village.

The castle, located on the left bank of the road to Granada, was rebuilt by the Arabs on the site of a Phoenician fortress by the river of the same name.

The Arabs built its current double ring of walls and it was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1485. After the war of the Alpujarras, it became a prison-bishopric, which marked the beginning of its decline, culminating at the end of the 16th century. Today it is in ruins.

This castle is one of the oldest remains of fortifications, with elements suggesting that it may have been built by the Phoenicians and occupied by various civilisations. It was used by the Arabs and later by the Christians as a prison-bishopric. Some historians, such as Diego Vázquez Otero, speculate that it may be the ancient Odyscia, mentioned in the stories of Ulysses.