The busy town of Velez Malaga is often overlooked by many visitors to the Costa del Sol, mainly I imagine as it lies 5 km inland from Torre del Mar and perhaps thought to be a little off the beaten track and has not developed a major tourist industry, however it is only a 5 minute drive from the Coast and is well worth visiting.
Velez Malaga is the Capital of the Axarquia region and sits in the beautiful valley of the River Velez surrounded by sub tropical vegetation. Velez Malaga or simply Velez as it is often referred to on these parts, has a thriving agricultural commerce producing vines, strawberries, olives, sugar cane and other vegetables. The muscatel grape is used to produce one of the the world famous sweet Malaga Wines .
Velez is also steeped in history and its origins go back to the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, many important remains have been discovered in the area.The Greek city of Mainake is reputed to have stood here. And whilst under Roman rule it was known as Menoba, and was an important centre of commerce and trade. And as is the case of most parts of Andalucia the Moore's occupied Velez for some Eight centuries and was known as Ballix-Malaca (Fortress of Malaga) when once again it was an important cultural, strategic and commercial centre.
There are several churches to be found in the town, one of the most beautiful is the 15th-century church of Santa María la Mayor, whose beautiful sectioned tower still holds the minaret of the mosque that preceded it, this church was the first building to be erected by the Christians, following their victory over the Moors.
