The Alpujarras in Granada, Spain

The Alpujarras are located behind the Sierra Nevadas above the city of Granada. They are a mountainous region marked by the berber style houses that you see in the photos left from a muslim legacy that existed in Spain so many centuries ago. It was one of the last places to accept Islam and the last place to accept Catholicism. You can see from the photos that the region is fairly mountainous so with a few key forts one could fight off whoever was trying to conquer them at the time. But it was the one of the last places to covert in 1493 to Catholicism as Boabdil, the last Sultan of Al-Andalus, was forced out of Spain by Los Reyes Catolicos, Ferdinand and Isabel. There are many shepards that herd sheep and the region was for a long time very poor and a bit rough socially. There is a book called "South of Granada" by Gerald Brennan that describes the lives of the people from the Alpujarras. Now, there is a growing tourist industry and the region is famous for Jamon (ham) where some of the best cured ham legs are dried. You can also find spanis goat cheese, wine and other sausage type products from the region and hike from village to village with over 300km of trails. When I lived there in 1999/2000 I hiked up to the snowy peaks that you see in the photos. There is a refuge in the mid mountain range where they prepare meals and provide bedding and a warm fire where travelers gather in the evening to meet and talk. When I was there I could see a mountain range in Morocco! You can then continue on to the highest peak in Spain and the second highest in Europe, Mulhacen, or hike around Veleta (another peak in the mountains) to then continue to Prado Llano and catch a bus back to Granada. I highly recommend it.