Tourism Purchena – Almería

Capital of the Almanzora River during the period of Al-Andalus and founded, according to the chronicles, by the last emir of Córdoba Abdalah around 900 with the name of Hins Burxana.

There are settlements from the Copper Age, such as Churuletes and Roman times. Some villas have been found in the Onegas area.
When it really will acquire importance Purchena will be in the period of Al-Andalus. It will become the center of its region replacing the rebel Husun ​​Summuntan (Somontín) after its destruction. Its importance was such that in the year 985 it was visited by Almanzor. Of this period poets or doctors like Abu Berkr Ibn Thofail stand out who became secretary of the Almohad sultan Abd al-Mumin.
With the Christian conquest, after the capture of Baza in 1489, the capital of Almanzora will be delivered with all its region but, his warden Ibrahim Abenidir stood out by refusing to accept the gifts of the Catholic Monarchs and depart to Africa with his people and servants fact that Antonio Gala collects in his work The Carmesí manuscript. After the delivery is granted in señorío to the dukedom of Medinaceli and as of 1501 will be place of realengo.

During the War of the Alpujarras (1568-1570), in the summer of 1569, Aben Humeya, leader of the Moorish rebellion, turned it into the capital of the uprising of the Moors and held athletic, musical and dance competitions in which Moriscos will participate in the ancient Kingdom of Granada and North Africa. In 1993, the recovery of these Morisco Games started, which are currently held annually during the month of August and according to Juan A. Samaranch’s words: “Aben Humeya’s Moorish games involve remaking a missing link in the chain between Olympic Games of Antiquity and the modern world “. These games have been declared of National Tourist Interest by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. For a week the town of Purchena travels back in time and recovers all the Andalusian traditions: clothing, gastronomy, folklore, handicrafts, sports; being at the same time a meeting place for many visitors from the Maghreb countries.

After the war and the expulsion of the Moors from the Kingdom of Granada, Purchena will fall into a dream until its awakening in the second half of the nineteenth century with the exploitation of iron and mercury mines, the cultivation of the Ohanes grape and the construction of the railroad in 1890.

The 20th century will be another period of decline, especially after the Civil War, when Purchena sees its population divided by half due to emigration. The decade of the nineties represents a new resurgence for this town. From 1993 it becomes one of the venues of the Summer Courses of the Complutense University. The cultivation of the grape is replaced by the orange tree, vine and olive tree. The exploitation of marble quarries and their industrial development begins, as well as vegetable preserves and ham drying, among other activities.

Prominent figures

Ibn Aiyas al Tuyibi, poet.
Ibn Jalis, poet (12th century)
Gustavo Villapalos, rector and mayor of Madrid.

The gastronomy is representative of the rich cuisine of Andalusia and Almeria. Among the typical dishes we should mention the wheat pot, the porridge (with milk or broth paprika) and wheat crumbs, the rabbit or pork fry.

An activity that is tried not to lose is the ritual of killing, which is done before Christmas. In it, they usually eat the crumbs with slices, and they make sausages and fried pork rinds for dessert. At Christmas, homemade shortbread and shortbread cakes are typical. For Lent we have the cod meatballs or the cobbled (rice with cod and beans).

In the summer it is customary to make gazpacho and roasted salad (pepper and roasted tomato, salt, olive oil, olives and cumin). Likewise, as dessert we eat prickly pears, figs, grapes and melons that produce our fields in abundance. As desserts, we must highlight the aforementioned hornazos de San Marcos, the drunks, the fritters and fried donuts that are usually made during Holy Week.

Among the liquors it is necessary to mention the good wines of the country, the mistela, a homemade liquor that is made with grape must and brandy and the “cuerva”, species of traditional sangria of the municipality.