Ibn al-Baytar statue, Benalmádena, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

The Ibn al-Baytar statue in Benalmádena, on Spain's Costa del Sol, honours a medieval botanist and pharmacologist whom the town celebrates as its most distinguished son. Ibn al-Baytar spent his life studying medicinal plants and became one of the best-known scientists of the Islamic world. The monument is a good way to meet the Andalusi past of Benalmádena.

The story behind it

Ibn al-Baytar's name means "son of the veterinarian" in Arabic. He was born around 1197, when southern Spain was under Muslim rule and science, medicine and the study of plants were thriving in al-Andalus while much of Europe was in the Middle Ages. Benalmádena remembers him as a native, and his interest in plants and their healing powers is said to have begun in his childhood and youth here.

As a young man he left Spain and travelled widely through the Arab world to continue his studies. He rose to become chief of botanists in Cairo and later worked in Damascus, where he died in 1248. He is remembered above all for his great compendium of remedies, which lists some 1,400 natural medicines drawn from plants, minerals and animals, and many consider him the foremost botanist of his age.

What to look for

• Look at how the sculptor has portrayed him, as a scholar of the medieval Islamic world rather than a soldier or a king.
• Check for a plaque or inscription near the statue that names him and sums up his career.
• Notice the setting around the monument and think about the plant life of the Andalusian coast that he studied as a boy.
• Try to picture the journey the statue represents, from a small Andalusian town to Cairo and Damascus.

Tips for your visit

• It is an outdoor monument, so a short stop of ten to fifteen minutes is enough to see it and read about the man.
• Soft morning or late afternoon light is kinder for photos and cooler for walking in summer.
• Combine it with a wander through the surrounding streets of Benalmádena rather than treating it as a stand-alone trip.
• Wear comfortable shoes, as the town has slopes and steps, and bring water in the warmer months.

See it on a quest

The statue is one stop on Don Quixote in Benalmadena - The miraculous pouch, a self-guided quest on foot. You walk from place to place through the area, the app tells you about each stop as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a relaxed way to learn about Ibn al-Baytar without a guide or fixed start time, and one ticket covers the whole group.