 | This route passes through the interior of Eastern Almería, from the Aguas course to Sierra de Bédar, taking in one of the most singular protected sites in the province, el Karst in Yesos de Sorbas.
Sorbas is popularly calles “Cuenca la Chica” little Cuenca, due to its white houses perched above a cliff, recalling the hanging houses of Cuenca, a city in the region of La Mancha.
Due to its strategic position dominating from its heights the course of the river Aguas, it has been settled since Prehistory. Cueva del Tesoro cave, the Levantine-style cave paintings to be seen in La Mela, and Argaric settlement of Cariatriz all tell us of its long history.
The present town is of Roman origin but its name is more recent, dating back to the Moors: Sorbas means “sand pot”, possibly an allusion to a type of pottery which was, and is, produced here. In the Alfarería (pottery) quarter several Moorish kilns are still in use today.
The Town’s Moorish street plan and architecture combine with Christian additions such as the church Santa María and the numerous noble mansions, such as that of the Duque de Alba, recalling its noble past as the former seat of the Marquessate of Carpio.
Of the places falling within Sorbas’ city limits the Los Molinos del Río Aguas farmstead, set amongst a farmland dotted with flour and olive oil mills, is worthy of note. However Sorbas is best known as home to one fo the largest karst formations in Europe: Karst in Yesos de Sorbas, a must for Speleologists.
Following the foothills of Sierra de los Filabres northwards, we arrive at Lubrín, nestling in a sea of almond trees at the foot of a rocky outcrop, its whitewashed houses dominated by the church.
A stroll through its streets surprises us with balconies decked with flowers, coats of arms embellishing house fronts, and numerous squares. It is an island of calm inviting us to savour unhurriedly the peaceful atmosphere and the hospitality of its people. | |
Small villages and farmsteads dot Lubrín’s surroundings while the Lower Palaeolithic Man who lived here thousands of years ago left his mark in the form of cave paintings in Piedra de la Cera and la Cueva de los Murciélagos cave.
To enjoy a day out in the great out-doors, we recommend you to try the “El Marchalico” recreational area.
Bédar, in the very heart of the Sierra named after it, is a simple town with a Moorish air whose origins date back to when it was
Nothing more than an Andalusi hamlet. During the Andalusi period, the Serena district reached its moment of greatest splendour and its posterior 16th-Century church of Santa María includes a façade of the mosque.
Bédar was granted the title of Town in 1765, and in the 19th Century it flourished thanks to mining activity. Visits of interest include its church, built in the 17th Century, the ruins of the Moorish castle, the Lavadero, or public laundry and Fuente de Bedarín fountain.
Winess to the area’s prosperous mining past is the El Pinar mining village, now a residential estate, most of whose buildings have been renovated. The village played an important role in Almería’s mining industry and was the site of the province’s first overhead cable loader, built in 1888 between the village and the blast furnace in Garrucha, and in 1896 a railway line to the mineral wharf, also in Garrucha, was opened. | |