OJÉN

Ojén is a lovely villa which is situated at ten kilometres from Marbella, with white houses and narrow streets which remind of its Arabic past. Most of the 1990 inhabitants work in the tourist sector, although they used to work the iron mines exploited by an English company. Ojén is situated next to the Almadán brook, in a tranquil spot rich in water, and surrounded by the Blanca and Alpujata sierras. The closeness of the sea makes this town have a mild climate, in spite of its being a typical mountain town.

Among the monuments there are the church and the remains of an Arabic castle.

One of the places to rest from the bustle is the Juanar Inn refuge, which was built in 1906 by the Marquis of Larios as a hunting refuge and was visited by Alfonso XIII. In the restaurant of the Refuge it is worth tasting the typical dishes of the town, such as lamb, pickled partridge, pheasant, rabbit, venison or quail chasseur, as well as mountain goat meat in the hunting season. Another of the typical dishes of Ojén is the gazpacho with grapes and almonds, as well as the popular cod omelettes and rice with fennel.

One of the typical products which gave Ojén fame was the aguardiente liquor, popularized with the motto "half a cup of Ojén".

The festivities in Ojén are celebrated from the 9th to the 12th of October, in honour of the patron saint, San Dionisio Areopajita. The characteristic of the Ojén fair is that there are no stalls and it is celebrated in the town square. In the first fortnight of August, Ojén is converted into the Malaga capital of flamenco and many tourists and residents of the coast come to the festival of Flamenco singing, which lasts all night.

On the 1st of May they make the pilgrimage to Cerezal, and on the 1st of November they celebrate the tradition "toots" and the pilgrimage to the Cruz de Juaná.

Ojén basic information

The web of Ojén

Sierra de las
Nieves