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History
Colonization of this area started in the Neolithic period
(ca 4000 BC) and proof of that can be found in the caves “Cuevas de
Pecho Redondo”. During the Roman Empire (ca 284-430 AD) it is thought
that there were some settlements dedicated to agriculture and raising cattle.
But it is not until the Arabian era that we find the first written documentation
of the existence of the village of Ojen, more specifically in the document “Cronica
de las Hazañas de los Emires Cordobeses” (Chronicle of the Deeds
of the Cordoba Emirs) which is why many historians confirm that Ojen and its
castle have Arabian origins.
In that same document one of the battles of Abderrahman is mentioned which was
fought just before the walls of the castle.
In the year 921 AD Abderrahman conquered Ojen and its church was converted into
a mosque. In 1485 the Muslims surrendered to Ferdinand the Catholic and the Muslim
Moors became vassals of Castilla. During this period Ojen exported raisins, dried
figs, almonds, silk and honey through Marbella to Africa. In the year 1500 Ojen
had about 100 Arabian inhabitants and 4 Christian inhabitants and in the year
1505 a church was built founded by the archbishop of Sevilla.
The castle, together with the church and the rest of the village was burned down
during the Moorish uprising in 1568 and although it was rebuilt, there are only
a few traces to be found of the original village on a slope above the actual
village. In the year 1609 the Moors were expelled from the area for good by King
Felipe III and years later Don Fernando de Solis rebuilt the castle and the church
and made Ojen a village again by giving the people who moved there land and a
house. Ojen became independent from the Marbella municipality in 1807.
Nature
Ojen is located next to Arroyo de Almaden, a place with abundant water, surrounded
by the Blanca and Alpujata mountain ranges, which are rich in minerals. Ojens
proximity to the sea makes the climate temperate even though it is a typical
mountain village. The surrounding mountains have a beautiful and versatile Mediterranean
forest of various types of oaks, pine trees, agaves and fig cacti. That is why
the municipality recently was declared a world biosphere sanctuary.
Among the wildlife we can point out the hispanic goat (cabra hispánica),
which is a protected species and in danger of extinction, the golden eagle (águila
real) and the golden owl (búho real), a bird which is also in danger of
extinction and currently very hard to find.
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