Casa del Gigante

The Casa del Gigante

The Ronda audio-guided tour takes you to the Casa del Gigante, a Nasrid palace exceptionally well preserved in the heart of the old quarter of La Ciudad.

A testimony of Nasrid palatial art

Built between the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth century, this dwelling belonged to a noble Muslim family, at the time when Ronda was an important centre of the Nasrid kingdom. It crossed the Christian conquest of 1485 by remaining almost intact, which makes it one of the most precious testimonies of medieval Andalusian palatial architecture. The house owes its name to a very old statue, probably a Phoenician or Hittite god of the eighth century before our era, found on the spot; the original is preserved inside, a copy overlooking the courtyard. One crosses there a medieval patio with a basin, around which daily life was organised, adorned with sculpted stuccoes and fragments of Arabic inscriptions of the fourteenth century.

What there is to see

The Casa del Gigante offers a rare immersion in the intimacy of a Nasrid palace, with its patio, its basin, its sculpted stuccoes and its Arabic inscriptions. The ancient statue that gives it its name recalls that the roots of Ronda go back well before the Islamic era. It is a discreet jewel of the old quarter, to be discovered to grasp the Andalusian heritage of the city.

Practical information

The Casa del Gigante is in the La Ciudad district, in the old town of Ronda. It can be visited according to hours to be checked on site; access is generally subject to a charge.

From what era does the Casa del Gigante date?

From the end of the thirteenth or the beginning of the fourteenth century, at the time when Ronda was a centre of the Nasrid kingdom.

Where does the name Casa del Gigante come from?

From a very old statue found on the spot, probably a Phoenician or Hittite god of the eighth century before our era.