Monuments

Ronda’s Water Mine under the Casa del Rey Moro

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Water Mine in Ronda

Carved into the cliffs of the ‘El Tajo’ gorge is a surprising mine and fortress that dates back to the Moorish era. This was when constant wars in Al-Andalus required the city governors to protect the water supplies for the defenders of the city.

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Pileta Paleolithic Cave Paintings at Benaojan

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A few kilometres from Ronda, just outside the white village of Benaojan lies one of the most spectacular cave systems in Spain, Pileta Paleolithic Cave Paintings at Benaojan and in the mouth of one, several galleries of cave paintings that are as old as 30,000 years, and were created by paleolithic people of Ronda before the last great ice age. Best of all, the caves are open to the public with a local tour guide to explain the significance of the artwork.

Book a hotel in Benaojan

How to book a visit to Pileta Paleolithic Cave Paintings at Benaojan

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Ronda’s Arab Baths

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Arab baths in Ronda

Rondas Arab Baths, known in Spanish as “Baños Árabes” are one of Ronda’s most important tourist attractions, and some argue more important than the unquestionably beautiful Puente Nuevo, or Ronda’s other claim to fame, the Plaza de Toros.

The baths are similar to the design perfected by the Romans, except that steam was used to sweat out pollutants from the body rather than soaking in hot water as the Romans used.

The Moors of Spain were also Muslim, so religious traditions were important, a Mosque was located next to the baths, and the baths were more than just a sanitary facility. They were also a place where locals and visitors alike would stop to purify and cleanse their bodies before entering the Mosque to purify their souls.

Practise your language skills and click here to read this article translated into Spanish!

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Plaza de Toros (Bullring) in Ronda

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The bullring or plaza de toros in Ronda, Andalucia

Even if, like me, you don’t agree with bullfighting, it is undeniable that the Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Ronda occupies a very special place in modern Spanish culture and history as the home of the Rondeño style of bullfighting and also of the Real Maestranza De Caballería De Ronda. A guided tour of Ronda and the bullring is well worth the small expense. The bullring was built entirely of stone in the 18th century, during the golden years of Pedro Romero’s reign as a champion bullfighter.

Plaza de Toros (Bullring) in Ronda
Plaza de Toros (Bullring) in Ronda. A guided tour is highly recommended
Would you like to visit a fighting bull farm in Ronda?

Reservatoro Ronda is a working breeding farm of fighting bulls and pure Andalusian horses, located just 5 km from Ronda. It was created by the now retired bullfighter Rafael Tejada. It is open to the public, giving visitors the opportunity to share in the lives of these animals throughout all their breeding stages and their fascinating selection process, as well as interact with them.

Reservatauro Ronda
Reservatauro Ronda is an active breeding farm for fighting bulls and purebred Andalusian horses, situated just 5 kilometers from Ronda.

You can book a visit over at Viator.

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Ronda’s Arab Walls and City Gates

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City gates and defensive walls of Ronda in Andalusia
A secure city

Part of the reason Ronda is so important in the history of Andalucia directly relates to how secure the city was from attack.  The city walls in combination with the gorge and rio Guadalevin made Ronda’s Arab Walls and City Gates impervious from attack until the age of the cannon.

Whilst wooden palisades existed to protect neolithic communities and their successors before the constructions of the Roman castle, the reality is that most of the stone walls around Ronda directly owe their construction to the Islamic era, a period that spanned close to 800 years from 712 until 1485.

Read this article in Spanish here…

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