Whilst in ruins now, the Arab Baths are still amongst some of the best preserved in Spain and offer a tantalising peek into Moorish life during the 13th to 16th centuries. Be sure to watch the animated short presentation (5 minutes) about the history of Ronda’s Arab Baths when you get here. The video presentation describes the water tower as a Noria (the modern Spanish word derived from Arabic), however the water pump in Ronda was a chain pump and is more correctly known today as a Saqiya.
Located just outside the old city walls near the Puente Arabe, the Arab Baths (Baños Arabes) of Ronda are considered the best preserved Moorish baths in Spain, better even than those that survive in Granada. They were originally built sometime in the late 12th or early 13th centuries during the reign of the Almohad dynasty, although tradition seems to favour the reign of Abomelic from the 14th century as the time of their construction.
The VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda
The History of Ronda’s Arab Baths is included in the VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda.
For quite a few years now, the A4 printable guide has been selling steadily directly from Ronda Today and I have received many hundreds of emails from visitors, who have discovered the very best of a visit to Ronda, using the in depth information made up from the top 20 articles published here at Ronda Today.
But what better way to improve the guide? An audio guide of course!
https://voicemap.me/tour/ronda/ronda-andalucia-s-city-of-dreams-a-walking-tour
The exterior of the baths is more or less intact, the Saqiya (water pump tower) still exists, as does the aqueduct. On the top of the Saqiya, and accessed by a ramp from ground level, a donkey turned a wheel that pumped water from the river below and along the aqueduct at the side wall of the baths. As you enter the gates into the bath compound look to the far front right corner of the compound and you’ll see a tower with a connecting wall, at the top of which is a channel for water, and beside which is the ramp.
A wide well was sunk inside the tower and then connected to the confluence of the two rivers, the rio Guadalevín and arroyo de las Culebras. Within the tower two large wheels and a rope belt would pull the water from the well to the top of the tower in a series of large terracotta buckets (canjilones) that were emptied into a wooden channel that then exited the tower at its top and emptied into the aqueduct adjoining the tower. From the aqueduct the water would run into the baths to be heated and distributed into the hot rooms of the Hammam, the Arabic word for the baths.
The technology used in the Saqiya here in Ronda was invented by an Islamic engineer named Abu al Tz ibn Razaz Al-Jazari (1136-1206), and described in a book he published to great acclaim Kitáb fí ma’rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya which roughly translated means the Book of Mechanical Devices. While Al-Jazari never visited Ronda, or indeed Iberia, his achievements were followed with interest throughout the Islamic world, and his book spread far and wide very quickly.
Al-Jazari improved on the traditional Saqiya designs that had been common in the middle eastern nations since pre-Christian times, and also invented the crankshaft which the builders of Ronda’s Arab Baths incorporated, so we know that the baths could not have been built earlier than the late 12th century. Of course an older and more primitive bathhouse may have existed on the same site but we have no evidence of this.
Given that much of Ronda’s defensive capability including the Puente Arabe and the defensive walls above it were built by the Almohads, it isn’t unreasonable to suggest the Baños Arabes were built in the same time. Almohad influence in Al-Andaluz started to wane after 1212 when they lost a decisive battle to Christian Spain at Las Navas de Tolosa near Jaén, around the same time Ronda had become an important trading and cultural city.
Islam requires cleanliness of it’s adherents, even more so when entering a city of importance such as Ronda, so most Islamic historians believe a bathhouse would have been built alongside the new entrance to the city. Whilst the Arab Baths in Ronda may have been expanded or extensively renovated during the time of Abomelik, it is reasonable to believe a bathhouse at the entrance to the city would
To make things easier for the donkey powering the pump, a flywheel was used comprising a weight on the drawbar behind the donkey which would rotate the vertical shaft leading to the Saqiya’s crankshaft. The purpose of the flywheel was to reduce load on the animal and provide a smoother rotation thus also minimising jerky movements on the donkey’s spine. The flywheel was an invention of a prominent Islamic Andalucían scholar named Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Bassal, one of the court scholars in Toledo who published a seminal work on agronomy Diwan al-filaha.
FAQ: History and Significance of Ronda’s Arab Baths
The Ronda Arab Baths, or Baños Arabes, are ancient Moorish bathhouses located just outside the old city walls near the Puente Arabe. They are considered the best-preserved Moorish baths in Spain, even more intact than those in Granada. Their significance lies in offering a detailed glimpse into Moorish life from the 13th to 16th centuries and showcasing advanced Islamic engineering of that era.
The baths were constructed in the late 12th or early 13th century during the Almohad dynasty’s reign. Though some traditions attribute the baths to the 14th-century Abomelic, architectural and engineering features like the crankshaft—an invention from the late 12th century—point to an earlier origin. The Almohads, who built much of Ronda’s defensive walls, likely built the baths, as cleanliness was important in Islam and a bathhouse was essential at the city’s entrance.
Water was pumped using a sophisticated system called a Saqiya, a type of chain pump connected to a well fed by the Guadalevín and Arroyo de las Culebras rivers. Inside the Saqiya tower, two large wheels and a rope belt with terracotta buckets lifted water to the top, where it flowed into a wooden channel and then an aqueduct that carried it to the baths for heating and distribution.
The baths feature advanced Islamic engineering, including the crankshaft invented by Abu al-Tz ibn Razaz Al-Jazari, which powered the Saqiya’s mechanical pump. A flywheel, designed by Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Bassal, also assisted by reducing the load on the donkey powering the pump and smoothing the rotation.
Donkeys were key to operating the Saqiya. They walked inside the tower on a ramp, turning a wheel that powered the crankshaft. This mechanism lifted water from the river to the aqueduct feeding the baths. The flywheel invention helped reduce strain on the donkey and ensured steady pumping.
The baths are in ruins but remarkably well-preserved, especially the exterior structures like the Saqiya water pump tower and aqueduct. This preservation is considered the best example of Moorish baths in Spain, offering a vivid insight into their original form and function.
Visitors can access an on-site animated short presentation (about 5 minutes) explaining the baths’ history. Additionally, the VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda includes detailed commentary on the baths.
Ronda is a compact, walkable city rich in attractions such as the Real Maestranza bullring, Puente Nuevo bridge, and El Tajo gorge. Visitors can explore beautiful churches, museums, tapas bars, and coffee shops nearby. For longer stays, popular walks like the Virgen de la Cabeza and Mr. Henderson’s Railway Walk are available, along with visits to the stunning Natural Park of the Sierra de Grazalema. Guided tours and various accommodation options help visitors fully experience this “City of Dreams.”
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!