Iznájar and its castle

Iznájar is a municipality in the province of Córdoba in Spain, Andalusia. The town is crowned by the castle of Hisn-Ashar and the parish of Santiago Apóstol. It is located in the Subbética Cordobesa region, on the banks of the Genil river and the Iznájar reservoir.

Even today, despite the massive emigration of the 1960s and thanks to the arrival of Nordic foreigners, more than half of the inhabitants enjoy the rural world, the quiet life in contact with the countryside and nature.

Iznájar is a classic “pueblo blanco”, or white village and is surrounded by its “Aldeas” – sub villages.

Tourism and main attractions

Castle of Arab origin dating from the 8th century called Hisn Ashar. It has been declared an Asset of cultural interest. The castle stands on the great promontory from which the whole city can be seen, being a clear example of the rock castles of the Al-Andalus period. It has a triangle-shaped plant, truncated on its northeast side, with its longest side facing south and with a large central space.

Renaissance church of Santiago Apóstol.

Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Antigua y Piedad, whose Virgin is the patron saint of the town and has a lot of devotion throughout the region.

Church of San Jose.

Clock tower.

San Rafael tower.

The Ville.

Sanctuary of Magán (Fountain of the Count).

Although not many archaeological sites have been found in Iznájar, it is known that between the Fuente del Conde and Los Pechos, where there are certain Iberian and Roman settlements, there are beautiful farmhouses with a long history, dating back to the 18th century (for example, the Cortijo de Los Pechos) and the Christian Reconquest (1492, with the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs).

From the aforementioned archaeological sites, the so-called Cerro de la Pía, which is located in Cierzos and Cabreras, is presented here. This Roman settlement has remained unpublished to date, despite being very close to the urban center. It is one of the most important of the term both in superficial extension, and in proximity to the town, since it is just two kilometers away. In addition, there are several Muslim vestiges in Iznájar (since it was Muslim territory during al-Andalus), such as the Hisn-Ashar castle and other sites.

How to get to?

From Cordoba 1 hr 22 min (110 km) via A-45

From Granada 1 hr 12 min (90.7 km) via A-92

From Seville 2 hr 11 min (201 km) via A-92

From Madrid 4 hr 49 min (435 km) via A-4

Main information

Area: 136 km² (municipality)

Coordinates: 37°15′24″N 4°18′36″W

Population: 4134 (municipality)

Languages: Spanish

Currency: Euro

Visa: Schengen

Time: Central European UTC +1

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