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Coín (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Coín - Image from the Símbolos de Málaga website, 17 September 2016

Presentation of Coín
Symbols of Coín

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Presentation of Coín

The municipality of Coín (21,561 inhabitants in 2015, 12,737 km; municipal website) is located 30 km west of Málaga.

Coín has been continuously inhabited since the prehistoric times. There is, however, no evidence of a significant settlement, such as a Roman municipality, before the Muslim period.
In the first quarter of the 10th century, the town, known as Hish Dakwan, was a strategic base for the expeditions led by Abderraman III against the revolts raised by the Muladi Omar Ben Hafsum and his sons. In 1283, Hish Dakwan was seized by the Merinid Sutlan Abu Yusuf in his march against Málaga. Before returning back to Africa, the Sultan secured the zones under his rule with the fortresses of Hish Dakwan and Estepona, appointing his son, Abu Zayyan Mandil, to defend the area. The Treaty of Marbella, signed on 6 May 1286, settled the dispute between the Merinid and the Nasrid, who were transferred all the Merinid possessions in Al-Andalus, Hish Dakwan included.
The restoration of peace initiated the Gilded Age of Hish Dakwan. In 1330, the year Teba was conquered by the Christians, Hish Dakwan was the seat of a judicial party, and, most probably, the administrative capital of Algarbía, the region spreading west of Málaga. Hish Dakwan was praised by the famous writers Ibn Battuta and Ibn Al-Jathib for its excellent natural environment, abundant water resources, exuberant vegetation and mild climate. This did not prevent the town to be involved for two centuries in border skirmishes, as recalled in the anonymous romance Historia de Abindarráez y la bella Jarifa. The population of the town at the time is evaluated at 3,000.

The seizure of Coín by the Catholic Monarchs on 27 April 1485 is one of the most heroic episodes of the Granada Wars. The fight between Hamet and Pedro Ruiz de Alarcón is represented on the stalls of the choir of the cathedral of Toledo. The new rulers demolished the Arab fortress, whose defence was deemed too difficult and expensive. One year and a half after the seizure, the reconquerred lands were shared and the town was resettled with 450 colonists. From 1505 to 1623, the government of the municipality, placed under the jurisdiction of Málaga, was equally shared between the nobles and the plebeians. Andrea Navaggero labelled Coín "one of the most emblematic places in Andalusia" in his record of travels in Spain (1524-1526).
Coín was granted the status of villa in 1632, separating from Málaga. In 1765, King Charles III allowed a yearly fair to be scheduled on 11-14 August, continuously organized since then. Alfonso XIII granted the status of ciudad to the town on 12 January 1930.

Ivan Sache, 17 September 2016

Symbols of Coín

The flag of Coín (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo) is purple with the municipal arms in the center. Neither the flag not the arms appear to have been officially registered.

The coat of arms of Coín is "Quarterly, 1. Azure a bear tied to a tree all proper, 2. Azure a castle or masoned sable, 3. Argent a branch of three roses two azure and one gules, 4. Vert five fleurs-de-lis azure fimbriated or in saltire. The shield surmounted by a mural crown and placed on a cartouche or inscribed beneath the shield with the name of the town in letters sable."

Ivan Sache, 17 September 2016