In the same vertical of Carataunas, but 200 meters closer to the sky, Soportújar shows one of the most characteristic architectonic sets of the Alpujarra. Thanks to its numerous “tinaos”, a sort of corridor that, due to the inclination of the land, form the streets when pass under the houses.
Another remarkable note from the tourist point of view is that Soportújar houses the first Buddhist centre of Spain, founded by Lama Yeshé in the Cerro de Atalaya and consecrated by the own Dalai Lama. Here, any person, with no need to profess the Buddhist faith but respecting it, can spend a time of retirement and isolation in contact with nature. The centre is called O Sel Ling, which means "place of clear light".
The visit to the Forest House, located in the middle of the Soportújar park, a few kilometres above the town, is also advisable, which it is accessed by the track that leaves the Padre Eterno crossing a leafy forest.
Located in the middle of the Sierra Nevada Natural Park and in the heart of the Alpujarra, the origins of this town as urban core go back to the XIII century, when Soportújar was a farmhouse that belonged to the Órgiva Taha.
As the entire region it had special prominence in the revolt of Abén Humeya in the XVI century and paid the consequences with the expulsion of the Moorish rebels and its consequent depopulation process. Felipe II gave the place to 27 families coming from other regions and since then it has conserved the typical character of the area and it has remain with a very low census of population.
It owes its name to its urban framework, since Soportújar means “place of soportales”, in reference to the abundance of the typical street passages known as tinaos.
In Soportújar delicious red apples and tasty chestnuts are cultivated, and also a good olive oil is elaborated. The migas, the potatoes a lo pobre, the fennel stew, the gypsy casserole, the sausages and the jams deserve to be mentioned. Finally, it has a great variety of recipes to cook twisted rolls, the most typical dessert of the district.
© Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada I Diputación de Granada
