Terque Travel Guide

Picture: Wikimedia Commons

Terque was formerly known as Marchena. During the Al-Andalus period, it was called Marshana, and was one of the most important fortresses of the time. In the Nasrid period, it gave its name to the Taha of Marchena, which consists of ten districts.

After the Christian conquest at the end of the 15th century, the Catholic Monarchs ceded the Taha of Marchena to Don Gutierre de Cardenas y Chacon in 1494. The earthquake of 1522 destroyed the Marchena fortress and its inhabitants relocated to Terque and Huecija.

The War of the Alpujarras (1568-1570) brought with it the depopulation of Terque, together with the rest of the populations of the Alpujarra of Almeria, caused by the expulsion of the Moors from the Kingdom of Granada.

The second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century were characterised by the general enrichment of the area thanks to cultivation of the Ohanes grape. With the Civil War and the postwar period, a time of economic decline and population reduction began that continues to this day.

The landscape that surrounds the town is dominated by hills, ravines and arid and semi-desert windings. However, areas of fertile orchards where citrus, grapevines and olive trees are grown are observed towards the foot of the slope where the town sits. The heart of the town offers the visitor an abundant historical and architectural heritage.