Istan information
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.
Malaga province
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