The layout of Jaén is determined by its position on the foothills of the Cerro de Santa Catalina, with steep, narrow streets, in the historic core.

[4] Known by Roman sources as Aurgi (avrgi), similar names such as avringi, oringi, are also identified as referring to the same place.

[6] Following the Roman conquest, as former allies of the Punics, the city had the status of civitas stipendaria (required to pay tribute and under military rule), probably enduring harsh conditions in this period.

[8] Following the Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the name of Ŷaīyyān (of unclear origin) was mentioned in Hispano-Arab sources already in the 8th century.

[9] Close to Córdoba, the city became the head of an important kūra [es] in the emiral/caliphal period of Al-Andalus, extending across a territory with some similarities to the current province.

[21] It only began to stand out in relation to its growing strategic importance closer to the border with the Kingdom of Granada, consolidating its military and administrative functions.

[30] Saint Catherine's Castle (Castillo de Santa Catalina) sits on the top of a hill overlooking the city.

The current construction is of Christian origin, raised after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand III of Castile, called the Saint, in 1246.

It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, and it was built to shelter the relic of the Holy Face, or Veil of Veronica, lodged at the major chapel and exposed to the public every Friday.

Due to the length of time in its construction, different artistic styles can be appreciated, the most prominent being Renaissance; Andrés de Vandelvira the most important architect.

It started in 1953 with Pablo Castillo García-Negrete, an architect who began to donate the first cash prizes of only some thousands of pesetas.

The variety of Spanish spoken in this province displays some of the characteristics of Andalusian speech, such as dropping of final -s in plural formation: gafa for gafas (and consequent final vowel opening) in the word "glasses", or dropping of /d/ in intervocalic position in regular participles of verbs: e.g. acabao for acabado.

Some of these variants can be consulted in the Diccionario de Vocabulario Andaluz compiled by the local lexicographer Alcalá Venceslada, which was reprinted by the University of Jaén some years ago.

Romeria de Santa Catalina: Procession in the hill with the same name where the Castle is located to honour the Saint Patron of the City.

Also the International Urban Race of San Anton takes place that night, the fifth in the Spanish Ranking of Athleticism.

Virgen de la Capilla: The 11 June Jaén celebrates the appearance of the Virgin Mary in the city.

In Jaén the eating of tapas is very common; numerous bars exist where, when purchasing a beer, the customer is also given a free snack to accompany the drink.

Jaén Bus Station has been declared "Bien de Interes Cultural" due to its modern representative arquitecture.

The city's football team is Real Jaén, who play in the Nuevo Estadio de La Victoria.

The Vía Verde del Aceite a former railway that ran from Jaén to Puente Genil in the province of Córdoba, is now used for recreational cycling walking and running.