Alquézar

Not to be confused with Alquízar.

Alquézar Alquezra
Municipality
View of Alquézar with Collegiate church on the top View of Alquézar with Collegiate church on the top
Coat of arms of Alquézar Coat of arms
Alquézar Location in Spain
Coordinates:
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Aragon
Province	Huesca
Comarca	Somontano de Barbastro
Judicial district	Barbastro
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	José Mariano Altemir Lascorz (PSOE-Aragón)
Area
• Total	32.36 km2 (12.49 sq mi)
Elevation	660 m (2,170 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	301
• Density	9.3/km2 (24/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Alquezrano/a
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	22145
Website	Official website

Alquézar (Alquezra in Aragonese) is a municipality in the province of Huesca, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. In 2012, it had a population of 301.

Overview

Situated on a limestone outcrop of Eocene age to the west of the canyon of the Rio Vero river in the Sierra de Guara national park, the village has grown around a castle and the Colegiata de Alquézar of Santa Maria (consecrated in 1099). The limestone is rich in nummulites (large foraminifera) from the shallow marine depositional environment.

The name comes from Arabic القصر al qaçr, "fort, castle" (renamed as Alcazar in Spanish). Jalaf ibn Rasid ordered its construction and it became the main defensive point of Barbastro against the incipient cristians realms in the Sobrarbe's County.

Since Alquézar is situated in the Sierra de Guara, there is much tourist activity in outdoor pursuits such as canyoning, walking, rock climbing and abseiling, as well as ornithology (since eagles nest on the steep faces of the Rio Vero canyon). Several campsites and outdoor activity companies cater for this interest.

The surrounding area to the south towards Barbastro in the direction of the flatter Ebro basin is part of the Somontano, an area known for its fine wines. There are more than 60 limestone caves with prehistoric cave paintings which has led to the region being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. An example is the cave at Arpán on the A-2205 road heading north towards Bárcabo.

Gallery

• Alquézar - vista desde la Colegiata.jpg

  View of Saint Michael's church from the Collegiate church

• VistadeAlquezar.JPG

  Town's view from above

External links

• Media related to Alquézar at Wikimedia Commons
• Alquézar Tourist Office's website (Spanish)
• Somontano information website
• Alquézar page on information website
• Somontano prehistoric cave paintings