Istán is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga in Andalusia in southern Spain with an estimated population in 2005 of 1400 people. It lies beneath the Sierra Blanca in the valley of the Rio Verde about 15 km to the northwest from Marbella and the Mediterranean coast. It is situated on the southern slope of the Sierra de las Nieves. It is also near the large reservoir created by the Presa de la Concepción dam, built in 1972 to provide drinking water to towns all along the Costa del Sol.

Istán
View of Istán from the Sierra de las Nieves with the coast and Gibraltar in the background
View of Istán from the Sierra de las Nieves with the coast and Gibraltar in the background
Coat of arms of Istán
Istán is located in Province of Málaga
Istán
Istán
Location in the Province of Málaga
Istán is located in Andalusia
Istán
Istán
Location in Andalusia
Istán is located in Spain
Istán
Istán
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 36°35′N 4°57′W / 36.583°N 4.950°W / 36.583; -4.950
Country Spain
Autonomous community Andalucía
ProvinceMálaga
Government
 • MayorDiego Marín Ayllón (PSOE)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total1,458
DemonymPanochos
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websitewww.istan.es

History

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It was originally a Moorish settlement and, as with its near neighbour Ojen, survived where others didn't largely because it was away from the coast. After the Reconquest, Moors were not allowed to live near the coast so as to be unable to communicate easily with their kinsmen in nearby North Africa. The moorish influence can still be seen in the town, Acequia del Chorro is a water channel called an Acequia in Spanish, built by the moors that can still be seen here, they are used in the same way as the levadas in Madeira.

Twin towns and sister cities

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Sources and references

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  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.