Benajarafe

Benajarafe is a small village in the south of Spain, in the Axarquía (Andalusia), in the east of the Costa del Sol, about 30 km east from Málaga. On the coast, between the small towns of Rincon de la Victoria and Torre del Mar, one can enjoy a very mild climate. The climate is one of the most pleasant in the whole of Europe, since the almost tropical sun is combined with the beneficial influence of the sea. Benajarafe is easy to reach from the east, and north and west by the Mediterranean motorway (E15). The small village in the municipality of Vélez-Málaga, a city of about 50,000 inhabitants, located about 12 km northeast of Benajarafe.

One must mention that Benajarafe is one of the few places on the coast of Andalusia, which has done in recent years a lot for tourism and for the refurbishment of the town and the promenade. The beach area is very nicely done together with the Promenade. Due to several actions like roundabouts, pedestrian crossing and speed limits the traffic of the old N340 is very well regulated. Benajarafe is a real model of how you have to move with the times to be interesting and different to very many other places on the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz, Costa Tropical or the Costa Almería which should have a closer look to this little jewel. Chapeau!

History

Benajarafe has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic era. Historians believe that the Greek colony Mainake used to be near here and the exact place is still being searched for. The most significant archaeological remains have appeared next to the Vélez River, in Torre del Mar.

Later on it became a Moorish settlement, which gave the place its name, and then it was a medieval farmstead.

One of the most significant landmarks in Benajarafe was built in the 18th century – Moya Tower or Gorda Tower (“Fat Tower”). It is called “fat” because it is the largest tower on the Malaga coast. The purpose of this tower was to warn the people of the village if pirates appeared, who for centuries used to attack from different places. Fires were lit as a warning – using the smoke in the day and fire at night.