Comares, this intriguing Andalusian village is a place I happily return over and over again. Sincerely, I lost count how many times I followed its ceramic footprints around the narrow streets, how many times I admired the breathtaking views from the outlook, or took countless photos of every picturesque corner of the village. The history of Comares is lost in the darkness of its tumultuous past and nowadays, nobody knows exactly who were the founders of Comares. Some believe prehistoric people, others Greeks, Romans…What we know for sure is that the Moors were the ones who gave the overall character of the village itself and who also referred to it as “Hisn Cumarix”, which means ” high castle”. Located in the foothills of the Montes de Málaga and 703 meters above sea level Comares is a one of a kind place. The Plaza de la Constitución and its surrounding area offer some of the best views of the Axarquia region in all its beauty; the Mediterranean sea, Sierra Tejeda, the villages of Benamocarra and Benamargosa, Velez-Málaga…
Comares
There are few popular sites around the village of Comares: the “Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación” built on a footpath of the original Morrish mosque, the Old Castle and the “Mazmúllar” water well. I should also not forget the friendly and beaming local woman pursuing the wandering tourists to enter her house to buy local harvested honey, homemade soap, lemons or whatever the local agricultural economy has to offer. She is a feature of the village for sure, and not once we left her living room carrying bags of sweet almonds, or a bottle of local “mosto” (home made wine).
Today, there are around 1.400 inhabitants in the village and surroundings and if it wouldn’t be for the cats, small dogs and garlicky odor coming out of the houses you would think the village is deserted. There are plenty of summer homes around and lately the village is becoming more and more popular among the tourists visiting Costa del Sol.
Comares
Many things can be said about Comares which together with Totalan, Cutar, El Borge, Almachar and Moclinejo is part of the “Raisin Route”, covering 62km. This itinerary goes along vineyards, and villages with deeply-rooted wine-making traditions. People say the best raisins in the world are produced here and personally I couldn’t agree more. But this is another story to tell, maybe another time.
Comares
My favorite Comares photo taken during the almond blooming
It was near impossible to choose just few pictures taken in Comares along the years so here is a short slideshow I put together with my favorite ones.
