Benajarafe
Benajarafe is a small coastal village resort on the eastern part of the Costa del Sol in the municipal district of Vélez-MálagaSpain near a region called La Axarquía.
Benajarafe is actually divided into two distinct parts, Benajarafe Alto and Benajarafe Costa. The first is the main center of the population, composed of a large number of small farms and country houses.
In recent years, a number of modern developments have been built on the hilly land tar runs down to the coast.
The beach is narrow in places and the N-340 coast road runs directly along the back of the beach. The coastal motorway A-7 runs one km inland. Exit km 258 links the coast to the west of Benajarafe.
Things to See
Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary is in Benajarafe and each October there is a pilgrimage where the virgin is carried up the hill on the back of an oxen cart from the church in Benajarafe Costa.
Torre Moya (fat tower) which is the largest of the many watchtowers on the Malaga coast.
Old train Station The old train station from the narrow guage line which ran from Málaga to Ventas de Zafarraya. The Compañia Ferrocarriles Surbanos de Málaga (FSM), was a company of Belgium capital founded in 1905. FSM's first line opened in 1908 from Málaga to Velez-Málaga. The extension to Ventas de Zafarraya opened in 1921 and closed in 1960. The planned extension to Granada was never constructed. The line contributed to the economic development of this coast was disbanded in 1968.
History
Benajarafe has been has been ccupied since the Paleolithic era. Some historians locate the Greek colony of Mainake here although the exact location is debated. The name of this village probably originated from the Moors and it is suggested the name comes from the Arabic Ben ash-Sharif (Son of Height) In 1483 the last Muslim victory in Andalusian lands, the Battle of the Axarquía, took place in this area.
Bus
The local buses connect Benajarafe with the towns of Málaga, Vélez-Málaga, Nerja, Periana, Riogordo and Almayate. Lines are M-260, M-362, M363, M-364, M-365.
Location
Benajarafe is 12 km from Vélez-Málaga and 20 km from Malaga city
