Comares is a town and municipality in the province of

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

, part of the autonomous community of

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

in southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The municipality is situated approximately 28 kilometers from the provincial capital and 24 from

Vélez-Málaga Vélez-Málaga () is a municipality and the capital of the Axarquía comarca in the province of Málaga, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the most important city in the comarca. Locally it is referred to as Vélez. Vélez- ...

. It is located in the foothills of the Montes de Málaga 703 meters above sea level. Comares is one of the 31 villages that make up the comarca of

Axarquía Axarquía () is a ''comarca'' of Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in t ...

. It is bordered to the north with Riogordo, to the north, northeast and east with Cútar, to the south with El Borge, to the southwest and west with Málaga and to the northwest with Colmenar. It has a population of approximately 1,420 residents. The natives are called ''Moriscosos''.

Geography

The population core is located in slight decline, on the crest of a steep mountain at 703 m. The region is full of ravines, hamlets and farms scattered around the mountain. Its highest point is the hill of Mazmúllar (721 m). A dip the end of the rivers Cuevas or Benamargosa feeds the streams of Cútar, Fuente Delgada and Solano, which are dry most of the year. The town's water supply comes from the springs called Délga, Gorda, Caño Seco and Maroto. The main economic activity is agriculture, such as olives, grapes and almonds. Comares is on the ''Ruta de la Pasa'', the route of the grape. The Pasas de Málaga are a

Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

. These grapes are only grown in the

and around

Manilva Manilva is a municipality which lies on the coast at the southwesternmost edge of the province of Málaga on its border with the Province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Costa del Sol Oc ...

. The grapes are dried in the sun in typical drying cages called '' paseros''. In recent years rural tourism has become a major part of the economy of Comares.

History

The origin of the name Comares is from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word ''Qumaris'' or ''Hins Comarix'', which means "Castle in the height." Comares was not founded by the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

, but by the Greeks and

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

ns who arrived on the coast of Málaga in the seventh century BC. It was a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

fortress since the eighth century C

We also know that was one of the defensive bastions of

Omar ben Hafsun Umar ibn Hafsun ibn Ja'far ibn Salim ( ar, عمر بن حَفْصُون بن جَعْفَ بن سالم) (c. 850 – 917), known in Spanish history as Omar ben Hafsun, was a 9th-century political and military leader ...

in his fight against the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba. It was considered one of the strategic points of the Rayya (

Archidona Archidona is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is the center of the comarca of Nororiental de Málaga and the head of the judicial district that bears its name ...

), then capital of the of Malaga.

References

Municipalities in the Province of Málaga {{Andalusia-geo-stub