Carboneras is a beautifully situated coastal town in Almería in Andalusia. The town with its many beaches is located at the foot of the Sierra Cabrera, on the Mediterranean Sea. Carboneras is largely located in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. Carboneras offers beach, sea and natural beauty.
Carboneras
Carboneras is located in Spain and is a municipality that is part of the province of Almería in Andalusia. The city is located more than
sixty kilometers from the provincial capital Almería. The town has more than eight thousand inhabitants (2012). The patron saint is San Antonio. Traditionally, a living has been earned here through fishing. Carboneras is located on the Mediterranean Sea, at the bottom of the Sierra Cabrera. This area receives the highest amount of rainfall in the region. This results in a pleasant, green coastline. Nearly eighty percent of the city lies within the territory of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park.
Sights of Carboneras
- Carboneras power station.
- Playa de los Muertos
- Largest desalination plant in Europe
- Fiesta de moros y cristianos
History and the Moors’ Revolt
Philip II donated land to the Marquis of Carpio to build a defense against the Moors. This became the Castillo de San Andres. This uprising was also called the Sublevación de las Alpujarras. It took place between 1568 and 1571. The Moors protested against the Pragmatic Sanction of 1567. The Moors from Granada tried to negotiate for over a year. They argued that this Sanction would hit them severely economically. However, the king was very bitter, especially in religious matters. He considered it very important that Christian values were observed in his territory. The Moors were largely Muslim. There were also a number of Jewish believers among the group from Granada. Because the Moors had the impression that they were not being listened to, they went to war. The more than eighty thousand Moorish survivors were spread over a large part of the king’s territory. This was to ensure that the Moors could not easily regroup and unleash another uprising. Because a large number of inhabitants were killed or expelled, the economic consequences for the Kingdom of Granada were enormous. Due to the small number of inhabitants, the vacancy, the destruction of workshops, fields and orchards, it took a long time before food production started again.
The beaches of Carboneras
Carboneras is surrounded by more than fourteen kilometers of beach. In addition, there is Isla de San Andrés off the coast. This island, which from a distance resembles a whale, is small and rocky. In 2003 it was declared a natural monument. There are a number of beaches in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. This at the mouth of the Alias River. For example, the three kilometer long Algarrobico beach. The environment resembles a desert. This is why the famous film Lawrence of Arabia” was filmed here in 1962. Further well-known beaches are Playa Los Muertos Beach (nudist) and Playa del Corral in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. The Playa Los Muertos in the municipality of Níjar (five kilometers from Carboneras) is considered the best beach in Spain. South of Carboneras is the lighthouse of Mesa Roldán