Lobras
History of Lobras
This municipality, comprising Lobras and Tímar, was founded during the early years of Islamic domination. However, the presence of an inactive mercury mine suggests that there was likely an earlier settlement. This is further supported by the Celtic origin of the place name Lobras and the possible Iberian origin of the place name Tímen (Tímar), as well as some Iberian-Roman archaeological remains found in the municipality. In any case, the earliest written record of Lobras and Tímar is provided by Ben Aljatib (1313–1374), minister to Mohamed V, who cites a twelfth-century writer's description of the Kingdom of Granada.
Both Lobras and Tímar suffered during the Reconquista War, as well as the violent episodes caused by the uprising of the Moors who were expelled following the repression of Juan de Austria's armies. The state of the houses after the war was lamentable, with the vast majority being left empty.
The region's depopulation after the Moors' expulsion was reflected in Lobras and Tímar. In 1572, the boundaries were marked for the distribution of plots and the repopulation of these towns. By 1574, ten residents had settled in Lobras and eight in Tímar, meeting all the conditions imposed on the settlers, including that they came from outside the Kingdom of Granada.
Together with their farms, Lobras and Tímar also have a unique history in terms of the cultivation of mulberry trees for silk production. The 1752 Cadastre of the Marquis of Ensenada describes how the repopulation of the Alpujarra Granadina took place. The books of Surveys and Distribution of Lobras and Tímar reflect how the orchards and lands were distributed, but not the mulberry and olive trees that had been planted. The trees were distributed based on the quantity of leaves required for each inhabitant to grow two ounces of silk, rather than on the number of trees. This tradition was maintained until the 1940s.