Iznalloz, Granada
Encyclopedia
Iznalloz is a small town about 35 km north of Granada
, Spain
. The town is the main center of a region known as Los Montes Orientales, which comprises about 17 towns and villages spread over the north of the province of Granada. Encompassed within this area is the Sierra Harana
mountain range (highest peak just over 2000 m).
peoples are thought to have settled here.
The village sits on the banks of the River Cubillas and what was once on an important Roman
road to Tarraco
(ancient Roman name for Tarragona
) traversing via the south eastern coastline of the Iberian peninsula.
The people of Iznalloz attribute their origins to the Romans and call themselves Acatuccitanos, after Acatucci, the Roman name for the village. Roman imperial soldiers built a garrison, on the hill in what is now the old quarter of the village, and constructed a bridge over the river which remains in use. The origin of the modern name, Iznalloz, has its roots in the Arabic Hisn Allauz which means ‘Castle
of Almond
trees’. Only the ruins of the castle remain, but it formed part of the front line of Muslim
defense during the latter days of the reconquest of Spain
. The village fell into Christian hands in 1486, after which Iznalloz and its neighbouring villages aided in the siege of Granada
. As payment for their services the people of Iznalloz were exempt from various taxes.
Following the Catholic reconquest of Granada, Iznalloz became an important centre for commerce and agriculture. Due to the growing population of workers, and their importance to the local economy, the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Monarchs) decreed the construction of a hospital to care for the infirm. The building which is now called El Posito became a store for the village harvests.
is and has always been Iznalloz's major source of income and the cultivation of olives is by far the most common agricultural activity in the municipality. Some of the best olive oil
in Spain is produced in this region. The local mountain range of Sierra Arana is particularly picturesque and boasts a large number of caves. Of these the deepest is La Cueva del Agua (Cave of water).
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The town is the main center of a region known as Los Montes Orientales, which comprises about 17 towns and villages spread over the north of the province of Granada. Encompassed within this area is the Sierra Harana
Sierra Harana
The Sierra Arana or Sierra Harana is a mountain range in the center of the province of Granada, southern Spain. According to some geographers it includes other ranges such as the Sierra de Cogollos, the Sierra de la Yedra and the Sierra de Alfacar y Víznar.Part of the larger Subbaetic Cordillera,...
mountain range (highest peak just over 2000 m).
History
There are prehistoric paintings and tools in the caves surrounding the village. The IberianIberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
peoples are thought to have settled here.
The village sits on the banks of the River Cubillas and what was once on an important Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
road to Tarraco
Tarraco
Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona . During the Roman Empire was one of the major cities of the Iberian Peninsula and capital of the Roman province called Hispania Citerior or Hispania Tarraconensis. The full name of the city at the time of the Roman Republic was Colonia...
(ancient Roman name for Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
) traversing via the south eastern coastline of the Iberian peninsula.
The people of Iznalloz attribute their origins to the Romans and call themselves Acatuccitanos, after Acatucci, the Roman name for the village. Roman imperial soldiers built a garrison, on the hill in what is now the old quarter of the village, and constructed a bridge over the river which remains in use. The origin of the modern name, Iznalloz, has its roots in the Arabic Hisn Allauz which means ‘Castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of Almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
trees’. Only the ruins of the castle remain, but it formed part of the front line of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
defense during the latter days of the reconquest of Spain
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. The village fell into Christian hands in 1486, after which Iznalloz and its neighbouring villages aided in the siege of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
. As payment for their services the people of Iznalloz were exempt from various taxes.
Following the Catholic reconquest of Granada, Iznalloz became an important centre for commerce and agriculture. Due to the growing population of workers, and their importance to the local economy, the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Monarchs) decreed the construction of a hospital to care for the infirm. The building which is now called El Posito became a store for the village harvests.
Main sights
- 16th century church of Ntra. Sra. de los Remedios (16th century), designed by Diego de Siloé and the ruins of an ancient MoorishMoorsThe description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
castle. - Roma Bridge over the Cubillas river
- Castillo de los almendros, remains, including two towers, of a Moorish fortress
- Cueva del agua, a group of Jurassic caves where numerous findings from the Stone AgeStone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
have been found
Economics
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is and has always been Iznalloz's major source of income and the cultivation of olives is by far the most common agricultural activity in the municipality. Some of the best olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
in Spain is produced in this region. The local mountain range of Sierra Arana is particularly picturesque and boasts a large number of caves. Of these the deepest is La Cueva del Agua (Cave of water).