Although the River Guadiaro’s lowest stretch runs through the territory of Cádiz it is one of the symbols of the Ronda highlands as its headwaters are here and along its course it waters several municipalities, among them Jimera de Líbar, whose lands would be very different indeed without the backbone provided by the Guadiaro.

Jimera de Líbar’s municipal area exhibits a very broken topography, as befits a highland zone. The most rugged areas are covered with evergreen oaks, cork oaks and brush, while those that lie between the village and the river abound with olive trees–actually these are distributed wherever they can best be cultivated-and grain fields. In general, the special climactic conditions in these surroundings favour the growth of those species that make up the Mediterranean woodland.
The municipality has two population centres: the village proper, which is located in the upper part, and the neighbourhood of La Estación, some four kilometres from the other community and through which passes the Bobadilla-Algeciras railroad.

 

 

 

It is a safe supposition, given the proximity of Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta cave) in the municipality of Benaoján, that there must have been human settlements in the Jimera de Líbar area in the Neolithic period, but there are no remains to point to as proof of this theory. There have been remains discovered some four kilometres from the village at Finca del Tesoro, however, of what must have been a Phoenician necropolis, judging by ceramic pieces and some burial jewels that have been recovered. The Romans also travelled through this area, as is proven by the fact that one stretch of the road that linked the city of Acinipo with the plain of Gibraltar passed through Jimera de Líbar.
Apparently the village’s name derives from the Arabic “Inz Almaraz”, meaning “woman’s castle”. No ruins of any castle have been found, but there is proof of the existence of an ancient Muslim cemetery under the foundation of the modern church. The village passed into Christian hands in 1485 and the conquerors changed the former name to Ximera de Líbar, as it appears on a stone of the public fountain that is dated 1789.

 

 

Outstandings Visits:
The church in the La Estación neighbourhood was built, it is believed, over a former mosque, since the minaret-like shape of its towers is clear evidence of the Arabic influence in its design. In the village itself, which sits on the slopes of the mountain range, it is easy to perceive the Moorish heritage in its winding streets, with many ups and downs that, while they can present some difficulty to a person who is not used to steep inclines, do have the advantage of affording views of magnificent mountain landscape.
A visit to Finca del Tesoro will take the visitor back in time to the Phoenician origin of the village, although in this case, as with so many other archaeological sites, it is only the archaeologists that can really make sense of some finds from the seventh and sixth centuries B. C.

How to Get There:
If you are coming from the Costa del Sol take the AP-7 (N-340) expressway and at Manilva (the last municipality in the western zone of the province of Málaga) take the A-377 in the direction of Ronda. When you get to Gaucín the road will change its designation to the A-369 and you must continue on it through Algatocín and Benadalid to Atajate and the MA-508 turning, which leads to Jimera de Líbar. From Ronda, take the A-369 to Atajate, and from that village, as previously explained, the MA-508 leads to Jimera de Líbar.

 

 

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 27.1 square kilometres
Population: approximately 400
What the natives are called: Jimeranos
Monuments: the parish church, Finca del Tesoro archaeological site, and the surrounding natural areas
Geographical Location: in the Ronda highlands, in the middle of the River Guadiaro valley. The village is 26 kilometres from Ronda and sits at an altitude of 540 metres. The area records abundant rains, with the average annual rainfall being 1,160 litres per square metre, and the average temperature is 15º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza Virgen de la Salud (29392). Telephone: 952 180 004; Fax: 952 180 107