Lugares de interés en Níjar

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POI

Church of the Annunciation

The church of the Annunciation is located in the Plaza de La Glorieta, the nerve center of the social life of the town, in front of the Town Hall building. This church was ordered to be built by the bishop Antonio Corrionero in the 16th century, during the reign of Carlos I and in the building, you can see his coat of arms on the tower-fortress. Of Mudejar style it has of particular its defensive function. It consists of a central nave and two lateral naves separated by semicircular arches, supported by octagonal pillars. In its interior, in the altar there is a baroque altarpiece of three bodies. On the left side of the altarpiece is Saint Anthony, in the center is the Immaculate Conception, attributed to the School of Alonso Cano, from the 18th century, and on the right side is Saint Sebastian, patron saint of Nijar. In the upper part there is a medallion representing the Holy Trinity, of anonymous origin. There is also an image of Saint Joseph from the 18th century from the Granadina School; one of the most important images preserved in the diocesan patrimony of Almeria. Another element of the interior is the painting of Our Lady of the Annunciation, which gives its name to the church and which is also of unknown origin. It is necessary to emphasize the Mudejar coffered ceiling of the building very conserved and of great beauty. At present, the tower is used as a bell tower. A remarkable element is the coat of arms of Bishop Corrionero over the door of the main entrance, which fell in 2008 due to an earthquake and has been restored. It is now in the baptistery of the church and outside, in its place, a copy has been placed since then.

POI

La Atalaya

The tower of La Atalaya was declared of Cultural Interest with the category of monument in 1985 and is one of the main symbols of the town, appearing its image on the coat of arms of Nijar. Its construction took place in the thirteenth century and since then stands guarding the town. According to the chronicles it seems that in the fourteenth century, at the time of Yusuf I, it was restored. Currently, in 2016 the old tower was rehabilitated and is nowadays shown in all its splendor. The tower stands on the site of an ancient castle and portions of the walls are visible around the tower, perhaps remains of the ramparts that were ordered to be built because Nijar was such a dangerous area and had to defend itself against the incursions of corsairs and Berbers. Built in masonry, it has a circular floor plan with the base wider than the top and with two windows, to which there was no access from the outside, but with a ladder placed inside and that was removed when the guards entered as a security measure. These towers were useful to be used as warning signal posts and to communicate with other towers distributed along the coast. From it we can observe an excellent panoramic view of the village, its region, as well as the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata-Níjar.

POI

Water Museum

The Water Museum is one of the many attractions of the town, located in the old building of the market of 1950, which in turn was settled on the irrigation regulation pond of the spring of Nijar. The building now converted into a museum is located in the Market Square, lined with large elm trees and the famous "Cañillo" fountain that continues to offer water from this spring. The fountain is now next to the museum, although in the past it was in the middle of the square. The Museum is also a Municipal Tourist Information Office where you will be provided with all the information of interest about the Comarca de Níjar. Here you can find maps of the area and printed material. In addition, it is dedicated to documenting a traditional culture of water in arid areas, a characteristic of the Villa de Níjar. You will learn about the importance of water for life, the functioning of the water cycle, the role that this liquid plays in our climate and the conditions that determine the aridity of the southeast of the peninsula. The ingenious solutions that the human group has had to deploy throughout history to capture, store and distribute it are shown.

POI

El Portillo

El Portillo is one of those streets with a special charm, which deserve to be visited and that in the historic center surprise us with its architecture. The street is roofed and culminates in an arch that leads to the neighborhood of La Atalaya. Its design seems to respond to the fact that in its day it was one of the gates of the walled enclosure of the Villa. Also right in this place we will find the Casa Museo del Portillo, a typical house that usually hosts various exhibitions of local artists.

POI

Pottery and Jarapas

A visit to Níjar is a visit to its craftsmanship, known for preserving the tradition both in ceramics and in its jarapas (or "harapas"). The ceramic pieces come from the hands of experienced craftsmen, with centuries of tradition, and a typical coloring that distinguishes them from the industrial ones. They are a real treasure with an arduous work, as well as the "jarapas", which are still made in the looms. All of them are acquired as a souvenir of the passage through this Villa, but have been used in daily life by the inhabitants of the place. Some of the workshops or trades can be visited and see live the different processes. Nijareña pottery, with centuries of tradition, is a manual process that begins with the potter on his wheel at ground level makes the different pieces emerge with techniques and processes that have been passed down from generation to generation. After the drying process, the dyes are applied, obtained with metal oxides, and whose decoration has very peculiar features. The baking, although in the past it was done in wood-fired ovens, is now done in more modern ovens that allow a constant temperature to be maintained. The pieces are varied and range from utensils for daily life to those necessary for transporting water. Nowadays they are still used for these purposes although they have also become decorative elements due to their great quality and beauty. Nijar is also a land of looms that were made with scraps or "rags" on wooden frame looms, anchored to the ceiling and walls, with horizontal warp and pedals to move the threads alternately so that the shuttle in its back and forth route interweaves the fabric and forms the jarapa. The choice of colors and the randomness makes each of these pieces unique and of great beauty. In the past, they were used to protect mattresses, as a spreader (to pick olives) and as blankets. Nowadays they still maintain this function, but they are also used for decoration as tapestries and carpets.

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