Lújar of the Costa Tropical in the Granada province is a traditional small mountain village located near the Mediterranean coast of Spain, just a few minutes east of the cities of Motril and Almuńécar along the N-340 highway and about a one-hour drive from the city of Granada. Lújar is accessible by small backroads from Calahonda, which is in turn easily accessible by main highway.   Getting There Lújar is near Malaga, Granada, and Almeria, and is readily accessible from the heart of the Costa Tropical, Almuńécar: First, get to the Costa Tropical town of Calahonda. Calahonda is just a few minutes east of the cities of Motril and Almuńécar along the N-340 highway and about a one-hour drive from the city of Granada. From Granada, take the N-323 highway to the coast and then when approaching the Costa Tropical town of Salobreńa, head east on the N-340 highway towards Almeria. Once in Calahonda, follow the signs to the town of Lújar. This road is small and winding.   Description Lújar lies in the Sierra de Lújar which is situated to the north of the Cabo Sacratif and Calahonda. The landscape of Lújar is made up of corcho (cork), madronas (arbutus or strawberry tree) and pino (pine) trees. It is a small village reached by a picturesque road along the ridge of the Sierra de Carchuna. The town is also surrounded by numerous walking trails and is popular for trekking and mountain biking to the highest point of the mountain range, of 1870 meters. The origins of Lújar stretch back to Phoenician times, retaining from this era olive trees. The name Lújar comes from the Arabic word luxar, which means great stones, making reference to the Lújar Mountain range. The urban framework of its narrow streets and the structure of its houses with the classic "tinao" or small vestibule demonstrate its legacy from the Islamic or Moorish period of domination. Lújar, the Costa Tropical, and the Andalucia (Andalus) region suffered a depopulation process as a result of the conquest by the Christian monarchs culminating in the XV Century. In the XVIII Century Lújar and the surrounding Costa Tropical area experienced growth from the cultivation of the grapes, winemaking, and mining. Lújar shares with the Costa Tropical and Andalucia (or Andalus) region of Spain its rich Roman and Moorish past, with many old buildings and bridges still standing including an old fortress for its defense. If you have any other interesting information, thoughts, commments, photos, articles, etc (on Lújar or any other subject) that you would like to post on our site, please feel free to email us at any time. Thank You.