Baza is a town in the province of
Granada in southern
Spain. It has 21,000 inhabitants (
2003). It is situated at 844 m above sea level, in the Hoya de Baza, a valley of the Sierra Nevada, not far from the
Gallego River. This town gives its name to the
Sierra de Baza. The dome-shaped mountain of
Jabalcón overlooks the town from the north-west.
History
The area around Baza has been settled since prehistoric times. It was there that the
Lady of Baza was discovered on 22 July 1971. The city was founded by the
Iberians in the 4th century B.C. and named Basti, the name by which it was known in
Roman times. As part of the Roman province of
Tarraco, it was an important commercial center. Its bishopric was founded in 306, and the ancient church of San Maximo occupies the traditional site of a cathedral founded by the
Visigoth king
Reccared in about 600 A.D.; the cathedral was converted into a
mosque under
Islamic rule (713-1489).
Under the
Moors, Baza was an important frontier post along the border with the kingdom of
Murcia. It was also a major commercial center, with a population upward of 50,000, making it one of the three most important cities in the
Kingdom of Granada. In 1489, during the
Reconquista, the city fell to Queen
Isabella I of Castile, after a stubborn defense lasting seven months. Her cannon still adorn the Alameda. On 10 August 1810,
French forces under Marshal
Soult defeated a large Spanish force near the town.
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