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Zahara de la Sierra

Member of Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España

A Moorish castle keep still crowns the rocky peak above Zahara de la Sierra, a frontier fortress whose seizure by Granada in 1481 gave Castile its pretext for war. Below it, white houses spill down towards the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir, inside the Sierra de Grazalema natural park. Kayaking, canyoning and walks into the Garganta Verde gorge make the village a base for the outdoors.

Highlights

  • The 12th-century castle keep, with wide views over the valley
  • Garganta Verde canyon, where griffon vultures nest (ES)
  • Santa María de la Mesa, a Baroque church completed in 1755
  • Corpus Christi, when the streets are decked with green branches and flowers
  • Local sweets: suspiros meringues and gañotes

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.

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Things to see

Travel guide (Wikivoyage)

Zahara de la Sierra is in Cádiz Province in Andalucia. It is a small white village of 1,400 people (2018) that sits picturesquely on a mountain cone on the northern edge of the Sierra del Jaral. A reservoir, the Embalse de Zahara, spreads out at its feet. Behind the village, the Sierra de Jaral rises to an altitude of 1,300 m. Zahara de la Sierra is presumably a Roman foundation.

Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA

Events through the year

  • Carnival Seasonal · Carnival, February or March
  • Holy Week Religious · Week before Easter
  • Corpus Christi Religious · Corpus Christi (May or June)Streets decked with green branches and flowers; procession and Sevillanas dancing
  • Romería de Bocaleones Religious · Second or third weekend of MayPilgrimage for the Virgen de Comares, dressed as a shepherdess
  • Feast of San Juan Religious · Around 24 June or the nearest SundayStatue of John the Baptist taken in procession to Arroyomolinos for mass
  • Town fair Fairs and markets · Around 20 AugustYoung bulls let loose, live music, ribbon races and water contests
  • Feast of the Virgen de los Dolores Religious · Around 15 SeptemberServices ending with the patroness carried in procession through the streets
  • Feast of Saints Simon and Jude Religious · 28 OctoberFeast of the town's patron saints, on the anniversary of the 1483 conquest
  • Recreación Histórica Toma de la Villa de Zahara Historical · Around the third weekend of OctoberRe-enacts the Castilian capture of the town in 1483
  • Sierrasur Ecofestival Music and arts · Around the 12 October holiday weekendLive music at the La Playita recreation area

Dates follow the traditional patterns described on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage: check locally before you travel.

Based on Wikipedia (Zahara de la Sierra), Wikivoyage (Zahara de la Sierra) (CC BY-SA).

Local food & wine

  • Suspiros de ZaharaSweetLocal meringue sweets
  • GañotesSweetFried almond and cinnamon dough tubes
  • QuemonesDishAlmost dry bread soup with olive oil, garlic, onion, parsley
  • Organic manzanilla olive oilOlive oilPressed at the local Oleum Viride mill

Based on Wikipedia (Zahara de la Sierra) (CC BY-SA).

Where to sleep

4 places to stay within 3 km

  • Hotels 2
  • B&Bs and guest houses 2

Search for rooms:Booking.comAirbnbGoogle Maps

Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Nearby member villages

  1. Grazalema · 8.4 km
  2. Setenil de las Bodegas · 18 km
  3. Parauta · 30 km
  4. Genalguacil · 35 km
  5. Castellar de la Frontera · 59 km

Links