Bobastro is an ancient village so don't expect to find any people
living there today. It is located near the village of Ardales
in Malaga's lake district. The site comands exceptional views of
the surrounding countryside.
The legend of Bobastro goes back to the time when the Moors ruled
Al Andalus. The fortified village was the headquarters of Umar ibn
Hafsun who led a revolt against the caliphal government at Cordoba
between 879 and 918 AD. By 899, he had converted from Islam to Christianity
and some time in the early tenth century, he commissioned the construction
of a church.
This church the highlight of the
ancient village is a church cut directly out of the rock. Its primative
structure can still be seen as three sections separated by horseshoe
shaped arches. The church is perfectly orientated towards the East
and measures about 16.5 metres long and 10.3 metres wide.
The ruins are located in an area known as Las
Mesas de Villaverde between the hills called Tintilla,
Castillón and Encantada. The nearest road to reach Bobastro
is the MA 444 which runs from Alora
to Ardales past the famous El
Chorro gorge.
Interesting historical villages in the vicinity
of the plains around Antequera
are Campillos, Mollina,
and Teba.
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