BenahavÃs
Benahavis is a municipality in the province of Málaga (Spain).
History and Origin of the name
The place name Benahavis is composed of the Arabic word for son (ben, bin ) and from the name of a Moorish ruler ( Avis or Havis ), which in the 11th century had its headquarters in the castle of Montemayor. 1485 conquered by the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquista Marbella and located in the area villages, including Benahavis heard. 1492 it is passed to the Count of Cifuentes. 1572 Philip II declared Benahavis are independent from Marbella. Benahavis is during the Spanish War of Independence against the French scene of several battles.
Present and Tourism
Although unlike other villages Benahavis could preserve the original charm of a " white town ", it was the proximity to the Costa del Sol and strongly influenced by tourism to places like Marbella. Today Benahavis is especially famous for its many restaurants: it is the municipality with the highest number of restaurants per capita.
How many villages of the Costa del Sol, who were once marked by the emigration, Benahavis has now to a higher immigration than emigration.