The Alhamas of Spain: four towns, one thermal spring

The word

Al-hamma, "the thermal spring"

In Andalusi Arabic, al-ḥamma names the hot-water spring and, by extension, the baths that grew around it. Wherever Andalusi geographers recorded an alhama, there was — and almost always still is — thermal water rising from the rock.

So the four Alhamas of Spain are no coincidence: all were born around a hot spring, all knew Roman or Arab baths, and three still run working spas. They are, quite literally, the towns of the thermal spring.

The four towns

Four landscapes, one origin

Andalusia · Province of Almería

Alhama de Almería

Ours: between the Andarax valley and the Sierra de Gádor

At the gates of the Tabernas desert and half an hour from the gulf beaches, Alhama de Almería grew around a spring that rises at nearly 47 degrees. Its baths — "Alhama la Seca" in the chronicles — named the town, today surrounded by grape arbours, western film sets and the coves of Cabo de Gata.

Thermal spring and the historic San Nicolás spa
Andarax valley: Ohanes grapes and mountain wines
Perfect base: Tabernas desert and Cabo de Gata close by

Discover Alhama de Almería

Andalusia · Province of Granada

Alhama de Granada

The town hanging over the Tajos

Perched above the gorge of the río Alhama, it keeps some of Spain's best-preserved Nasrid Arab baths and a working spa. Its loss in 1482 drew from the sultan the famous lament "¡Ay de mí Alhama!".

The Tajos, a Natural Monument
12th–14th century Arab baths
Working thermal spa

Visit Alhama de Granada

Region of Murcia

Alhama de Murcia

Between Roman baths and Sierra Espuña

At the foot of Sierra Espuña, it preserves beneath a museum the remains of its Roman and Arab baths, used for two thousand years. Today it is the gateway to Murcia's great green lung and its trails.

Los Baños archaeological museum
Castle on the hill
Sierra Espuña: forests and hiking

Visit Alhama de Murcia

Aragón · Province of Zaragoza

Alhama de Aragón

The great spa town of the Jalón

In the Jalón valley, its waters at around 34 degrees feed nineteenth-century spas and a remarkable open-air thermal lake, unique in Spain. Here, thermal bathing never stopped being a living industry.

Open-air thermal lake
Working 19th-century spas
A step from the Monasterio de Piedra

Visit Alhama de Aragón

Four towns bound by water: if the name brought you here looking for another Alhama, its guide is above — and if you were looking for ours, welcome.

Frequently asked questions

Alhama, made clear

How many Alhamas are there in Spain?

Four municipalities bear the name today: Alhama de Almería (Andalusia), Alhama de Granada (Andalusia), Alhama de Murcia (Region of Murcia) and Alhama de Aragón (Zaragoza). Some rivers and minor places share the toponym too.

What does "Alhama" mean?

It comes from the Arabic al-hamma, "the thermal spring" or "the baths". Every Alhama was born around a hot-water spring.

Which Alhama is this website about?

Soy Alhama is dedicated to Alhama de Almería, in the Andarax valley, between the Tabernas desert and the beaches of Cabo de Gata.

Where can you take the waters today?

Alhama de Granada and Alhama de Aragón run working spas; Alhama de Murcia keeps its historic baths as a museum. In Alhama de Almería the spring still flows and the town keeps its thermal tradition.

Alhama, made clear