Michelle Obama tours picturesque medieval Spanish town of Ronda

US First Lady Michelle Obama and her youngest daughter Sasha visited the picturesque medieval town of Ronda in southern Spain on the fourth day of their holiday in the country.

Some streets in the historic heart of the town were cordoned off amid tight security as hundreds of tourists tried to catch a glimpse of the Obamas. Obama, 46, and nine-year-old Sasha and their entourage toured the sites, including the Casa del Rey Moro (House of the Moorish King), an 18th century mansion built on the site of a Moorish palace.

The house’s gardens extend into a spectacular 120-metre river gorge that divides the town in two.

Ronda, some 40 km from Spain’s southern coast, was one of the last strongholds of the Moors, or Muslims from North Africa who occupied part of the Iberian peninsula for almost 800 years until the late 15th century.

The Obamas have been staying at a luxury resort near the glitzy Mediterranean city of Marbella since last Wednesday. President Barack Obama and eldest daughter Malia, 12, who is attending summer camp, have remained behind in the US.

Last Thursday, the first lady visited the historic city of Granada and took part in a flamenco show and last Friday spent much of the day on the beach.

Today, the Obamas are to have lunch with Spain’s King Juan Carlos and his Queen Sofia at their summer palace on the Balearic island of Majorca before heading back to the US.