Güevéjar

With its hills of red earth planted with olive trees, Güevéjar symbolises the people’s defiance of history and the setbacks of nature. The instability of the area caused the destruction of many of the houses in earthquakes, first in the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755 and then in the Arenas del Rey Earthquake on Christmas Day in 1884. The latter opened up such large cracks in the earth that it was advised that Güevéjar should not be rebuilt in the same place. This led to the relocation of the town to where it currently is, on much firmer and safer ground. The remains of the old town are still visible at the base of the Peña de Bartolo.

Now this town is nestled into the Sierra de la Yedra, facing the Vega de Granada, and just 10 kilometres from the capital, in an area with many karstic caves. The town is part of the Caliphate Trail, one of the walks linking the cities of Córdoba and Granada.

The layout of the new town is in the style that was popular in the late 19^th century, with straight streets and perpendicular crossings, which all meet at the Plaza de la Constitución, which is a large wooded area where the town hall and the parish church are located.

This area was occupied since ancient times, as it is illustrated by the discovery of an arrowhead from the 8^th -7^th centuries BC and a Roman stele from the 2^nd century. They are on display in the Museo Arqueológico de Granada.

A town existed here before the arrival of the Muslims and was called Ubexar. In Moorish times, Güevéjar is referred to by Ibn al-Khatib as ‘Wabasar’. In 1569 the town was almost deserted as its Moorish inhabitants rebelled against the king Felipe II, who had forced them abandon their beliefs and customs. It was repopulated from 1571.

The typical Mediterranean products – bread, wine and oil – are all excellent here. Güevéjar is famous for its amazing homemade sausages. Its main traditional dishes include spicy porridge, goat with garlic, the lamb stew and Migas with melon. We also recommend the following pastries: doughnuts, fried milk and Borrachuelos.