Benahavis Spain - History
Author: John Lewis

It has been said that the history of Benahavis in the
province of Malaga Spain begins around the end of the 11th
Century and that is true in part. But only as regards
documented history from the time of the Arabs being here
but of course its real history dates back considerably much
further than that.

The Romans were here in Spain more than one thousand years
before that.

In fact the Romans came to Spain in 206 BC.

Spain then fell under the occupation of the Romans for some
700 years.

Before the Romans there had been many others including
inter-alia the Carthaginians, Greeks and Phoenicians all of
whom were great sailors and travelers.

Undoubtedly they all found Benahavis a good refuge point
with the clever combination of it being very near to the
coast together with commanding views of the coast and
beyond to Africa. There are a string of valleys which cross
Benahavis from North to South and over the ages these have
been pathways to the hills and mountain areas which of
course have provided strategic protection and refuge from
pirates, invaders and raiders.

This was a very common occurrence in those times. These
pathways were then of very great strategic importance at
times of battle and warfare of which over the ages there
have been many.

The Montemayor castle was constructed around the 11th
century. This was extremely important for the Nazarine
Kingdom of Granada and a key part of the Kingdoms defenses.
The Castle which was built before the village of Benahavis
also played a key role in the battles between the various
Arab Rulers in Southern Spain.

This would undoubtedly have been due to its great strategic
position. It was disputed and fought over for many years by
the war lords of the day because of the prominent location
and views as outlined above. He who commanded this castle
could command trading and commerce on the coast and know
what was happening at Sea.

The Castle and the territory that it controlled got
involved in the various power struggles between the ruling
Malaga dynasty who were the Edrisitas and the Hammudies,
who were the lords of Algeciras.

A Berber Lord established himself in 1232 as the first king
of Granada, he was known as Mohammed I.

By 1246 his kingdom had become surrounded by the territory
of Castile and he had little choice other than to make a
treaty of co-existence with his neighbours.

He effectively became a vassal or sub ordinate to the King
of Castile and agrees to pay homage and allegiance
including a substantial annual payment.

In 1273, Mohamed 11 the then King of Granada, could see
that that his throne could be at risk due to the inter
tribal rivalry so requested help from the Berbers, who as
they marched across the peninsula, occupied Marbella,
Montemayor Castle and Malaga.

Some 200 years later the strategic location of the castle
was of course noticed and envied greatly by the Christian
Kings who were keen, to say the least, to conquer the last
Moorish Kingdom remaining in the south of Spain.

Isabel and Ferdinand's army had already laid siege to the
Nazarine kingdom of Granada, but initially they occupied
the neighboring province of Malaga.

In June, 1485, Benahavis, together with other villages all
with in the district of Marbella and in the Bermeja
Mountains were handed over to King Ferdinand by Mohammed
Abuneza (Mohammed X1) after the signing of a capitulation
agreement.

The King entrusted the villages to Don Pedro Villandrado
who was the Count of Ribadeo.

He was the first christian mayor of Benahavis.

From that very moment in time a bitter feud arose between
Marbella and Benahavis that lasted some three hundred and
fifty years until Benahavís eventually achieved the
status of complete,independence.

King Felipe II kindly granted Benahavis with its
independence and its very own Municipal Charter effectively
cutting all ties with Marbella in 1572.

With the current and on going planning scandals of the
Malaya case that are still running in Marbella I have no
doubt that many property owners in Benahavis are very
grateful for this act by the King some 400 or so years
later.

As for the Castle, apart from its very impressive location
there were many underground tunnels and passageways that
connected it to the coast apparently large enough to take
a rider on horseback, you do hear of the same kind of idea
in Britain where in by gone times smugglers and the like
had similar passageways as indeed did the English Knights
from their Castles.

In the case of Montemayor the Arabs would have been able to
move their troops and in deed supplies of food and weapons.

Indeed it is said that in the 1960s a lorry fell through
the roof of one of these Tunnels in the main square of
Benahavis but I have also heard that a similar incident had
happened on the main coast road, the old N340, also in the
1960s so it could well be that both reports are true.

As for the name one of the very early rulers of the
Monteymayor castle was called Havis. His son was very
impressed by the stunning views in the valley of the Rio
Guadalmina near the castle and it is said that he built a
small settlement, with a great villa, on a south facing
slope above the river. It is I believe from that settlement
that Benahavis gets its name, Ben al Havis simply meaning
the Son of Havis. Also there was a Berber tribe of Banu
Habis who had settled in this area.

In the Spanish language pronunciation of the B and the V is
very similar so this is possibly another or complementary
origin of the Name Benahavis. Modern day Benahavis is a
very interesting place to say the least with many fine
diining establishments and well worth a visit.


About the Author:

The author JJ supplies premium quality American & European
Hot Tubs from Estepona on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and
his web site is at http://www.spas4you.com email
info@spas4you.com