History of Arenas del Rey
Traces of the Roman presence, as well as of the long Muslim rule and subsequent Christian repopulation following the War of Granada, can be found here. The municipality gained particular prominence in the nineteenth century due to the presence of Napoleonic troops in its territory during the Peninsular War. Carlos III granted Arenas del Rey town status by decree.
The old town was completely destroyed by the 1884 earthquake and rebuilt in the late 1800s thanks to contributions from across Spain. This reconstruction was supported by Alfonso XII and the architect Juan Monserrat Vergés, who designed the plans and supervised the construction work.
In 1973, the municipalities of Fornes and Játar merged with Arenas del Rey. On 19 February 2015, Játar seceded from Arenas del Rey with the unanimous approval of the Arenas del Rey Town Hall. This was finalised with the approval of the Granada Provincial Council and the regional government on the same day. On 2 October 2018, Fornes also seceded.