La Taha

La Taha
Municipality
The hamlet of Atalbéitar in La Taha, from the north

Coat of arms

Location of La Taha
La Taha
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 36°56′N 3°19′W / 36.933°N 3.317°W / 36.933; -3.317Coordinates: 36°56′N 3°19′W / 36.933°N 3.317°W / 36.933; -3.317
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Andalusia
Province Granada
Comarca Alpujarras
Judicial district Órgiva
Government
  Alcaldesa María del Rosario Fernández Quirantes (2007) (PSOE)
Area
  Total 26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Elevation 1,295 m (4,249 ft)
Population (2008)
  Total 692
  Density 27/km2 (69/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Bárbaro, -ra
Pitreño, -ña
Talabita
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 18414
Website Official website

La Taha, is a municipality in the Alpujarras region of the province of Granada, Spain. It is named after Taha Salman, the polymath who was among the first to settle in the area. The modern municipality consists of three distinct villages, though several of these are themselves clusters of distinct settlements. It lies to the east of the villages of the Río Poqueira gorge, and to the south and west of Trevélez. The villages are all on south-facing slopes overlooking the Río Trevélez.

The villages of La Taha are:

  • Pitres, with the smaller settlement of Capilerilla above it; this is the administrative centre, the largest of the three villages, and the only one on the through road
  • Mecina Fondales, which comprises Mecina, Mecinilla, and Fondales
  • Ferreirola, which is below the smaller village of Atalbéitar

In guidebooks and other sources, some other neighbouring villages are often included in La Taha, though they do not belong to the municipality. These include Pórtugos and Busquístar.

The name La Taha comes from Arabic , meaning "obedience". Under the Nasrid kings of Granada, the region was divided into a number of administrative districts called "tahas", each containing several settlements; for example, the villages of the Poquiera gorge formed "La Taha de Poqueira". Modern La Taha is the only one of these districts to have retained the name.

There is a modest tourist trade in La Taha, though the villages do not attract the intense interest either of the Poqueira river villages or of Trevélez. Pitres has a market on Friday. The GR 7 long-distance footpath passes through the municipality.

Atalbeitar is one of the best villages in which to learn about the original characteristics of the houses and streets of the Alpujarras, due to the lack of new buildings that other more touristic villages have been constructing.


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