About Torrox
The name of the town derives from the Arabic word for a tower, but the history of Torrox goes back a long way before Moorish times, to the 1st century A.D. We know this from archaeological remains found in the mouth of the river Torrox. The Phoenicians settled here, and after them, the Romans.
The remains of a Roman fish conservation factory, named Claviclum, was discovered in the area, from where the celebrated "garum" was exported to Rome. The Moorish prince Abd-el-Rahamn Ben Muawiya, last representative of the Omeya dynasty in flight from Damascus, arrived in Torrox in 755, after having landed at Almuñécar, to unite with his own Al-Andalus brethren. He then gathered a large army of men and advanced on Archidona, where he was proclaimed Emir of the Believers in March of 756. Abd-el-Rahman was the first independent Emir and Caliph of Cordoba, and his dynasty lasted three centuries of culture, art, commerce and agricultural advancement.
But the population of Torrox was not happy with his rule, and things came to a head at the end of the 9th century with the rebellion lead by Omar Ben Hafsun against the Cordoba Caliphate. The Caliph Abd-el-Rahman laid siege to the Castel of Torrox in 914, capturing the rebels and burning the ships that came to their assistance on the coast.
A completely Muslim population grew up in the town in the 11th century, dependent on the Frigiliana leadership. Torrox was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 after the fall of Vélez Málaga, but the victory was not consolidated until a year later. The Catholic Monarchs awarded the town with the title "Muy Noble y Muy Leal Villa de Torrox" (Very Noble and Very Loyal…) in the year 1503, and Queen Isabel I authorised the building of a watch tower in the town as protection against coastal pirates. A series of earthquakes destroyed part of the town in 1884 and 1885.
Town centre
The town centre of Torrox is exceptionally rich in historic architecture, its narrow and winding streets reminiscent of Moorish times. The town centre is filled with small houses built as the ground rises and falls. The central Plaza de la Constitución has a unique collection of Roman busts on the gable ends of the buildings, and there too is the imposing parish church. Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación This church was built at the beginning of the 16th century over an old mosque, and restored and enlarged in the middle of the 17th century. Its design is Baroque, in the shape of the Latin cross. The interior is divided into three naves, the central one in timber structuring, and outside the most interesting item is the beautiful square tower with semicircular arches supporting a roof with pinnacles. Convent and hermitage of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves This is an important work of Mudejar architecture built in the 16th century. The ground plan of the Hermitage is the shape of the Latin cross, with naves and side chapels, presbytery, choir and spire. The convent is built onto the hermitage, and was founded by the Mínimos Fathers of the Order of San Francisco, who also founded the hermitage. It has two storeys with a cloister and interior patio. The convent was used for storing fruit in the 19th century, and later as a police station for the Guardia Civil, up to the 1970s. Another interesting religious building in the town is the hermitage of San Roque, dating from the 16th century. This is a simple structure with a single nave, choir and spire. Worth a visit too are the 18th century Aduana y Casa de la Moneda (Customs House and Mint) and the present Casa de la Cultura, built in 1863 by José Sevilla.
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|  A view of Torrox Pueblo, Costa del Sol
 Map of the Costa del Sol showing the location of Torrox
View of Torrox lighthouse |
