Its urban design bears witness to its Andalusi past:
steep, narrow streets of whitewashed houses with Arabic
roof tiling, particularly in the upper district of
the village, where part of a tower from the walls
of the mediaeval castle still stands.
Its municipal area is part of the Sierra de Las Nieves
Natural Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco.
History Istan’s origins are to be found with
the inhabitants of the old Arboto Fortress. Records
tell us that the village was founded in 1448, when,
following an attack on Arboto Fortress by a Christian
army led by Saavedra Urdiales, the battle was fought
on the banks of the River Verde, the defeated Moslems
taking refuge in what is now Istan, which means higher,
where they built another fortress around which the
village developed. This village was subsequently captured
by Christian troops on behalf of the Catholic Monarchs.
During the rebellion of the moriscos, Moslem converts
to Christianity, in the mid 16th century, its inhabitants
played an active part in the uprising led by the brave
Melchi, suffering defeat at the hands of Don Luis
Ponce de Leon, Duke of Arcos. The moriscos were subsequently
expelled and the area, one of the richest in the region
thanks to its silk production and vine cultivation,
was left practically uninhabited. It was later repopulated
by settlers from Murcia who spoke a dialect known
as "panocho", from which the term used to
refer to the inhabitants of Istan is derived.
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