Alpujarra de la Sierra
Encyclopedia
Alpujarra de la Sierra is a municipality located in the province of Granada
, Spain
. According to the 2007 census
(INE
), the city has a population of 1168 inhabitants.
It was formed by the union in 1971 of Mecina Bombarón and Yegen, and is situated in the central-northern area of La Alpujarra (Granada
), 108 km from the provincial capital
, in the south-east of Spain
. It is bounded by the municipalities of Lanteira
, Válor
, Ugíjar
, Cádiar
and Bérchules
.
Its council was formed from the centres of Mecina Bombarón, Yegen and Golco, together with the cortijada (hamlet/farmstead) of Montenegro, Spain
.
The municipality lies on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the houses look out towards the mediterranean sea in the distance. Its terraced farmlands are watered by the melting snow from above, giving rise to a high-altitude oasis of greenery above the arid foothills below.
Alpujarra de La Sierra is one of over 50 villages in the area, which were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims, or Moors. Soon after the Castillians took Granada in 1492, all the regions Moors were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who refused took to the hills, settling in this remote, inaccessible area. Alpujarra de la Sierra retains its traditional Berber architecture and has many quaint white houses with flat clay roofs lining narrow streets.
Alpujarra de la Sierra is probably most famous for one of its past residents - the author, Gerald Brenan who wrote "South From Granada", which recounts the adventures of an Englishman who after serving in World War I, walked through Andalucia in search of a cheap place to live and write, and discovered the tiny village of Yégen. He rebuilt a ruined house (now marked with a plaque in his memory) and was visited by many of his friends of the famous Bloomsbury group. In his book Brenan describes the everyday life of Yegen in the 1920s.
Granada (province)
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea . Its capital city is also called Granada.The province covers an area of 12,635 km²...
, 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...
. According to the 2007 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the city has a population of 1168 inhabitants.
It was formed by the union in 1971 of Mecina Bombarón and Yegen, and is situated in the central-northern area of La Alpujarra (Granada
Granada (province)
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea . Its capital city is also called Granada.The province covers an area of 12,635 km²...
), 108 km from the provincial capital
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...
, in the south-east of 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...
. It is bounded by the municipalities of Lanteira
Lanteira
Lanteira is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the city has a population of 507 inhabitants....
, Válor
Válor
Válor is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 736 inhabitants....
, Ugíjar
Ugíjar
Ugíjar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 2524 inhabitants....
, Cádiar
Cádiar
Cádiar is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 1601 inhabitants.- External links :*...
and Bérchules
Bérchules
Bérchules is a village and municipality in the central Alpujarra, in the province of Granada in Spain. The origins of the village are Arab. There are two villages in the municipality, Bérchules , and Alcútar...
.
Its council was formed from the centres of Mecina Bombarón, Yegen and Golco, together with the cortijada (hamlet/farmstead) of Montenegro, Spain
Montenegro, Spain
Montenegro is located at in Andalucía, Spain; and currently has only 5 adult inhabitants. It is part of the municipality of Alpujarra de la Sierra.It is on the old GR 7 trading route that runs from Algeciras to Greece....
.
The municipality lies on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the houses look out towards the mediterranean sea in the distance. Its terraced farmlands are watered by the melting snow from above, giving rise to a high-altitude oasis of greenery above the arid foothills below.
Alpujarra de La Sierra is one of over 50 villages in the area, which were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims, or Moors. Soon after the Castillians took Granada in 1492, all the regions Moors were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who refused took to the hills, settling in this remote, inaccessible area. Alpujarra de la Sierra retains its traditional Berber architecture and has many quaint white houses with flat clay roofs lining narrow streets.
Alpujarra de la Sierra is probably most famous for one of its past residents - the author, Gerald Brenan who wrote "South From Granada", which recounts the adventures of an Englishman who after serving in World War I, walked through Andalucia in search of a cheap place to live and write, and discovered the tiny village of Yégen. He rebuilt a ruined house (now marked with a plaque in his memory) and was visited by many of his friends of the famous Bloomsbury group. In his book Brenan describes the everyday life of Yegen in the 1920s.