Cóbdar

Cóbdar is a town located in La Sierra de los Filabres, at the foot of an incredible stone of white marble, making a group of houses with sloping roofs, white facades, narrow streets and kind and hospitable people.

From the Culture of the Caves we can observe traces in La Morciguilla and La Sarna in Serón and in the one of El Castillico in Cóbdar, appearing in other places some engravings and paintings. Cóbdar has Arab origins; the name of the town comes from the Arab Qawda, that means high peak of mountain, referring to «La Piedra», high marble hill under it we can find the town.

In the highest part of this hill there were found remains of an Arab Citadel (Alcazaba) and a well (aljibe) («La Atalaya»), being a strategic point because of the wide visibility of the area and adjacent towns. In 1490 the Catholic Monarchs gave Cóbdar to the second Conde de Tendilla, Iñigo López de Mendoza, who sold it to the bishop of Málaga called Diego Ramírez de Villaescusa de Haro, like price of a debt, and to Alonso Carrillo.

In the book La Alpujarra, written by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, depicts that, during the rebellion of the Morisco, these one surround Huécija and kidnap the jailer’s daughter, dropping her in a rich Moor’s house from  Cóbdar. In the census of the XVI Century we collect the payments of La Fuente Principal, Canales, Hoya del Cura, Hoya del Lino, la Cañada, Zerrón de Morillas, Camarillas, Pilar del Maimón and Pilar Ciego..., that later its lands would be distributed among the new settlers, when the Moriscos were expelled that lived in the municipal area.

In 1573 took place the distribution among the 24 new settlers who accepted the conditions to settle in Cóbdar. We have to emphasize that in this age the important production of mulberry trees and White mulberry trees like predominant growing, followed by the olive tree, fruit trees, vineyards, carob trees, holm oaks and poplar groves.

All houses are located inside or outsider La Morería, Corrales, in the place Viejo and in La Atalaya, besides the country houses dispersed in El Barranco del Pilarico and the roads of Albánchez, Lubrín and Benitagla, path of El Aceituno, boulevard of Benimina, La Solana, etc. we have to emphasize some interesting places such as: The Cave of El Castillico, Southeast Neolithic and Hispanic Levant, 3.000 years B.C.

This cave was discovered in 1959 by José Castillejo and Miguel Granero, neighbourhoods of Cóbdar and it is located in La Piedra. In that cave there were found many tools, like polished stone axes, ornament objects, bone Needles or burins, being the most important the ceramics and marble bracelets and schist. The material is left in the Archaeological Museum of Almería.

The «Herrería (Blacksmith’s)», located in the bank of the river Los Molinos, is an old factory of cast iron, possibly from the end of the XVII century or at the turn of the XVIII century, then in 1750 it was talked about the existence of a ruined iron factory.
This factory provided with the iron extracted of the magnetite mines that were in the hillside opposite the factory, in the place called «La Solana» and it was went down the river across some cables in a kind of tipping skips.

Monuments

Parish Church of Santa María
Terna de Cóbdar

Gastronomy

Migas. Puchero. Caldo de huevos. Gurullos (pastry, water and oil that is crumbled making balls).

Remojón. Pelotas. Choto a la pastoril. Cocina mareá. Trigo guisado. Fritada de sangre. Hornazo.

Sweets: Roscos de aguardiente. Roscos de naranja. Almendrados. Suspiros.

How to get there

You have to exit Almería, take the Road of Granada. Cross Huércal de Almería and follow all straight on. Take the road N-340 towards: Huércal de Almería - Almería - E-15 - N-340 - Nijar - Murcia. In the roundabout, take the salida 1 and continue in: A-92A towards: A-92 - Benahadux - Guadix. Alleyway of Benahadux, in the roundabout, take the salida 3 and continue in: A-92 towards: Guadix - Granada. Take the exit towards: Salida 373/376 - Tabernas - Murcia - N-340a. In the roundabout, take the salida 2 and continue in: N-340A. Pass near Tabernas and in the roundabout, take the salida 4 and continue in: A-349. In the area around Tahal, continue in: ALP-731. In Alcudia de Monteagud, you have to continue and follow the signs until Cóbdar.

Distances