BAENA  , a

town of southern Spain, in the province of Cordova; 32 M. by road S.E. of the city of Cordova . Pop . (19o0) 14,539 . Baena is picturesquely situated near the river Marbella, on the slope of a hill crowned with a castle, which formerly belonged to the famous captain Gonzalo de Cordova . Farming, horse-breeding, linen-weaving and the manufacture of olive-oil are the chief local industries . The nearest railway station is Luque (pop . 4972), 4 M . S.E. on the Jaen-Lucena line . The site of the Roman town (Baniana or Biniana) can still be traced, and various Roman antiquities have been disinterred . In 1292 the Moors under Mahommed II. of Granada vainly besieged Baena, which was held for Sancho IV. of Castile; and the five Moorish heads in its coat-of-arms commemorate the defence .