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The town of Álora covers a small hill that looks over the Guadalhorce river. Under the castle's towers were once bastions of trade and merchandise, the Bobastro domains, outstand over the city, which is shelted discretely between two small headlands and the impressive Hacho mountain (ALT 559 m). The municipality extends over a large territory in which there are great formations of the Málaga relief. To the north of the Arco Calizo Central, the Antequera range, there is the spectacular Sierra de Huma (ALT 1,191 m) and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, which is shared with the neighbouring municipalities of Ardales and Antequera. To the west of the Sierra de Aguas (ALT 949 m) the land follows the complex mountain range of Serrania de Ronda, in a landscape of pine groves, from the Guadalhorce river to the road that joins Alora with Carratraca.
To the east of the Guadalhorce, the landscape becomes smoother, over gentle hills that grow cereals, some olive trees and some remains of the old holm oak grove; this is the natural corridor that crosses the province from Periana to Alora, and separates the Antequera range from the mountains of Malaga. These mountains also reach Alora from the western half of the territory, with its characteristic maze of hills that are covered in olive and almond trees, and thickets.
Alora is part of the Guadalhorce valley, with its peaceful beauty, of fruit orchards, which paint the valley in green.
Alora’s history dates back to prehistory, which can still be seen in places like the Hoyo del Conde, the Count’s plain, which is not very far from Alora. The Turdetans from Tartessos and the Phoenicians discovered great commercial possibilities in this area. The Phoenicians built Alora's castle’s foundations, which the Romans later took over and fortifed.
The Romans left other important land marks, like milestones which show the old Roman road, and on one the inscription reads, Municipium Iluritanum (79 B.C.). The romans called Alora, Iluro. Then the Phoenicians called Alora, Alura. But actually the local people of Álora, (hard A), have always known what their town was called, and when asked by the Phoenicians or Romans, "What do you call this town?", they simply told them.
During the Visigoda era the castle fort's nucleus was built, which was later renovated and amplified by the Moors. The rebellion of Omar-Ben-Hafsun took place in this era, and due to its proximity to Bobastro, affected the whole area by commerce and agriculture.
During the Middle Ages the christian royalists tried to overtake the village of Alora, which resisted their attacks.
In one of the attacks, the governor of Andalusia was killed, Don Diego de Rivera, at the foot of the castle walls, in 1434. This tragic news was capitalized by the Romancero, (the Romancero ballads), the well known Romance of Alora, which has been reproduced in its entirety on a plaque in the Castle. In 1484, Alora’s square fell to the Catholic king's forces.
In the 16th and 17th century, Alora became a haven for Spain's favoured. Alora's prosperity grew due to the presence of numerous distinguished people, who began an early form of tourism in Alora. In 1628, Alora was segregated from the municipality of Malaga, 'Forever', in a deed signed by King Felipe IV of Spain. |
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