Zahara de la Sierra - Cádiz

Zahara de la Sierra is in the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, with an area of 71,30 km2, in the north-eastern extreme of Cádiz, over the side of the Jaral mountains, in the “Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos”, from where we can contemplate beautiful views of the surrounding areas: to the north, Algodonales and Líjar mountains; to the west, the stream of Bocaleones and Sierra Margarita (Prado del Rey and El Bosque); to the south, Arroyomolinos, Monte Prieto, Sierra Blanquilla - Puerto de las Palomas- and Sierra del Pinar (Grazalema); to the east, the rock Algarín (El Gastor) with spectacular views to the reservoir.

The first human remains go back to the Prehistory (Neolithic or Calcolithic), anyway its history is not well documented until the period of the Reconquest. It seems that the ancient Lestigi and the historians do not agree about if its origin is Celtiberian or Roman. In any case the first documentary proof dates from 1282 when Alfonso X "el sabio" asked for help to the Sultan de los Benimerines, Ben Yusef oR Abu-Yusuf Ya'qub (1258–1286) , in order to help him against his son’s uprising, the future Sancho IV. The Sultan calls him in Zahara that is an important fortress and frontier of the Nasrids. From 1407 to 1481 it is occupied by the Christians who lose it in 1481 fell into the hands of the Nasrids. This conquest is taken by the Christians like pretext to start the war against Granada. The final fall of Zahara is taken up in 1483 by Rodrigo Ponce de León.

Monuments

Church of Santa María de la Mesa 
Chapel of San Juan de Letrán 
Torre del Reloj 
Remains of El Castillo and Torre del Homenaje 
Calles y resto del Pueblo 
Remains of the Antigua Iglesia Mayor (from the XV to the XVII century)

Interesting Routes

Llano del Reves (pinsapara) Pto. Acebuche 
Zahara - Puerto Las Palomas - Monte Prieto 
Zahara - Arroyo Molinos - Cueva del Susto - Zah 
Zahara - Garganta Seca - Puerto de La Breña 
Zahara - Puerto de las Cumbres - Pinsapar 
Zahara - Puente de Los Palominos - Zahara 
Zahara - La Bodega - Zahara 
Zahara - La Garganta Verde - Zahara 
Zahara - San Cristobal - Zahara

Gastronomy

In the gastronomy of Zahara we can emphasize the porridges, omelettes and asparagus stews, golden thistles, Swiss chards with chickpeas, quemones, "sopa hervía" (with garlic, asparagus, bread, oil and salt) or "sopa tostá", tomato soup, menudo, cold meats (especially salami and other pork products), quince jelly, different varieties ofolives, etc.

How to get there

You access to Zahara de la Sierra by the Motorway A-382 (Jerez Fra.- Antequera), that links straight with the CA-531 (Algodonales-Grazalema) which allows us to access the town and the rest of the Pueblos Blancos de la Sierra. Likewise, the A-382 links with the A-473 (Sevilla-Ronda-Costa del Sol) put us into contact with the mountain range of Ronda and with Málaga.

Distances

To Cádiz 120 km  
To Ronda 32 km  
To Sevilla 105 km 
To Villamartín 31 km  
To Algodonales 9 km  
To Olvera 28 km 
To Jerez de la Frontera 81 km

Mirador de Zahara de la Sierra - Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema

From the Mirador of Zahara and due to its exceptional location, you can enjoy the incredible views in the area around it.

From this viewpoint you can observe the Sierra de Líja, a huge chalky mass culminated in a big plain. Although it is located outside the boundaries of the Parque Natural, it is an extension of its own conditions. The appearance without vegetation that you can observe nowadays is the result of a series of forest fires that happened during the last decades.

The reservoir of Zahara-El Gastor is located in a flat and wide valley where there were found the ancient saline springs of Ventas Nuevas. In these emergences, the salt was exploited from the Roman Age (the name of Puerto de los Yesos maybe comes from it), in the same way that nowadays it is used in the area of Hortales, in Prado del Rey.

At the back you can distinguish the town of Olvera, crowned by its Arab castle. This fortress, like the castles of El Parque Natural (between we can emphasize the one of Zahara de la Sierra), formed part of a defensive group built during the Wars between Spanish-Crhistians and Spanish-Muslims. Not only it had a defensive mission, it was watchtower with regard to the incursions of the Spanish troops, since they were visually connected warned about the danger to the distant towns.

Another landmark of the landscape if the Tajo del Lagarín, a big dolomitic sloped bank almost vertical made up of two twin tops arranged from North to South and separated to each other one kilometre. At the foot of the Northern side you can find the town of El Gastor.

The Embalse de Zahara-El Gastor, has a capacity of 223 Hm3. The main river beds dammed in it are the Arroyo de Montecorto, the river Arroyomolinos, the Guadete and its first affluent, the Gaidóva that link their courses at the end of the reservoir.

This reservoir was used for the irrigations of the countryside from Cádiz.

You could observe in the distance that, in few kilometres, the damp landscape that surrounds its environment is converted in a dry and characteristic climate in the Campiña Norte de Cádiz (Algodonales, Setenil, Olvera, Alcalá del Valle). This change is due to, the cloudy mass from the gulf of Cádiz, once they were raised quickly and came down the rains in the Corredor del Boyar descended. During this descent the clouds "deshilachan" and heat due to the fall. This is a phenomenon known like "efecto Foehm". As a result of it, a series of dry and hot winds arrive the area located to the north of the Parque Natural, falling the precipitations from 2.200 l/m2 a year in Grazalema to 500 l/m2 a year in Olvera.