Village life in Andalucia

The word Cútar is said to come from the Arab word “Kautzar”, which means “The Fountain of Paradise”. Here it is:

Arab fountain and date palm

The fountain is the only surviving Arab fountain of its kind in the Province of Malaga. It is to be found at the entrance of the pueblo. Beautiful and understated, it is set off by two mature date palms. It has been restored and is carefully maintained by the village.

Behind the fountain, stone steps give way to a ricketty wooden staircase that winds up under the road that curls over it across an ancient bridge that fords a little gorge.

The elderly population of the village remember fetching water from it in their youth, and still do at times. Beatrice, who runs the village “farmacia” says the water is no longer drinkable because of the chemicals that are put on the fruit trees above. The hills are not high enough to filter out the pollution.

Nevertheless the fountain stands as a beautful object and a testimant to the benign rule of Islam. The village is developing arab gardens on the surrounding land to contextualise the fountain.

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