A path opposite the Hotel Arco de la Villa leads to Zahara's 12th-century castle keep (it's a steep, steady 10- to 15-minute climb). The castle's recapture from the Christians by Emir Abu al-Hasan of Granada, in a night raid in 1481, provoked the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs) to launch the last phase of the Reconquista, ending with the 1492 fall of Granada.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Iglesia de Santa María de Mesa

0.12 MILES

Completed in 1779, the pastel-pink baroque Iglesia de Santa María de Mesa houses a small museum devoted to religious artefacts; among these, a 16th…

2. Capilla de San Juan de Letrán

0.14 MILES

This dainty yellow-and-white chapel dates from the 20th century. Its slender, whitewashed Torre del Reloj (clock tower) is the only remaining element of…

3. Museo de Artesanía Textil

5.56 MILES

Grazalema's delicate wool shawls and blankets rose to fame in the 18th and 19th centuries. At this working textiles factory, 350m northwest of Plaza de…

4. Fuente Plaza de España

5.71 MILES

One of several of its kind in Grazalema, this striking four-spouted fountain is of probable Visigothic origins.

5. Plaza de España

5.72 MILES

Grazalema centres on the 18th-century Plaza de España, overlooked by the Iglesia de la Aurora, begun in 1760 and completed 40 years later, and refreshed…

6. Iglesia de la Aurora

5.73 MILES

Overlooking Grazalema's main square, with an austere stone facade topped by three ornamental pinnacles, the Iglesia de la Aurora was begun in 1760 but…

7. Acinipo

8.53 MILES

Some 20km northwest of Ronda, off the A374, is the relatively undisturbed Roman site of Acinipo at Ronda la Vieja. Although completely ruined, with the…