In the luxuriance of “El Valle de Genal” and immersed in the heart of the Serranía de Ronda, we find this small and cosy town with a population of few more than 500 inhabitants.
Although the presence of the Romans in the whole of the valley is known, there is no information relating to human presence until the Muslim invasion. The first known settlers are the Berber tribe, Banu- I- Hawariyya, who gave the town its name. Following the Christian conquest, the population increases due to favourable economic conditions which favoured the extension of grain and forestry. During the Eighteenth Century, the church is built and building work were carried out on the “Plaza de la Constitución”, “El Pósito de Labradores” and other buildings. There exists as well, at present, an ethnographic museum housed in a building which originally was an oil mill. Apart from the local holidays and festivities in October in honour of “Ntra. Sra. Del Rosario”, one of the most popular feasts in Benaularía is the celebration of “Moros y Cristianos” during the first Sunday in August.
The town´s gastronomy is full of dishes in which an abundance of local products are used. During Lent, it is customary to make the fennel soup and for the summer months, “el gazpacho caliente”.