Before visiting it, Las Alpujarras held a special mystique in my heart. Reading about its history and natural beauty was mouthwatering and this was to be one of the highlights of the whole tour for me.
After spending a day in these valleys, the mystique is still there as we couldn't really see it properly due to the wet and cloudy weather. We will have to visit it again when the kids are older, in-sha-Allah.
The Alpujarras were the last refuge of the fleeing Muslims of Granada. After years of subjugation and forced conversions to Christianity, they were eventually expelled in the late 16th century.
On leaving Granada we drove along the Pass of the Sigh of the Moor (850m), named after Abu Abdullah's feeling when passing through himself after handing over the keys to city to the Catholics. Sad.
Our first stop was Lanjaron, which was been around since Roman times. The kids had lunch in the Zafira as we couldn't really get out to explore because of the rain. The weather in the picture was typical for the day.
In the background it's possible to make out the Moorish Lanjaron Castle. It was here in 1500 that the town fell in the hands of the Christian troops of Fernando. It is permanently open to visitors. We shall have to visit it next time...
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