LOJA, or Lox a, a town of Spain, in the province of Granada, lies in a beautiful valley through which flows the Genii, here crossed by a Moorish bridge, about 33 miles by rail west from Granada. The situation is very steep, and the streets in consequence are extremely crooked and irregular. The castle stands on a rock in the centre of the town, which, from being the key to Granada, was once a place of great military importance. The manufactures of Loja consist chiefly of coarse woollens, silk, paper, and leather. Salt is obtained in the neighbourhood. The population in 1877 was 18,249.

Loja, which has sometimes been identified with the ancient Ilipula, or with the Lacibi {Lacibis') of Pliny and Ptolemy, first clearly emerges in the Arab chronicles of the year 890. It was taken by Ferdinand III. in 1226, but was soon afterwards abandoned, and did not finally fall under the arms of Castile until May 28, 1486, when it surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella after a siege.