If there is one place, we feel special devotion for in Oway -in addition to our beloved Cordoba– it is undoubtedly Ronda, the steep jewel of Andalusia that houses so many stories and legends that we could write several posts about it.
A curious story full of bandits, fighters and rebels, which has left behind vestiges and monuments that you can visit today to travel through time, at least for a moment, and imagine everything that took place there.
An example of these treasures? The Almocábar Gate, which gives access and protection since the times of the Caliphate to a place as well-known as mysterious. Do you want to know more about this defensive gate? Today in Oway we tell you some curiosities… shall we begin?
First of all…
Ronda: a treasure in Andalusia
It should be noted the environment in which Almocábar Gate is located. Ronda is a spectacle for all the senses, an open and unknown book of the deepest history of Andalusia: here the art of bullfighting was forged and, as they say, the very same Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway had fun here.
And its abrupt profile is synonymous with resistance and wild nature. Between cliffs, echoes of the birth of the bulls, vigilante bandits and flamenco ‘quejíos’ (lament) you will spend your hours in Ronda.
Almocábar Gate, Ronda’s icon
Its construction took place at the end of the 13th century during the Muslim period: its configuration with three successive gates and semicircular lateral towers offered the necessary protection to the city. Its position at the top of the ravines and cliffs is the greatest defensive advantage that Ronda has had.
Facts and curiosities
- Its name comes from Al-Magabir in Arabic which means cemetery because of the cemetery near the gate.
- As a historical milestone, on May 20, 1985, the Castilian troops, under the command of the Marquis of Cadiz, put an end to Arab domination. This event took place in the square in front of the Almocábar.
- It is not the only gate of its nature in Ronda: those of Cijara and the arch of Christ are also preserved, although this is the main entrance on the south side to the first walled enclosure of the Islamic Ronda.
- Between the two clods of masonry, there are three consecutive arches: the two exterior ones of pointed horseshoe with alfiz and arquivolta and the intermediate one ogival type.
- Located in the iconic San Francisco Neighborhood
As you can see, the primitive access to Ronda represents the historical and architectural richness of a place that, no matter how much we visit again and again, always has something new to offer.
What are you waiting for to explore Andalusia?
If you want to check all of our guided visits in Ronda, enter on the next links:
