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Torre Alháquime (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Torre Alháquime - Image from the Símbolos de Cadíz website, 31 March 2014

Presentation of Torre Alháquime
Symbols of Torre Alháquime

See also:

Presentation of Torre Alháquime

The municipality of Torre Alháquime (789 inhabitants in 2013; 1,736 ha; municipal website) is located 150 km north-east of Cádiz, on the border with the Province of Málaga.

Torre Alháquime is one of the villages of the Sierra de Cádiz established by Berber colonists, who originated from a very similar mountainous environment. The name of the village is made of the Romanic word torre, "a tower", and of the Arab word al-haqim, "wise", probably referring to an Arab lord. The Arab built a castle and completely surrounded the village with a wall, leaving a single access gate.
In 1327, the loss of the fortress of Olvera to the Christians forced the Moors to abandon Torre Alháquime and to move to Ronda. The Nasrid armies reconquered the place six years later. Torre Alháquime was seized again by the Christians in the early 15th century, together with Zahara; for some ten years, the village was ruled by the Rivera family, Captains General of Andalusia.
Definitively conquered in 1485 by the Marquis of Cádiz, Torre Alháquime was transferred to the Rivera, and, following the extinction of the lineage, to the Duchy of Alcalá de los Gazules, itself subsequently transferred to the Duke of Medinaceli.

Ivan Sache, 31 March 2014

Symbols of Torre Alháquime

The flag of Torre Alháquime (photo), adopted on 24 February 1994 by the Municipal Council after recommendations released on 12 November 1993 by the Royal Academy of History, is prescribed by Decree No. 420, adopted on 25 October 1994 by the Government of Andalusia and published on 14 December 1994 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 197, p. 13,433 (text). This was confirmed by a Decree adopted on 30 November 2004 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 20 December 2004 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 246, pp. 28,986-29,002 (text).
The flag is described as follows:

Flag: Rectangular, in proportions 2:3, diagonally divided from the hoist's left angle to the fly's right angle, the upper part white and the lower part red. In the center the municipal coat of arms, surmounted by a Royal Spanish crown.

The Royal Academy of History validated the proposed flag, but required a change in the coat of arms: the Royal crown open that surmounts the arms adopted in 1969 was to be replaced by a Royal crown closed. "As stated several times in these reports", the Academy recalled that the crown surmounting a shield should reflect the today's situation of the place; it should in no way be used as an irremovable symbol of the past.
[Boletín de la Real Academia de Historia, 1994, 191, 1: 163]

The coat of arms of Torre Alháquime is prescribed by Decree No. 2,598, adopted on 16 October 1969 by the Spanish Government and published on 6 November 1969 in the Spanish official gazette, No. 266, p. 17,255 (text). This was confirmed by a Decree adopted on 30 November 2004 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 20 December 2004 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 246, pp. 28,986-29,002 (text).
The coat of arms, "used from immemorial times" and approved by the Royal Academy of History, is described as follows:

Coat of arms: Argent a tower proper ensigned with a flag gules on a base vert with two dogs sable on each side of the gate. The shield surmounted by a Royal Spanish crown.

The modern arms were designed by José Antonio Delgado Orellana. The tower represents the fortress built by Al-Haqima, at the origin of the village. The watchdogs increase the impression of strength and vigilance, recalling that Torre Alháquime protected the northern access to Olvera [Símbolos de las Entidades Locales de Andalucía. Cádiz (PDF file)].
The existence of the arms is confirmed by Igartaburu (1847); seals from 1876 show the same design [José Antonio Delgado y Orellana. Heráldica Municipal de la Provincia de Cádiz].

Klaus-Michael Schneider & Ivan Sache, 6 May 2014