Although
the River Guadiaro’s lowest stretch runs through the territory
of Cádiz it is one of the symbols of the Ronda
highlands as its headwaters are here and along its course
it waters several municipalities, among them Jimera de
Líbar, whose lands would be very different indeed
without the backbone provided by the Guadiaro.
Jimera
de Líbar’s municipal area exhibits a very broken
topography, as befits a highland zone. The most rugged
areas are covered with evergreen oaks, cork oaks and brush,
while those that lie between the village and the river
abound with olive trees–actually these are distributed
wherever they can best be cultivated-and grain fields.
In general, the special climactic conditions in these
surroundings favour the growth of those species that make
up the Mediterranean woodland.
The municipality has two population centres: the village
proper, which is located in the upper part, and the neighbourhood
of La Estación, some four kilometres from the other
community and through which passes the Bobadilla-Algeciras
railroad.
It
is a safe supposition, given the proximity of Cueva de
la Pileta (La Pileta cave) in the municipality of Benaoján,
that there must have been human settlements in the Jimera
de Líbar area in the Neolithic period, but there
are no remains to point to as proof of this theory. There
have been remains discovered some four kilometres from
the village at Finca del Tesoro, however, of what must
have been a Phoenician necropolis, judging by ceramic
pieces and some burial jewels that have been recovered.
The Romans also travelled through this area, as is proven
by the fact that one stretch of the road that linked the
city of Acinipo with the plain of Gibraltar passed through
Jimera de Líbar.
Apparently the village’s name derives from the Arabic
“Inz Almaraz”, meaning “woman’s castle”. No ruins of any
castle have been found, but there is proof of the existence
of an ancient Muslim cemetery under the foundation of
the modern church. The village passed into Christian hands
in 1485 and the conquerors changed the former name to
Ximera de Líbar, as it appears on a stone of the
public fountain that is dated 1789.
Outstandings
Visits:
The church in the La Estación neighbourhood was
built, it is believed, over a former mosque, since the
minaret-like shape of its towers is clear evidence of
the Arabic influence in its design. In the village itself,
which sits on the slopes of the mountain range, it is
easy to perceive the Moorish heritage in its winding streets,
with many ups and downs that, while they can present some
difficulty to a person who is not used to steep inclines,
do have the advantage of affording views of magnificent
mountain landscape.
A visit to Finca del Tesoro will take the visitor back
in time to the Phoenician origin of the village, although
in this case, as with so many other archaeological sites,
it is only the archaeologists that can really make sense
of some finds from the seventh and sixth centuries B.
C.
How to Get There:
If you are coming from the Costa del Sol take the AP-7
(N-340) expressway and at Manilva (the last municipality
in the western zone of the province of Málaga)
take the A-377 in the direction of Ronda. When you get
to Gaucín the road will change its designation
to the A-369 and you must continue on it through Algatocín
and Benadalid to Atajate and the MA-508 turning, which
leads to Jimera de Líbar. From Ronda, take the
A-369 to Atajate, and from that village, as previously
explained, the MA-508 leads to Jimera de Líbar.
Interesting
Facts:
Surface Area: 27.1 square kilometres
Population: approximately 400
What the natives are called: Jimeranos
Monuments: the parish church, Finca del Tesoro archaeological
site, and the surrounding natural areas
Geographical Location: in the Ronda highlands, in the
middle of the River Guadiaro valley. The village is 26
kilometres from Ronda and sits at an altitude of 540 metres.
The area records abundant rains, with the average annual
rainfall being 1,160 litres per square metre, and the
average temperature is 15º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza Virgen de la Salud
(29392). Telephone: 952 180 004; Fax: 952 180 107
