Huéneja – Arab Baths, Historic Quarters and Sierra Nevada

Nature and Landscape

The municipality of Huéneja covers 1,785 hectares in the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada and 704 hectares in the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada. The Sendero 5 Molinos de Isfalada (PR-A30) is a circular trail through agricultural land with almond and olive trees. Its route passes through a holm oak grove and a pine forest. The Área Recreativa Los Castaños is located in the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada and is home to protected centuries-old chestnut trees. The starting point of the Sendero 5 Molinos de Isfalada at the Área Recreativa Los Castaños can be reached via the A-92 and the old A-4103 road.

History and Culture

The Baños Arabes de Huéneja were built between the 12th and 13th centuries. They are an important example of the architecture of rural Muslim baths. The complex comprises a vestibule leading through a bent entrance to a cold-water room, followed by a temperate-water room and a hot-water room. The sequence of rooms begins behind the bent entrance. The Baños Arabes de Huéneja are protected as a monument in the category Bien de Interés Cultural. The building is currently partly concealed within a group of residential buildings. In addition to the Baños Arabes de Huéneja, part of the associated route is still visible.

The Castillo quarter in Huéneja’s historic centre is considered to be a former fortress. The Albaycín quarter in Huéneja is characterised by Muslim houses and an urban fabric that has remained intact to this day.

Water, Crafts and Technology

The Molino Bajo was restored and established as the “Museo Etnológico y Centro de Interpretación del Agua”. The “Museo Etnológico y Centro de Interpretación del Agua” consists of two rooms. The two rooms are dedicated to the tradition of the typical structures of the comarca. The museum explains how water emerging under pressure powered a wooden wheel with more than 40 blades and transferred the rotary motion to the millstones on the upper floor.

Sacred Architecture and Churches

The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Presentación is a 17th-century Mudéjar sanctuary. It consists of a central nave for worship and two side chapels. The main altar features a large altarpiece with the central image of the Virgen de la Presentación.

Construction of the Iglesia de la Anunciación began in 1500 on the site of an earlier mosque. An inscription on the exterior indicates that construction work on the Iglesia de la Anunciación continued until 1634. The church is divided into three naves by round arches. Its central nave is covered by a Mudéjar wooden structure. The Iglesia de la Anunciación houses an archive containing records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Other places: Salar, Alpujarra De La Sierra, Cenes De La Vega, Cortes De Baza, Benalúa De Las Villas, Guájar-Alto, Soportújar, El Ventorrillo

For the higher-level travel overview: Granada.