Cúllar: Torre Alabí, Sismitas and Fuente de la Kaicuta

History

Cúllar preserves the Torre Alabí, also known as Torre del Alabí or Torre del Cerro de la Ermita. The Torre Alabí was built in the 11th century. It was part of a former Muslim alquería. The various names therefore refer to one structure whose history dates back to the Muslim period. If you would like to enter the tower, you must arrange an appointment with the town hall in advance. This arrangement concerns access to the interior; the outdoor area is accessible to wheelchair users. The interior has not been adapted for accessibility.

The Iglesia de Santa María de la Anunciación was built in 1535 over an earlier mosque. As a Renaissance building, the church is characterized by three structural bodies. Its architectural features also include a bell tower. Cúllar therefore contains different historical layers side by side: the present-day church was built over the predecessor structure of an earlier mosque, while the Torre Alabí is associated with a former Muslim alquería. Both buildings preserve distinct evidence of the town’s history.

Nature

The Cúllar Historical and Geological route is classified as PR-A 382, passes through Cúllar and is characterized by a desert landscape. The route introduces the Sismitas de Cúllar. The Sismitas are sediment layers deformed by earlier earthquakes. These layers are preserved in the rock materials of the Granada Geopark.

The Sismitas de Cúllar also preserve sediments from a former lake. Several earthquakes have been fossilized in these sediments. The geological formation thus remains connected with the sediments of the former lake and the earthquakes preserved within them. What is visible here is not merely a single rock formation, but the connection between a former lake landscape and the tremors that deformed its deposits.

The route includes the Mirador Estelar de Cúllar. This mirador is a viewpoint in the Granada uplands. It is equipped for observing the night sky. The route thus leads from geological traces in the landscape to a specifically named viewpoint whose facilities are oriented toward the night sky. The desert landscape, sediments and uplands form the geographical components of the route described here.

For more places to explore, see Soportújar, Picena, Gualchos, Los Tablones, Darro, Tózar, Válor and Guejar Sierra.

Culture

The Fuente de la Kaicuta historically supplied the inhabitants of Cúllar with drinking water. It is a fountain with six outlets. The fountain is attributed to the Muslim period. The six outlets are therefore just as much part of the traditional appearance of the Fuente de la Kaicuta as its historical function in the water supply. The Fuente de la Kaicuta serves as a local meeting place. It is also a recreational area.

At the exit from Cúllar, the Fuente de la Kaicuta is signposted by a roadside sign. Its classification thus brings together its historical role in the water supply, its attribution to the Muslim period and its present-day function as a meeting place and recreational area. The fountain therefore represents both a traditional structural element and a still-signposted place in the surroundings of Cúllar.

For the broader travel overview: Granada.