Ardales lies on the N357 62.5km northwest of Malaga. Ardales is said to derive from the Moorish Ard-Allah, the Garden of the Allah, the name given to the town after its conquest by Alhur al Tagafi in AD 716. Today it is one of the small pretty white towns for which Andalucia is famous. There is still a public garden, Jardin de las Poetas, near the Municipal Museum.

The Ardales area has been occupied since the Stone Age and Neolithic remains have been discovered close to the Mozarab castle built on the 496m high rocky promontory which dominates the town. Earlier conquerors than the Moors, the Romans, also liked the place and built a fortified settlement on the Peña de Ardales 500 years before the Moors arrived. The Romans, however, it seems, were not quite so keen on the surrounding countryside and named the mountains of nearby El Chorro ‘the Hills of Hell?

The Moors held Ardales for nearly 750 years. The castle was built in the 9th century, a time of Moorish unrest. During the last century of Moorish rule the castle went backwards and forwards like a ping-pong ball between the warring Christian and Moslem factions. The Christians seized the castle from the Moors in 1362; the Moors snatched it back in 1368. The Christians retook it in 1433; the Moors captured it again in 1447; before the Governor of Teba, one Juan Ramirez de Guzmán, settled matters once and for all by finally conquering the castle for the Christian side in 1453/54.

Nine towers still remain around the perimeter of the castle. The castle grounds follow the lie of the land and are somewhat irregular. There is a square living area with a tower at each corner, and a 15th century irrigation channel for the castle’s water supply can still be seen. The entrance to the castle lies behind the Church of Nuestra de los Remedios.

Ramirez built the Church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Mudehar style (rectangular chapels and ‘upward arches? on the site of the former mosque. The church was rebuilt in 1720 on the same style and became part of the diocese of Malaga in 1833. The smaller 17th century church of the Convento Capucino stands lower down on one side of the leafy square where the outdoor market is held every Friday. Although the area has an agricultural economy based on pigs, sheep, goats, almonds and olives, the Friday market seems to sell mainly clothes and shoes.

Today Ardales is a pleasant farming town with a population of about 3000 people. The pretty tiled Town Hall sits on the Plaza de la Constitución which is the hub of Ardales life with shops, cafés, post office, the doctor’s surgery and a fish market clustered around. Two small traditional Spanish bars guard the main entrance to the square where the menfolk of the town like to congregate and where a decent coffee with a couple of tapas can be had for around three euros.

Apart from Semana Santa (Holy Week) there are two other annual fiestas in Ardales. Fiesta de la Metanza is held in February when many of the local pigs are slaughtered and the best cuts of pork are cooked for tasting and testing by the local community. Other delicacies include kid and lamb soup and galleta de almendra, a delicious homemade almond biscuit. In the first week of September the Ferio Grande takes place. Pilgrims and musicians accompany Romeria de la Virgen de Villaverde as she is taken in procession to Llaños de Bélan at the end of the Guadalhorce Reservoir.

There are three reservoirs, Los Tros Lagos (the Guadalhorce Reservoir being fed by the Rio Túron) close to Ardales, and stretching out towards the mountains of El Chorro, the ‘Hills of Hell? Ardales Park Museum is situated close to the Reservoirs and gives the history of the El Chorro dam and the spectacular Los Gaitanes Gorge. This area offers rock climbing, trekking and water sports.

The Municipal Museum (952 458 046) stands just off the roundabout with the water fountains at the entrance to the town and next to the new Cultural Centre. In Ardales history the main ‘must see?feature is the Ardales Cave which is situated about 2km from the town in the Cerro de la Calinoria, part of the Serrezuela mountain range. The Municipal Museum arrange regular tours. The Cave is 1577m long and is formed from ?the marbles and calcareous rocks of the Triassic Period?

Stone Age cave art paintings dating from around 20,000 years ago, have been discovered in the Cave, especially in the Lower Galleries. The paintings, in shades of red, black, ochre and brown, include deer, horse, birds, human female figures, a snake and a fish. These may indicate pre-historic ritual worship of a mother goddess. A number of human bones have been found in the Upper Galleries, but they have yet to be dated and the Upper Galleries are not open to the public.

The Cave was sealed by an earthquake 8000 years ago and rediscovered after another earthquake in 1821. In the deep cool depths of the Cave visitors are invited to switch off their guide torches for a couple of minutes. The darkness and silence are absolute and disorientation sets in quickly. People shuffle and cough and try to reassure themselves of the presence of others. Thoughts of that long ago earthquake surface unbidden and the imagination shies away from what could happen. It is a sobering experience and the bright sunshine outside the Cave suddenly seems very welcome.

The Tourist Information Centre for Ardales (952 458 087) can give further details.