Benadalid

Benadalid is part of the trail of white villages of Andalusi Arabic origin which follows the road linking Gaucin with Ronda.

The traveller will be surprised to find the perfectly-conserved remains of the former Arabic castle, the interior of which has been turned into a secluded cemetery, standing adjacent to the village.

The village is becoming ever more important in the world of tourism, thanks both to its natural setting and the plastic beauty of its urban landscape. Benadalid also offers the tourist the opportunity to get to know the cultural characteristics of the area's villages. El Alambique Restaurant-Museum offers samples of all aspects of the region's culinary customs.

History

Its name comes from the Berber tribe which settled in the area in the 8th century, Banu Al Jalid. For many years it was the capital of a region called Ta Kurunna.

The castle which stands beneath the village is clearly of Roman origin, as the Arabs made no alterations to it. For a time, it was in the hands of Omar Ben Hafsum, leader of the muladi (Christian convert to Islam) rebellion of the late 9th and early 10th centuries.

For two centuries, from 1286 to 1485, it was a border village between the Christian kingdom of Seville and the Nazari kingdom of Granada, due both to its strategic position and to the fact that it was part of a natural defensive barrier provided by the mountain range, fortified by towers and castles, which began on the Atlantic seaboard, near Vejer de la Frontera, and finished on the Mediterranean, close to Estepona.

The village was conquered by the Marquis of Cadiz, on behalf of the Catholic Monarchs, in 1485.