Comarca Loja Founded 9th century BC Elevation 448 m Local time Sunday 7:42 AM | Judicial district Loja Demonym(s) Lojeños Area 454.7 km² Population 21,136 (2014) | |
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Weather 13°C, Wind W at 6 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
Loja (formerly Loxa) is a town in southern Spain, situated at the western limit of the province of Granada. It is surrounded by the so-called Sierra de Loja, of which the highest peak, Sierra Gorda, stands 1,671 metres above sea-level.
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Map of 18300 Loja, Granada, Spain
Loja has sometimes been identified with the ancient Ilipula, or with the Lacibi (Lacibis) of Pliny and Ptolemy. It is unknown when Loja was first captured by the Moors; most likely this happened in the 8th century. It first clearly emerges in the Arab chronicles of the year 890. It was taken by Ferdinand III in 1226, but was soon afterwards abandoned. Its Moorish name, Medina Lawsa, was changed to Loja when it was captured by the Christians in 1486, during the Reconquista. Isabella I of Castile called it the "flower among thorns".
Main sights
The town's Islamic heritage is still evident in the quarter of the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress of which most of the walls and towers remain.
Other sights include: