Historic Buildings in Cabrera

In historical terms, the most important building in Cabrera is the tower or, to use the correct word derived from the Arabic, the “alminar", which can be seen at the end of the village adjoining Los Pastores. It is believed to be one of only two surviving examples in Spain ; the other one being located in a village in the province of Malaga . The tower, which has been dated to the 11th century, is an extremely secure construction. The only room is situated at a height of over 4 metres above ground level and the section of the tower below this point is constructed of solid masonry. If you stand on the north side, in the space between the tower and Los Pastores, you will see the single entrance doorway to the room. At one time, a similar doorway was situated opposite to it, on the upper level of Los Pastores. The partial remains of this opening can still be seen from the patio area of the restaurant.

Although the word “alminar" indicates a tower from which people were called to worship, the true purpose of the tower is uncertain; there is little doubt that it could be used effectively as a last place of refuge for people who had been besieged in the church, Once they realised that they could no longer stop their attackers gaining entry, the survivors would have been able to make their way into the tower. ln recent times, until the premises fell into total disuse, a plank or similar was used as a means of access from one building to the next. However, on closer examination, it is possible to see recesses constructed in the upper stonework of the entrance to the tower. These indicate that a more secure gate, incorporating a simple type of drawbridge was in operation during the more violent periods of the refuge's history.

It is believed that the majority of the main part of Los Pastores restaurant was built about 500 years ago as a church. The Christian settlers that re-occupied Cabrera after the Moors were expelled at the end of the 15th century were responsible for its construction. Although more archaeological research would be needed to confirm the facts, it is suspected that the church occupies the site of a much earlier mezquita (mosque) erected during the Moorish occupation and located near to where the main fortified entrance to Cabrera used to exist.

Very little is known of the early history of the church, but, like many religious constructions of that era, it was well fortified. You only have to note the thickness of the walls and absence of window openings to become aware of this. Only three of the original walls are still standing as the fourth wall was demolished at the beginning of the 1900's; this was to allow the construction of accommodation for local inhabitants who at that time were working on the lands belonging to the Cabrera estate.

For a long period of its history and especially during the Arab period, Cabrera held a reasonably sized population. A census conducted in 1495 shows Cabrera and its neighbour Teresa, each with a population of approximately 700 people of Arab extraction. It is interesting to note that the Arab population of Bedar at the time was less than 250. It is probable that Cabrera had its largest population during this period as due to the persecution the numbers diminished considerably throughout the next century and by the year 1587 everyone of Arab descent had either been forced to leave or had left through fear of persecution. After the expulsion of the Arabs resettlement was very slow and never reached the former levels.

The last recorded evidence of a substantial past population in Cabrera appears to be a local account from 1846 that refers to the ruins of between 450 and 500 houses in the vicinity of the church. There is no doubt that the church continued to serve as a place of worship for many years thereafter.

Conversion of the church into Los Pastores started in 1988 and it was undertaken with the tacit approval of the Town Hall in Turre. However, once the work came to the attention of the persons responsible for the preservation of such buildings, the job was well advanced and very little could be done to further preserve the building. In fairness to those responsible for the conversion though, it does appear that every effort was made to retain as many of the original features as possible. After all, this is a building that has been adapted many times to changing circumstances and the creation of a restaurant was no more than the latest metamorphosis.

Because of its ancient pedigree, the tower was a different matter. A certain number of the new alterations had incorporated part of the tower and this was the point where the authorities drew the line. The result was that the premises were refused a licence to operate until the offending additions were removed.

There is one final building with a significant amount of structure remaining. This was the house constructed in the 19 th century by the then landowner Simon Fuentes Caparros. It was obviously a splendid building in its day, but unlike its much older neighbours, it has failed to pass the test of time.