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The Moorish town of Nijar, with its narrow streets and whitewashed houses, lies at the foot of the Sierra Alhamilla, in a green cultivated area. Some of its surroundings are protected as part of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. Its coastline is varied, with small coves and open beaches and dunes.

In the Plaza de la Constitucion is the town’s most important building, the Parish Church of Santa Maria. Begun in the mid 16th Century and altered in the following two hundred years, it has three naves, the central one in Mudejar style with a decorated roof centrepiece. It holds statues of the Immaculada Concepcion (1771) and San José (1761).

The town is well known for its local crafts, in particular, hand-made pottery, rugs, bed covers, carpets and cane work. In the Las Eras district traditional pottery is still made and the shops sell the local ceramics. There are old-fashioned artisan looms and souvenir shops. Traditional carpet making can be seen in the local textile mills.

There are several sights just outside Nijar well worth a visit:

• El Hoyazo, a volcanic crater in the Sierra Alhamilla, is surrounded by garnets. It can be found next to exit 481 of the Mediterranean motorway.
  
• Pantano de Isabel II, an impressive walled reservoir constructed in 1800’s in the Sierra Alhamilla to improve irrigation.
  
• Aljibe Bermejo, a cistern found on the old road to Vera that was built in Roman era. The tank has a capacity of 500,000 litres of rainwater and it has been declared a protected monument.