Canjáyar is an agricultural town in

Almería province Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

, in the autonomous community of

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is situated along the river Andarax in the

Alpujarra The Alpujarra (, ) is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, Granada and Almería; i ...

region of Almería 47 kilometers from the provincial capital,

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

. The mild climate in Canjáyar makes it a year-round tourist destination. Canjáyar is found at the foot of

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, looking over into the Sierra de Gádor. Surrounded by orchards, which are themselves served by a system of hundred year old aqueducts. The town has held a yearly Holy Cross festival on April 19 since 1601.

Symbols

Both the town flag and the coat of arms depict a golden sheaf of wheat on an azure background.

Climate

Canjáyar has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

with a continental influence. Annual rainfall rarely exceeds 300 mm. Summers are hot and dry, with highs that can reach 40 °C, and even 45 °C on rare occasions. Winters are cool, with temperatures typically range between 0 °C and 15 °C. Frosts are rare in the town, but are more common in the surrounding mountains.

History

Prehistory and Ancient

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

remains have been found in nearby Nieles Cave. There is also evidence of Roman era agriculture.

Medieval and Modern

The first mention of this town was from the Arab geographer,

Al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

. The 10th century Qansayar mentioned that it had a defensive fortification. Later, in the 14th and 15th centuries, Canjáyar enjoyed a prosperous economy benefiting from its access to water. Agriculture and herding remained the foundation of the town's economy until the advent of lead mining in the late 18th century. The town went through an economic boom in 1835 with the introduction of the

table grape Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption as fresh fruit, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, Juicing, juice production, jelly and jam making, or for drying into raisins. ''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of e ...

and the development of irrigation projects that increased the amount of arable land. At the turn of the 20th century the population had grown to about 3000, around twice the present number. Contemporary agricultural crops are more diverse, and include grains, olives, and fruit.

References

External links

*
Canjáyar
- Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía *

- Diputación Provincial de Almería *
Canjáyar
- Independent tourist information site about Canjáyar. English translation for this site is on my "To do" list! Link added 29/09/10. {{DEFAULTSORT:Canjayar Municipalities in the Province of Almería