To understand certain things you sometimes have to admit that truth can surpass fiction. A case in point is the location chosen for this village, which was eminently justified a few centuries ago due to defensive considerations but that nowadays can’t help but surprise even the visitor who has informed himself beforehand about the peculiarities of Comares.

In the case of this municipality it is almost pointless to describe the characteristics of the landscape because once you get to the village you will command a view of an expanse of terrain from the mountains to the sea, where not only the geographic features are visible but also the crops and vegetation of an area that is considerably larger than that of the municipality, which is known with good cause as the “Balcony of La Axarquía”.
The urban district stretches across two hills at an altitude of nearly 700 metres. In such a mountainous territory as the province of Málaga, such heights are not especially noteworthy but in this case, considering the dizzying steepness of some of the slopes of the natural watchtower that is Comares, they are more than commonly picturesque.

 

 

The fact that there is no easy access to this village has spared it from the development excesses that, with such “joy”, have been perpetrated in other places, so a stroll through its maze of streets is something that the visitor will enjoy and will certainly recommend.
The Romans were aware of the advantages of this lookout point and apparently set up a military post on it, and the Arabs later erected a fortress-the Comares castle-that along with those of Zalía and Bentomiz made up the three defensive mainstays of the La Axarquía region. On the Masmullar hill, not far from the village, the ruins have been found of a city from the ninth and tenth centuries A. D. whose cistern has been preserved and was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931. Some researchers have seen these ruins as being those of Bobastro, so closely linked to Omar Ben Hafsun.

 

 

After a series of alliances and betrayals between Moors and Christians the village was surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 by its last Muslim castle commandant, Mamad el Jabis, and years later it formed part of the lands of Diego Fernández de Córdoba. It is known that the Moorish population did not take part in the sixteenth century uprising but nevertheless the residents of Comares were expelled and the area was repopulated by people from other places.

Outstandings Visits:
There is hardly anything still standing of the Comares castle, but a visit is recommended to the La Tahona, one of the towers of this fortress that was famous in another age and is now the site of the cemetery.
The Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación parish church is located on the village’s other hill. It was built in the sixteenth century in the Mudéjar style and consists of three naves with pointed arches. It has a noteworthy tabernacle chapel that was built in the eighteenth century and has rococo style gesso artwork.
A couple of kilometres from the village, on the Mascullar hill, are the water tank and a few traces of what must have been a city. In this area ceramics, urns, mosaics and even skeletons have been found. The water tank, which has been designated a Historic-Artistic Monument, has twelve horseshoe aches and nine compartments enclosed by barrel vaults. Its dimensions are 7.70 by 5.75 metres. Its construction date has not been determined precisely, but every indication is that it is from the fourteenth century.
During a stroll through the village, you will be able to observe a number of arches from the medieval period on the oldest streets.

How to Get There:
One route to Comares starts at the city of Málaga. Take the old Colmenar road, A-6103, to El Puerto del León (960 metres). Immediately afterwards you must take the MA-166, which later becomes the MA-165, to Comares. The route passes through superb landscape.
The other route starts at the Mediterranean Expressway. Take the A-335 towards Vélez and Alhama de Granada. At Trapiche turn onto the MA-145 and once you are past Benamargosa continue by way of the MA-169 and later the MA-169, which leads straight to Comares.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 25.3 square kilometres
Population: approximately 1,400
What the natives are called: Comareños. Nickname: Moriscos
Monuments: the Comares castle, La Encarnación church, and the Mazmúllar cistern
Geographical Location: in the La Axarquía region, bordering the Málaga Mountains, 28 kilometres from the provincial capital and 24 from Vélez Málaga. The village is 700 metres above sea level. Average rainfall in the area is 580 litres per square metre and the average temperature does not exceed 17º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza Balcón de la Axarquía (29195). Telephone: 952 509 233; Fax: 952 509300