Purchena
Encyclopedia
Purchena is a small town in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is situated inland the county of Almería, at the foot of the Sierra de los Filabres
Sierra de Los Filabres
Sierra de Los Filabres is the largest mountain range in Almería Province, Andalusia, Spain. It is forms the southern limit of the Almanzora Valley...
, in the middle of the Almanzora River Valley, surrounded by woods which ascend towards the mountains, an environment which contrasts with the rest of the municipalities of the area which are set in much more arid surroundings.
History
Purchena has been populated since the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. It was also inhabited during the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
period, but it was during the Arabic conquest when it was most important. In the 10th century it was founded with the name Hisn Burxana, and during the reign of Al-Ahmar I in the 13th century it was known as Val de Porchena, and it was converted into the head of the Almanzora, which formed a part of the Kingdom of Nazari of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
. In the year 1489 the town became part of the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
' empire with Baza
Baza
Baza may refer to:*Baza, Granada, a town and municipality in Granada, Spain*Bazas or Aviceda, genus of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family...
, Guadix
Guadix
Guadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway...
and Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
.
The current town took shape during the 18th and 19th centuries around the Constitution and Larga Squares.
Moorish Games of Aben Humeya
The Moorish Games are a historical event that Aben Humeya, King of the Moorish people, celebrated in Purchena in 1.569.During the Games several cultural and sporting activities and other activities are celebrated: performance of the historical event (staged by young people from Purchena in the same way of 400 years ago), ancient Andalusian music and Arabian cooking, traditional dances and sports (lifting of the “burxana” stone with 68 kg, Brick-Lifting, Throw of stone and throw with sling) and sports such as Moorish-Style wrestling, Middle League Race, hop, step and jump, archery.
All these competitions admit the participation of athletes all over the world who want to win the prize and the laurel crown. Aben Humeya Moorish Games have been declared of National Tourist Interest by the Council of Tourism and Sport of the Andalusian Government.