Zahara de la Sierra and Its Castle above the Reservoir

Zahara is a white village clinging to a rock, with its castle tower above and the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir below, a turquoise green when it is full. It has been a historic-artistic site since 1983 and can be strolled in an hour and a half: the Plaza del Rey, the whitewashed stepped streets, the church and the walk up to the tower, with views of the sierra and the reservoir.

The Keep Tower

Of the medieval castle only the Keep Tower still stands, at the very top of the crag, 605 metres above sea level. The town council describes it as a mix of Nasrid and Christian military architecture: an almost square plan of 12 by 12.60 metres, rounded corners, vaults on every floor and an inner staircase climbing to the roof terrace, topped by four large merlons. You enter through the lower chamber; on the first floor there is a fireplace in the Christian tradition and two large windows. It was the town's last refuge if the rest of the wall fell.

The castle path climbs from the village through the old medieval town, of which stretches of wall survive, especially on the east side. Halfway up is the Medieval Town tower, hexagonal in plan, which was probably part of the main church built after the Castilian conquest of 1407. The climb is short, but steep and without shade.

A little history

The first mention of the town and its fortress dates from 1282. Castile took it in 1407, and on the night of 28 December 1481 the Nasrids recaptured it by surprise, a blow the town council links to the start of the Granada war. Rodrigo Ponce de León reconquered it in October 1483.

What else to see in the village

Below, in Zahara's square, is the church of Santa María de la Mesa, Baroque, finished in 1755, with a pink marble façade, an 18th-century organ and a Baroque high altarpiece; it can be visited during service hours. Nearby, at the Boquete de San Juan, the 16th-century Clock Tower was the bell tower of an old hermitage and is now attached to the hermitage of San Juan de Letrán, built in 1958.

How to fit it in

It is the northern gateway to the sierra and the starting point for the Garganta Verde and the Palomas pass. Park below, at the entrance to the village, and walk up: the upper streets are narrow and steep. At Plaza del Rey, 3, is the park information point. To sleep in the old town, the Hotel Arco de la Villa is at the foot of the castle.