La Casa del Rey Moro — Attraction in Ronda

A little bit of history: Contrary to what the name may lead you to think, there was never any Moorish King who lived in this place nor a palace here at that time. The name is derived from a portrait in tiles on a façade that represents a Nasrid (or Nasrí); that is, a Moor from the al-Andalus period. The beginnings of the location date back to the creation of a water mine, which allowed water to be extracted from the Guadalevín River via a large water wheel and the extenuating effort of Christian slaves, who also carried the “zaques” (gourds made from goat skins) of water to the exterior. It was a secure way to provide water to the population in times of siege, since the town did not have its own cisterns or water supply. The rift or grotto that formed the basis for the water mine and which was almost impossible to detect from the outside, was fortified by the construction of a façade, with a room that was possibly a cistern, a men-at-arms room and another for the waterwheel, with the steps that allowed access up and down these 60 meters. In 1485, during the reconquest of Ronda by the Castilian army and with the information provided to them by a certain Yusuf, who betrayed his fellow citizens, the troops of the Marquis of Cádiz attacked the fortification via the riverbed, opening a hole at its base and entering it. They disabled the waterwheel, cutting off the water supply to the city and thus forcing its surrendered in a matter of days. The space was undeveloped for years, until a house was built above the mine in the 18th century. From 1767, it belonged to various members linked to the family that held the Marquisate of Salvatierra. And in 1911, it was sold to the Duchess of Parcent. This owner expanded and renovated the house in neo-Mudejar style and commissioned Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier to design the garden. In 1943 it was declared a Historical Garden. Today it holds the highest level of heritage protection, with the category of Asset of Cultural Interest.

As to the visit. The house itself is undergoing long-term stabilization and repairs (funded mainly by visitor’s fees). Currently you can visit the water mine and the gardens, which are worth it if you are spending a day or two in Ronda. The water mine is about 200 steps down to the bottom of the gorge and not suitable for anyone with health issues (more for climbing back up than going down), though you don’t have to go all the way to the bottom, you can stop off at a couple of the chambers before heading back up. If you’re heading gown the mine, leave the gardens till after so you can have a sit-down and recover. A must-see are the peacocks which add a great patch of colour to...

Firstly: keep in mind that the house is currently being renovated and from the looks of it that’s gonna take a while. So the house is off limits, which is not immediately clear on entry.

Having said that, it’s still a must see when visiting Ronda! The garden, the views, the watermine and seeing the gorge from down below - it’s all amazing!

The garden is a beautiful combination between French allure and moorish gardening styles. We found lots of blooming flowers and some proud peacocks, as well as amazing views.

The mines are truly a unique feature to Ronda and its history. Just note that descending into the watermine, can be difficult, especially for elderly. It’s quite dark in some spots, can get slippery, and the amount of steps down is quite a lot. It can also get chilly.

Descending the many steps and discovering rooms and windows everytime is a surprising experience. All the way down comes the best reward: being able to get into the gorge on ground floor, on a small platform. You can see the water passing by, look up at the buildings up top. Very worth it, just wish they put some chairs there to enjoy it longer!

If needed you can install an app that will function as audiotoor.

As a bonus, take a rest on the mirador at the top start of the descent into the mines, and watch everyone come up top panting their...

Among all the 2.5-5 euros attractions in Ronda, I’m expecting more out of this 10 euros spot. However, it turns out to be an utterly disappointment. First of all, I saw signs of audio guide everywhere but there wasn’t any audio guide presented or suggested when I was there. People were climbing up and down just to see a pool of shallow dirty river water. Not to mention it was slippery at some corners of the staircase. I was risking to break my knee just to see an empty stone chamber with a sign saying “secret room” and another saying “treasure room” without any secret, let alone treasure. Not even a few description lines were found in between the ceiling and the floor. I was totally clueless. On top of that, there was nothing in the garden except for three peacocks strolling around. And they were drinking water from a very dirty fountain pool on a scorching hot afternoon. I felt so bad for them. The view from the garden is not better than the view you can see for free from a lot of free...