The town is located by the nearby Mountains of Malaga and between the towns of Antequera, Casabermeja, Cártama and Alora. In a natural environment of great beauty, the monuments we will find and the typical cuisine of its restaurants make it a recommended visit. We have the possibility of walking its narrow streets or walk the trails which surround the town by foot, horseback or by bicycle.
Remains of the first inhabitants in ancient times have been found and paintings found in the caves tell us about human presence during the prehistoric times, other vestiges like the remains of footwear tells us about the Roman civilisation. It is not until the Arabs entered the south of the Peninsula when is believed the first stable population originated in Almogia; this population increased around the defence castle of which only one of the towers remain, it is known as Bell Tower.
The origin of the name comes from the andalusi ‘Al-Mexia’ during the period when it had great strategic value in Malaga during the Arab reign.
Almogia ended up giving up to the Christian army and was handed over in 1487.
During the period between 1487 and 1570 the former inhabitants were put under great pressure by the new dominated religion which eventually ended in a rebellion in 1570, this rebellion would cause the attempted expulsion of most of the Moors in Andalucia to flee to the north of Africa, although two thirds ignored the order and hid in the south of the peninsula.
The Almogia Castle was destroyed during the war of independence against France during the Napoleon's reign after the French troops fled.
If you visit Almogia you cannot go without trying its gastronomy, typical of this area is the Gazpachuelo, the asparagus which you can eat with chips and a cod dish known as Chanfaina.
Another of the recommended things to do during your stay is visiting some of the monuments in Almogia, being perhaps the most important the remains of the old Almogia castle for being possibly the first building in the town and from which only the bell tower remains.
Almogía Castle
The remains of this Moorish Castle are the symbol of Almogia; it was used as a defensive point between 1410 and 1487, although it was built during the 8th century. This castle was used by both Moors and Christians during its history; however it was abandoned after the conquering until the rebellion of the Alpujarras, at this moment it was decided to repair it to defend Almogia from possible rebel attacks. Its reconstruction wouldn’t take that long since after the occupation of the Napoleonic French troops during the War of Independence, they decided to dynamite the walls before they fled, leaving only one of the towers standing.
- Hortezuela Fountain, built during the 19th century
- Laundry Watermill: Of the 19th century and was used until 1990 to wash clothes.
The remaining monuments are religious buildings which were built after the Christians conquest, such as:
- Chapel of Santo Cristo: From the early 17th century
- Worship Chapels of religious images: 18th century
- Asunción Church which was built on top of an old mosque after conquering Almogía.
When you visit Almogía you can hire a car in Malaga or ask for a transfer to Almogía, although if we have come here on holiday and we wish to get to know more places, its best to have your own car, which makes the option of rental recommended.
To get there in car the route we need to take is head to Puerto de la Torre and from there we can take the road which we will have until Almogía.
Address: Plaza de la Contitución, 1 - 29150 Almogía
Phone: 952430025
Fax: 952430229
E-mail: talcaldia@almogia.com
Web: www.almogia.es