Sorbas
Sorbas is a white village in eastern Almería built on a mesa above the Afa, a gorge cut by the Río Aguas, its houses hanging on the cliff edge and its potters still firing Arab-type kilns.
About Sorbas
Sorbas stands at about 410 metres on a mesa ringed by the Afa, an old meander of the Río Aguas that served as its moat. A castle is recorded here in 1089; the town passed to the Catholic Monarchs in June 1488, and its Moriscos were expelled and the land resettled in the 1570s. The municipality, spread over 32 hamlets, has about 2,600 people.
The Plaza de la Constitución gathers the Iglesia de Santa María, begun in 1592 on the mosque site, the 1893 town hall and the red 18th-century Casa del Duque de Alba (exterior only). The Mirador del Porche and Mirador del Castillo give the best views of the hanging houses. Below, in the Barrio de las Alfarerías, potters still fire an Arab-type kiln, and the free Museo de la Lana fills an old wool mill.
Sorbas is 59 km (50 minutes) from Almería on the A-7. Park on the Terraplén, the 1894 approach road with the tourist office and Los Yesares visitor centre, and walk in. Allow two hours, or a day with a caving trip. Lanes are narrow and some are steep, but the plaza and the Terraplén are level. It suits families, photographers and anyone keen on crafts or geology.
Spring and autumn are best; summer afternoons are very hot. The San Roque fiestas in mid-August shower the crowd with bread rings. Try gurullos with rabbit, potaje de trigo with fennel and ajo colorao, and buy a glazed jar from the potters. Return after dark, when the cliff below the houses is floodlit.
Sorbas in pictures
What you’ll find
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local craftsCraft shoppingBuy
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
- MuseumFree museumFree
- Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
The Cuevas de Sorbas (2 km) offer guided caving through galleries of gypsum crystals in the Karst en Yesos protected area, and the signed path of Los Molinos del Río Aguas follows the river past old mills. Across the hills, Lucainena de las Torres (9 km) is a neat white village with iron-mining relics, and Níjar (16 km) is known for its pottery and jarapa rugs. To the west, the badlands of the Tabernas Desert (29 km) served as the set for many westerns. Towards the coast, Mojácar Pueblo (25 km) crowns a hill above the Mediterranean.
Sorbas at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Location
Filabres-Tabernas, Almería
Town
Sorbas
Address
Plaza de la Constitución, 04270 Sorbas, Almería, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets and miradors can be visited at any time. Tourist office: Calle Terraplén 9. The church of Santa María opens at service times; the Museo de la Lana closes on Wednesdays.
Prices
Free to walk around; the miradors, church and Museo de la Lana are free; caving trips in the karst are paid.
Website
conociendosorbas.com
Phone
+34 950 364 476
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Sorbas, nearest first.
