OJEN. Hoxen, Oxen and finally Ojén, is a very typical town very near Marbella and visited by many tourists because of the charm of its narrow lanes and whitewashed façades houses.
Although there is not an exact information about the town settlement, it is known that its actual location is of Arab origin and dated back to the epoch of Abderraman III, who fight against Omar Ben Hafsun, - Arab lider who uprose against the caliphate -, in the castle of Hoxen, which was burnt down together with the rest of the village during the Moorish uprising in 1569.The festivities in Ojen take place between 9th and 12th, October to commemorate the festivity of its Saint Patron San Dionisio, though along the year there are several events as the famous flamenco festival -around the first week of August - , the romeria, on 12th May and the carnival during the month of February.
From the end of the 19th. century to the middle of the 20th. it was very famous in the whole Spain an anisette manufactured here known as "Anis de Ojen" which, during all that time was enjoyed by its numerous fans, but which secret formula died with its creator. Pablo Picasso at the beginning of his cubist epoch paint one bottle of "Anis de Ojen" in one of his pictures which can be admire know at the Museum of Modern Arts in D'Ascq. Daix. France.
The Refugio de Juanar, a typical hunting Inn, in the heart of the mountain is someting worth to visit, for the beauty of its surrounding and the prestige of its cuisine.