Cordoba

The “Jewish Quarter” or old town, with its small plazas, patios full of colourful flowers and typical bars where tapas are enjoyed, is full of amazing architecture. The Mezquita (or mosque) attracts thousands of visitors each year who flock to admire the magnificent workmanship - it took two centuries to complete and is an amazing jungle of columns, recesses and arches with a church at its centre. Outside the mosque are the beautiful gardens, “the Patio de los Naranjos” and the “Calleja de la Flores”.

Across the river from the Mezquita is the Alcázar (or fortress) which was built by the Christians in 1328 as a defence against the Muslims. It offers a lovely respite from the summer heat as you wander through the tree shaded gardens and courtyards.

As the city is divided, so is the province: The Sierra Morena in the north with its rugged pine and oak covered hills with a few steep villages set into them. The Campiña in the south which are the farmlands covered in wheat, vine and olive trees. The area is famous for its dry white wines, similar to sherry, which are produced from the Pedro Ximenez grape and olive oil, which is the other main produce from the region. This is why olive oil is an important ingredient of many typical dishes, Gazpacho and Salmorejo are cold soups made mainly of mashed vegetables and olive oil and are delicious and refreshing in the heat of the summer. Jamon, which is cured ham, Salchichon, a typical sausage, Caña de Lomo and Morcilla, black pudding are also widely enjoyed in the province. Some typical desserts are Alfajores, made of almonds and honey and Pestiños, which is fried in oil and then coverd with honey.

Cordoba enjoys its fiestas and festivals the same as every other town in Spain, and Semana Santa, or Easter week is one of the most important. There are no fewer than 32 processions in total with beautifully decorated and ornate pictures and figures of Saints accompanied by the Nazarenos (men dressed in typical gowns with hoods that cover all the face except the eyes). These processions pass through the town followed by crowds of people. In May there are three festivals; from 5th to 12th there is the Festival of the “Patios Cordobeses”, a contest for the most beautifully decorated courtyard; the Cruces de Mayo is when the whole town is decorated with crosses and thousands of flowers; the last week in May is when everyone lets their hair down at the Ferio de Cordoba – flamenco music and dance are enjoyed and the whole town revels in the festivities.

As you wind your way south there are some beautiful whitewashed villages where a friendly welcome can always be found……Puente Genil, Benamejí, Encinas Reales and, of course, Iznajar which is popular for the lake and its beach, and not forgetting La Subbetica natural park which was designated such in 1988 and is home to a miriad of birds, flowers and fauna.

Information about Iznajar Village

Iznajar itself escaped the submersion that often visits towns and villages in the region of Andalucia's controversial programme to construct more and more dams and reservoirs to serve this increasingly thirsty region. If anything, the lake below has given further resonance to its unofficial title as the Mirador (viewpoint) del Genil. Surrounding countryside and communications have been radically altered, not least by a bridge built across the reservoir near Iznajar in order to continue to carry traffic on the Archidona/Priego de Cordoba road. In effect, Iznajar now offers the perfect setting for anyone wanting to live in the (cheaper) interior but still retain a 'sea' view.

Iznajar is situated near the southerly border of Cordoba province, and serves as a natural entrance to the Sierra Subeticas Natural Park. From the south, it is best reached from Junction 175 on the3 A92 Sevilla-Granada careterra, and is only 20km from the turnoff. Town and embalse - named after it - are north of Archidona on the map. The town of Rute is to the north-west and, beyond that, Lucena. Priego de Cordoba lies to the north-east, Jean beyond it.

The village was originally a prehistoric Iberian settlement, but flourished in the eighth century when Arab settlers, in the wake of the 711AD invasion by Tariq ibn Zayid and his Moorish armies, built a castle on the promontory and called it 'Hins Ashar' (hence the modern Spanish name). It became the focus of battles between various north African factions, finally being taken by the army of Abderramán III. After the fall of the Caliphate of Cordoba, then the capital of Al-Andalus, it fell under the rule of the dependency of Granada. In 1431, in the reign of Catholic monarch Juan II, it was taken back by the Christian rulers, some sixty years before Granada was to fall in 1492. Iznajar gained brief notoriety in 1861 when the town supported an uprising against the monarchy, led by Rafael Perez del Alamo, with grimly predictable consequences.

Iznajar Castle

The ruins of the 1,200-year-old castle are the obvious key attraction for the visitor, although they are in a poor state of repair. Parts of the fortified town walls can also be seen in the upper reaches of the town. Inside the town walls, a small square called the Patio de las Comedias suggests that, despite its defensive position, Iznajar once had a theatre culture that probably tracks back millennia. Also worth visiting is the Iglesia de Santiago church, built over time during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a remarkable late addition in the form of a Baroque altar piece. The cemetery next to the church only dates back to 1806.

Barrio del Coso

The most interesting barrio, district, of Iznajar is the Barrio del Coso, a labyrinth of typical whitewashed Andalucian houses dotted around a labyrinth of narrow lanes that criss-cross the promontory. As if often the case in these hill towns, the 'lower' part is also the newer part of town, and the central Plaza Nueva affords excellent panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Similar views can be found at the miradores La Cruz de San Pedro and the Paseo de la Constitucion. With time, it is also worth seeking out is the small barrio of cave dwellings known as El Caganchuelo.

Ermita de la Antigua

Also of interest is the shrine of the Ermita de la Antigua, o de la Piedad, which was built in the seventeenth century and features a curious domed vault, which leads on to an even more unusual eighteenth century dressing room. Iznajar also has a small but fascinating municipal museum, dedicated to its agricultural heritage and local customs.

Cuisine

Local cuisine reflects Iznajar's position in a prime pork production region, as well as variations on classic Andaluz platos. During the February carnaval, the traditional pork sausage filling is stuffed with eggs, bread, jamón and breast of turkey. Other specialities include the rich salmorejo with orange and cod, and La Porra, a cheap and filling stew of tomatoes, bread, peppers and jamon. A typical local postre, dessert, is creamed eggs.

Semana Santa

Unsurprisingly, Semana Santa, Easter week, is the most important festival here. Perhaps uniquely, townsfolk come together to present a religious theatrical epic in which amateur thespians take on the roles of figures in key scenes from the bible and the crucifixion. The inhabitants celebrate the day of San Marcos on April 25 by quitting the town entirely for a mass picnic in the countryside at Valdearenas, a recreational area close to the embalse. Iznajar's annual September feria usually takes place from September 7-10.