Salares: Minaret, Cultural Route and Hiking Trails

The minaret of Salares is an example of Almohad art on the Iberian Peninsula. It was built between the 13th and 14th centuries from red brick; it belonged to the mosque that previously stood on this site.

Culture and History

Its shape is a rectangular prism consisting of two sections. The belfry section has four openings with recessed alfices. Wide sebka panels and remnants of tilework stand out as particularly interesting decorative elements of the minaret. The structure is approximately 12 metres high and has sides measuring 3.5 metres.

The parish church of Santa Ana was built in the 16th century. In the church’s western courtyard are the remains of pillars and pointed arches attributed to the former mosque. Thus, both the earlier religious use and the later church are represented in the same place by preserved structural elements.

Cultural Route

Salares is part of the Mudéjar Route. The cultural route runs along the foothills of the Sierra de Tejeda. Its route therefore connects the history of the town with a route whose geographical context is defined by the foothills of the Sierra de Tejeda.

Nature and Hiking

The Puente Árabe hiking trail begins and ends in Salares. Its route leads to various representative landscapes of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park. The trail offers views of the surrounding area.

Those planning a hiking day with specific time details will find the Puente Árabe as a circular route measuring 6,124 metres, taking three hours and having a medium difficulty level. From Sedella, the hiking trail can be reached via the MA-4107 road. From Canillas de Albaida, access is via the MA-4108. The starting point is at the bridge by Calle del Puente. The information about the start at the bridge and the end in Salares describes a circular route with a fixed starting point.

The Puente Romano provides access to the Casa Aro hiking trail in the Sierra Tejeda and Almijara Park. The Casa Aro hiking trail is easy and can be completed in approximately one and a half hours. You can incorporate the different time details of the two hiking trails directly into your day planning. For Casa Aro, the access via the Puente Romano, the approximate duration and the easy difficulty level are all specified.

Arab-Andalusian Festival

At the Arab-Andalusian Festival of Salares, visitors could walk through the winding Moorish streets. At the festival, they could view and purchase handicrafts, books and typical dishes of Andalusian culture. The festival was held in September. The festival included evenings of music with traditional orchestras. Thus, in addition to the streets, the event included goods, dishes and musical evenings with an explicitly traditional character.

Other places: Ronda, Rincón De La Victoria, Benahavis, Cañete La Real, Humilladero, El Sexmo, Villanueva De Tapia, La Capellania

To the higher-level travel overview: Málaga.