Covetes del Colomer

Useful Information

Location:	Carrer Mossén Hilario, 70, 46880 Bocairent. On CV-81 between Ontinyent and Villena. In the village, follow the Carrer Mossén Hilario, at the northern end of the village there is a parking lot. May be crowded in summer, especially in the afternoon and on weekends. It's a bit tricky with numerous one-ways. (38.767657, -0.607065)
Open:	All year Mon-Fri 10:30-12, Sat, Sun, Hol 12-14, [2021]
Fee:	Adults EUR 2. [2021]
Classification:	Keller
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Covetes del Colomer, Carrer Mossén Hilario, 70, 46880 Bocairent, Valencia. Tourist-Info Bocairent, Plaça de l'Ajuntament, 2, 46880 Bocairent, Valencia, Tel: +34-962-90-50-62. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2009	large area of the exterior rock face collapses causing serious change in appearance.
11-FEB-2012	caves restored, converted into an interpretation centre, and opened to the public.

Description

The Covetes del Colomer (The Colomer Caves) are so-called "Moorish Caves", storage rooms cut into the rock during the Moorish Occupation of Spain. As a result of their accessibility these caves have been used from the time of their construction during the Muslim reign almost up to the present day. Originally built as agricultural storage deposits, namely granaries, they were later used as stables, as an air raid shelter during the Civil War, and as a dovecote for bird breeding. This caused substantial modifications to the original structure. Originally each window gave entry into an independent interior chamber. Later the self-contained units were connected by removing the separating walls and form now a huge passage with a series of windows on one side. In 2009 a large area of the exterior rock face collapsed, which changed the appearance of the caves completely. Subsequently, the caves where restored, including the recuperation of a small natural spring called Saint Vincent’s Spring.

The Colomer Caves were restored and converted into an interpretation centre, and opened to the public in 2012. If you plan to visit any caves in the area, it's a good idea to visit the interpretation centre first.

In the pre-Saharan area of the Maghreb, on the southern face of the Alto Altal and in the Anti-Atlas similar caves can be seen. Tamazight (Berber) people built quite similar caverns in Agadir (Morocco) or gorfas (Tunisia), which have been in use until the early 20th century. Probably Berber agricultural communities settled in this area during the Islamic period abd brought this tradition with them. The caves were abandoned between the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century.

There are several groups of such caves in this area, the nearby Covetes dels Moros are also open to the public. Only a few meters away is a small cave which is called the Tax Collector's Cave. It is located at the end of the bridge, which was the only road into the medieval town, and the location were the tax was collected. The cave was dug into the cliff to provide el consumer some protection from bad weather.

Between the towns of Ontinyent, Bocairent and Alfafara, a total of 13 groups have been documented. Notable caves are at the head of the Sellent River (Chella), in the Cabriel River basin (Requena), in the Tuéjar river basin (Chelva) and the Turia river basin (Ademuz). In the rest of the Iberian peninsula, there are more, in the Guadix area, Almería and the upper basin of the Ebro river.