Baza, Granada
| Baza | ||
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| Municipality | ||
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 Baza
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| Coordinates: 37°29′N 2°46′W / 37.483°N 2.767°WCoordinates: 37°29′N 2°46′W / 37.483°N 2.767°W | ||
| Country |
 Spain
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| Autonomous community | Andalusia | |
| Province | Granada | |
| Comarca | Baza | |
| Judicial district | Baza | |
| Founded | Between 1810 and 500 BC | |
| Government | ||
| • Alcalde | Pedro Fernández Peñalver (2007) (PSOE) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 545 km2 (210 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 844 m (2,769 ft) | |
| Population (2008) | ||
| • Total | 23,287 | |
| • Density | 43/km2 (110/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Bastetano, na | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 18800 | |
| Dialing code | (+34) 958 | |
| Website | Official website | |
Baza is a town in the province of Granada in Andalusia (southern Spain), twice a former Catholic bishopric and now a Latin Catholic titular see.
It has 21,000 inhabitants (2003). It is situated at 844 m above sea level, in the Hoya de Baza, a valley of the Sierra Nevada, not far from the Gallego River. This town gives its name to the Sierra de Baza. The dome-shaped mountain of Jabalcón overlooks the town from the north-west.
The sculpture of the Lady of Baza is a prehistoric artifact discovered in this area on 22 July 1971. The city was founded by the Iberians in the 4th century BC and named Basti, the name by which it was known in Roman times. As part of the Roman province of Tarraco, it was an important commercial center and an early bishopric.
Under Islamic rule (713 – 1489), the cathedral, founded by the Visigoth king Reccared in about 600, and whose traditional site is occupied by the ancient church of San Máximo, was converted into a mosque and the bishopric was doomed.
Under the Moors, Baza was an important frontier post along the border with the kingdom of Murcia. It was also a major commercial center, with a population upward of 50,000, making it one of the three most important cities in the Kingdom of Granada. In 1489, during the Granada War, the city fell to Queen Isabella I of Castile, after a stubborn defense lasting seven months. The cannons still adorn the Alameda. On 10 August 1810, French forces under Marshal Soult defeated a large Spanish force near the town.
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Wikipedia