Impressions

Please let us know of your impressions on Alquería de Morayma. Your feelings, your  comments, your ideas suggestions, pictures: it is all of our interest.

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Prices and Reservations

At the Alqueria de Morayma we offer a wide range of options: double rooms, doubles with patio, self-catering appartments  – in the heart of the countryside , nature on the doorstep.

Prices from  58 – 95 euros per night.

For two persons:

Double room 58 euros (62.64 + VAT)

Double room with patio (or small appartment) 63 euros (68,04 + VAT)

Double appartment 66 euros (71,282 + VAT)

For four persons

Family houses (four persons) 88 and 95 euros (95,04 and 102,60 + IVA)

Extra bed supplement 12 euros.

High Season

Prices in high season, in Holy Week  and the month of August  increase 3 euros

Meals

Breakfast:  3 euros (with fresh orange juice  + 2 euros)

Daily Set lunch: 12 euros.  Other meals from 18 – 32 euros.  Also menu a la carte.

Please add 8% VAT to above prices.

CONTACT US

For further information or reservations

By telephone:   (00 34) 958 343 303 / (00 34) 958 343 221

By e-mail:  info@alqueriamorayma.com

The seasons

We have been recording climate details since 2002: temperatures, humidity, sunlight, rainfall, windspeed and direction from the meteorological station situated among the fig trees above the driveway. There are 14 weather stations in Granada Province and if we examine the data it gives the lie to the well known saying “anything is possible in Granada” where on the same day in the same province one can enjoy temperatures of 20 degrees on the coast (Costa Tropical) and – 10 degrees in the Sierra Nevada.

Summer is the busiest season in the Alpujarra when the local population works and often lives on the land. In winter everyone is back in the village and returns to communal life. Spring and Autumn are intense with agricultural preparation and preoccupation. Most notable is the marked difference between the seasons, and the variety of human activity strongly tied to the demands of nature.

SPRING:

In March we start to feel the heat of the sun, the trees are in full bud and the scent of almond blossom still lingers: but it is said “Cuando marzo mayea, mayo marcea” when March is like May, May will be like March. The agricultural cycle starts again in earnest; weeding the broad bean seedlings, sowing potatoes, peas and pruning the vines.

The first swallows usually arrive around the 6 March with the warmer air, although in 2008 they came over a week later.

At the Alqueria the silk worms emerge around about el dia de San Jose (St Joseph’s Day), at the same time as the soft mulberry tree leaves, on which they feed, come out.

April sees the arrival of solitary bees, honey bees, lilies, and swifts, but in 2002 the swifts came unusually early on 18 February due to a very mild winter with almost no snow remaining in the Sierra.

In 2006 Spring seemed to have arrived on 8 March when the almond trees were in late full blossom so joining the plum trees in swathing the countryside in a sweet scented pink and white blanket of flowers.

By the beginning of April the headwater of the Guadalfeo river is noticeably diminished as water is taken off upstream to irrigate the recently planted seedlings.

SUMMER:

Summer starts with the first cherries. July, August and September is the hottest time of year when the bulk of the agricultural produce of the Alpujarra is collected; figs, tomatoes, almonds, grapes, walnuts, soft fruit, etc.

Wheat is threshed in August and the rye grass is sythed; chick peas and early potatoes are gathered. The grape harvest is in September – we pick in the early mornings and start pressing in the early evening after a hearty lunch.

The summer of 2003 was one of the hottest on record, on a couple of days the temperatures reached 38.5 degrees. Thankfully 2004 was cooler and wetter.

On 13 September, but sometimes later, the swallows depart, leaving behind their laboriously built nests – no matter that the mean temperatures are still as hot as Summer, nature tells them to go.

AUTUMN:

Autumn is the most spectacular season in the Alpujarra, when the leaves of the many poplars, maples, elms, chestnuts and vines at the Alqueria turn red, honey, gold and yellow. Sunsets are magnificent with their rich pink light.

Smoke is seen swirling from the chimney pots and folk sit around their hearths roasting chestnuts. But the kitchen gardens are still productive giving red and green peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, and pumpkins, strawberries and kiwifruits. There are green beans in the Sierra and and almonds on the dry lands.

When the soil releases its summer heat and combines with the fresh airs wafting down from the Sierra it produces a delightful sensation of enchantment in the golden air.

WINTER:

The first snowfalls are usually mid December. This year has been exceptional with three heavy snowfalls since the beginning of the year. The nearby Sierra Nevada directly opposite the Alqueria is still thickly covered.

In January we collect the olives which are then milled in our own press, and we plant garlics in the kitchen garden.

Some years the almond trees blossom in early January, as in 2003, but the flowers are usually at their most impressive mid to late February. The willows, elms and ash trees are now beginning to bud.

In March the first flowers start to come out, such as batchelors buttons, violets and purple flowering cabbage. Although not in 2003 which was cold and rainy, it even snowed at the Alqueria – although we took advantage of the wet to plant another hectare of vines as well as our annual planting of trees and shrubs.

Mirador de Morayma

How to get here

The Alqueria is in the heart of the countryside, 3 kms from the Alpujarra village of Cadiar, just off the A-348 road (Torviscon – Cadiar). If  you are arriving on foot we are 2 km downstream from Cadiar following the banks of the river Guadalfeo.

Mapa para llegar

How to get to the Alpujarra and the Alqueria de Morayma (Ctra. A-348, km 50):

BY CAR:

From Madrid go through Granada on the southbound motorway to the coast, direction Motril. Come off  at  Lanjaron, then through Orgiva, Torviscon on the A-348 direction Cadiar. The Alqueria is signposted on the left 2 km before Cadiar.

From Valencia go through Almeria on the Mediterranean motorway (direction Malaga)  pass Adra and just before arriving at La Rabita turn off the motorway and head inland . Go through Albuñol and take right turn marked Cadiar up and over the hills and down to a T junction. Turn left here (direction Torviscon) and after 500m you will find us on asignposted  right hand  turning.

From Malaga use National motorway 340 (direction Motril -Almeria). Just before you get to Motril head inland (direction Granada) . After some 10km take the second exit right, go over the bridge  (direction Velez Benaudalla – La Alpujarra) and turn left up the hill. Continue following signs to Torviscon (go through) and Cadiar. You will find our signpost on the left 3 kms before you get to Cadiar.

ACCESS

BY PLANE. Granada Airport (Tel 00 34 958 245200) is situated on the Seville motorway,15 km from the city centre. A bus service connects the airport and the city centre. Iberia (Tel 00 34 902 400500) has regular flights. Almeria Airport (Tel 00 34 950 21 3700). Malaga Airport (Tel 00 34 952048404).

BY TRAIN. To mainline stations in Granada or Almeria. Up to 1974 there was a delightful Sierra tram route through the Genil valley passing through the now deserted village of Canales to the Sierra de Guejar.Granada Railway Station (Tel 00 34 958 271272) . Almeria Railway Station (Tel 00 34 950 251135). For more detailed information please contact the Spanish National Railway Network RENFE.

BY BUS. Buses leave daily from both Granada and Almeria. The bus company is called Alsina Graells Sur, on some busses it says ALSA. Their livery is easy to recognise red and white.

TIMETABLES

Souvenirs and Presents

The organic produce of the Alqueria is not only used in our kitchen and restaurant but can also be bought by our visitors who wish to take away with them a reminder of their stay with us.

WINE:  The red and white wines made in our winery can be sampled in the bar and restaurante. All our wines are available for sale.

OLIVE OIL: Cold pressed from our  organically cultivated olives we offer an excellent virgin oil. Try it on your breakfast toast, after a walk around the garden.

HYPERICUM/ST JOHN’S WORT OIL: Made from the flowers of the plant hypericum perforatum, picked around St John’s day (24 June). The flower heads are mascerated then steeped in olive oil. The healing property of the oil has been documented for centuries and is specially recommended as a massage oil, for dry skin and to soothe sunburn.

POSTCARDS: We have printed a wide range of the photographs we have taken over the years; of the mountains, and surrounding countryside, as well as of the many special architectural and decorative features of the Alqueria. We hope you will like to send them, and keep some to remind you of your stay.

MAPS:Copies have been printed of the historic Map of the Alpujarra illustrated by Manolo Gil. It is well known for its reproduction of the churches drawn for the census of the Marquis de la Ensenada.

GUIDEBOOKS: Two books cover the GR-7 and GR-142 routes, both by Mariano Cruz. Since their publication many other paths have been waymarked by local councils and cultural associations which give our visitors the very best opportunity to explore and enjoy the countryside.

BOOKS: Daily Cooking in the Albaicin by Mariano Cruz, published by the Alqueria de Morayma, takes us into the kitchen of an old Albaycin (famous UNESCO protected barrio in Granada opposite the Alhambra) house, explaining not only the gastronomy with its wonderful collection of old recipes, but also the characteristic domestic details that made up a lifestyle unique in Andalucia.

Who was Morayma

Ali Atar, spice merchant and famous general, through his great exploits, gained the highest honors of the Nazari kingdom. Mayor of Loja, Lord of Xagra, first (Primer) Steward of the Alhambra and Governor of the Kingdom of Granada. His highest aspirations came true when his daughter, Morayma, at the age of 15, married Boabdil, heir to the Alhamar throne.

Although exceedingly rich, he lived a frugal life, dedicating his income to the defense of the kingdom. “As an example of the patriotism and sacrifices made by this rich mayor” says historian Lafuente Alcántara, “suffice it to say that both the jewellery and the dress worn by his daughter Morayma at her wedding were borrowed”.

A chronicler who attended the wedding banquet explains that the bride wore a black cloth petticoat and

shawl and a white headdress which almost covered her face. “It’s a pity”, he says “for her features are beautiful and seductive”. A muslim poet declares that Morayma had large and expressive eyes on an altogether admirable face and, he conjectures, “through the thick clothes you could guess at shoulders, arms, hips and waist of classically opulent proportions”.

Historians later referred to her as “tender Morayma” and as the ” suffering wife of Boabdil”. Fidel Fernández says that “few women have been as unfortunate as she”. A few days after the wedding, muley Hacen jails his son Boabdil and “brutally separates his young wife from him” confining her to a Carmen (large house with a garden) near the Cuesta del Chapiz.

After the battle of Lucena, where Ali Atar died and Boabdil was captured, Morayma and her son Ahmed, then just one year old, retire once again to the Carmen, where she suffers “the long months of her husband’s captivity in Porcuna”. Finally, the Castilians free Boabdil who has agreed, among other conditions, to hand over his son as ransom. Ahmed, who had just turned two, won’t be returned to his mother until Granada is surrendered. By then he is nine years old, doesn’t speak arabic, follows the Christian religion and is known as “El Infantico” (The young Prince), a nickname given to him by Queen Elizabeth.

Morayma will return twice alone to the Carmen in the Albayzin and again once more with her husband while they await their exile in Andarax Manor, in the Alpujarra mountains, assigned to them by the Christians.

“Now that you have no kingdom, take refuge in your wife’s bosom”, said Aixa Fátima to her son, but Morayma, “dethoned without ever having tasted the pleasures of the throne”, says one historian, could only offer boabdil her unrelenting  devotion, remembering the Carmen where she had been so unhappy.

From this place, el Mirador de la Esperanza (Lookout of Hope), Morayma used to spend long hours contemplating the palace of the Alhambra, where she was once queen if only for a very short time.

They moved to Andarax and there they remained until the Castilians, recating once again on their agreements, decided to expel them from Spain. This happened “after the heat of the summer of 1493 subsided”. Thus, in October, boabdil, his mother Fátima, his sister, his son Ahmed and Yusef together with a small retinue, left from the harbour at Adra towards Africa. Morayma “the only woman Boabdil was Known to have loved”, says one chronicler, “the only being who could have made the suffering of his exile bearable”, died a few days before leaving the Alpujarras.

And she was buried in the Mosque of  Mondújar, the cemetery where the remains of the Sultans Mohammad II, Yusef I, Yusef III, and Abu Saad had been moved from the Alhambra, at it is recorded on page 28 of the Apeo Book (1577), the official register of the place. The body of Morayma was taken to Mondújar so that she could rest in peace with the Nazari  Kings. Boabdil ordered the relocation of certains properties to the Alphaqui of Mondújar so that he could pray twice a week on Morayma`s tomb. He also gave the Ulemas an important payment, so that they would pray every day for his wife in the Mosque (according to the Lawsuit between the church of the town and Giomar de Acuña, heir of Mr. Pedro de Zafra, Major of Mondújar in the year of 1500. The manuscript is kept in the general archives of the Archbishop of Granada.)

“Soon after Boabdil had embarked for his exile in Morocco”, says Fidel Fernández, “the Christians confiscated all the allowances allocated for Morayma`s Prayers. These funds were used for the construction of a church based an the grounds of the mosque, which they didn’t have objection in demolishing.” The last sorrow in the memory of Morayma whose corpse traveled in the utmost secretly, through the subordinated valleys, from the Prison in the Alpujarra (the old Cobdaa), through Alquería, to Mondújar.

Francisco Izquierdo, Poeta Granadino

Fiestas in the Alpujarra and Sierra Nevada.

The fiesta most commonly celebrated in the Alpujarras is San Marcos, in Springtime on 25 April. In many villages the local people get together for picnics in the countryside, often they’ll walk in large informal processions (romerias) and in some villages, Berchules for example, the procession is enlivened as the farmers bring their cows, horses, mules and donkeys to accompany them.

In Orgiva, during Lent , the fiesta of Cristo de la Expiracion is an important event, and in Lanjaron the fiesta of San Juan on 23 June is extraordinary; the alleyways are awash with water and you’ll never see as much ham.

Throughout the Alpujarra there are annual re-enactments of the battles between the Moors and the Christians. Everyone dresses in extravant costumes, caparisoned horses, muskets at the ready and the village square becomes a battleground. Traditionally the Moors win the first part of the action and in the second the Christians. Throught the summer months these events take place in Laroles, Juviles, Trevelez, Bubion, Albondon, Cherin, Jorairatar and Picena, on the villages’ patron saint’s day. The most spectacular is in Valor on 15 September.

In the Marquesado, the string of villages on the north side of the Sierra Nevada, bullfights are held annually in travelling rings set up in the village squares. In Jerez 8 September, in Lanteira 19 September, in Dolar 30 November, in Cogollos de Guadix………and in Guejar Sierra 15 August. Laujar de Andarax has its own permanent bullring.

In Cadiar, in the Autumn, there is a fiesta to celebrate the end of the grape harvest. There is a fountain in the main square that literally flows with wine.  There is also  a Chestnut fiesta in November and in December there is the annual pig slaughter, and preparation and eating of all the traditional hams, sausages and preserved meats.

In Torviscon on 17 of January  there is a huge public bonfire and a powerful aroma of roast pork. Here the local people raffle a pig which they’ve been fattening up between them.

Finally, the Summer procession, on 5 August,  which takes the statue of the Virgen de las Nieves (the Virgin of the Snows) from the village of Trevelez to the summit of the peninsula’s highest mountain Mulhacen. A shorter less strenuous procession travels the route from Ohanes to the Santuario de Tices on 15 August.

Useful Links

Interesting pages:

• Granada
• Alpujarra
• Sierra Nevada

Granada