Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, in 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 ...

, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the

Sierra del Pinar Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

mountain range ( Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema had, as of 2009, a population of 2,205.

History

The Roman villa of Lacidulia or Lacidulerium, situated in an estate near to the present village, has been traditionally considered the ancestor of Grazalema. During Muslim rule in the 8th century, these lands were populated by people of Arab origin and from them, the area acquired the name of Raisa lami Suli, "town of the Banu al-Salim" a tribe originated in the hijaz Arabia , place which passed to Ben-salama, "Son of Zulema and later Grand Zulema". During this period, its economy was organised around forestry, agriculture, farming and textile manufacture. With the Christian conquest in 1485, Zagrazalema, as it was called at the time, became part of the lands of the Rodrigo Ponce de León y Núñez. It became economically important as of the 17th century thanks to the drapery industry which produced the famous shawls of Grazalema. In the first years of the 19th century, during the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

, Grazalema suffered attacks and sieges from the Napoleonic troops who partially destroyed the village.

References

External links

Grazalema Guide
Information about Grazalema

Andalusian statistical information system {{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Cádiz