Tolox is a town and municipality in the
province of Málaga
The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to ...
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 ...
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 has a population of 2,317 (2006). It is situated in the centre of the
Sierra de las Nieves
Sierra de las Nieves is a mountain range of the Penibaetic System in Málaga Province, Andalusia, Spain with its highest point being La Torrecilla (1,919 m)
Sierra de las Nieves is also the name of an administrative area, the ''comarca''.
The Si ...
Nature Park at the foot of the
Sierra Blanca and the
Sierra Parda. In addition to
La Torrecilla
La Torrecilla is a mountain with a height of , which lies southeast of Ronda in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, of the Sierra de las Nieves range in the province of Málaga, Andalucia, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.s ...
peak (1,919 m.), there are ancient woodlands of
Spanish Fir
''Abies pinsapo'', the Spanish fir, is a species of tree in the family Pinaceae, native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. Related to other species of Mediterranean firs, it appears at altitudes of in the Sierra de Grazalema in the Province ...
and
gall oak. The municipality covers 94 km
2, has a mean elevation of 285 m. and mean geographical coordinates of 36° 41' 11" N, 4° 54' 16" E. The channel of the Rio Grande flows through the town from northeast to south.
Village
The village of Tolox has winding streets, with white-washed houses and doors and window boxes overflowing with flowers in season.
History
While the area was inhabited in Paleolithic times, the village of Tolox bears a
Phoenician name and a
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 ...
n origin is confirmed by archaeological evidence. It was occupied by
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and considerable rebuilding was done under Roman rule. Later it fell to the Visigoths and then to the
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
Arab invaders. Tolox was freed from
Córdoba rule in 883 by
Umar ibn 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 ...
, who developed it to one of his main bases in the
Serranía de Ronda
The Serranía de Ronda is a comarca in the western part of the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. As is currently (as of 2009) the norm in Andalusia, it has no formal status. The 2007 Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia, unlike its 1981 predecess ...
. It did not fall until 921 when his son Süleyman surrendered it to
Abd-ar-Rahman III
ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil () or ʿAbd al-Rahmān III (890 - 961), was the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 92 ...
.
After the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba, Tolox came under the Kingdom of
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
and it was not turned over to
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
and
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
Places
United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
, ''
Los Reyes Católicos
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bo ...
'' ("The Catholic Monarchs") until 1485 by Sancho de Angula. Tolox continued to have a large Moorish population and at Christmas 1539 there was civil strife between the predominantly moorish peasants and the Christian landholders. Each year during
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
Tolox commemorates these events with the ''
"Dia de los polvos"'', ("Day of the Powder"). In 1568-1571 Tolox took part in the
Moorish rebellion. As a result, Tolox was almost entirely depopulated first by the war, and then any remaining moors were relocated in small groups to
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
.
Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
then called for Christian settlers from
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
,
Córdoba, and as far away as
Galicia.
In 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 ...
Tolox fought under the command of
Francisco Javier de Abadía (commander of the Campo de Gibraltar) against the invading
Napoleonic
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
troops. Later soldiers from Cártama and Tolox under the command of General Don Francisco Ballesteros conducted guerrilla warfare out of the mountains against the French.
Attractions
Aside from the mountain vistas and hiking that Tolox offers, it has a famous spa "Fuente Amargosa", which is visited for respiratory and allergic afflictions.
References
* Wawn, Christopher; Wood, David (1999) ''In Search of Andalucia: A Historical Geographic Observation of the Malaga Seaboard''. Pentland Press: Durham, Edinburgh, Cambridge.
* Ruiz, Virgilio (2000) ''Vivencias de Tolox'' Ayuntamiento de Tolox: Tolox.
* González, Diego Ceano (1993) ''Tolox : un oasis en la sierra'' Málaga : Mar y Luz.
* Jiménez, José Sánchez (1976) '' Vida rural y mundo contemporáneo : análisis sociohistórico de un pueblo del sur'' Barcelona : Planeta.
External links
Tolox statistics from the Multiterritorial Information System of AndalusiaEconomic Study of Spain - ToloxOfficial homepage of Tolox
{{Authority control
Municipalities in the Province of Málaga