Casa del Rey Moro
Casa del Rey Moro features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Ronda. Give it roughly ~45 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type garden
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Ronda Ronda guide
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About Casa del Rey Moro
A clifftop house with terraced hanging gardens and, its great secret, a Moorish water mine: a long staircase cut down inside the cliff to the river at the bottom of the gorge.
The Casa del Rey Moro, the 'House of the Moorish King', stands on the lip of the Tajo gorge. Despite the romantic name, the house itself is 18th-century; its treasure is older and underground. Within the cliff lies La Mina, a water mine begun in the 14th century under Moorish rule, a staircase cut deep into the rock down to the Guadalevín, so the town could draw water during a siege.
A great chamber held a water wheel, worked, it is said, by Christian captives who carried water up to the town; when Castilian troops cut the supply, Ronda soon fell, in 1485. Above ground, the house is wrapped in beautiful terraced gardens designed in 1912 by the French landscape architect Forestier. The gardens and the mine are open; the house itself is not.
Did you know? The Casa del Rey Moro, on the edge of the Tajo gorge, has an 18th-century house despite its romantic name; its treasure is La Mina, a water mine begun in the 14th century under Moorish rule.
How long is a visit to Casa del Rey Moro?
Set aside roughly ~45 min for Casa del Rey Moro. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Casa del Rey Moro worth your time?
Casa del Rey Moro is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Ronda, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Ronda
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Casa del Rey Moro and read more:
Day 2 of the Ronda in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Casa del Rey Moro
Preview the Ronda tour free in the Gingerguide app.