Monte Arabí
Monte Arabí is a mountain located in the municipality of Yecla within the Region of Murcia, Spain. Its altitude is 1,068 m above sea level, and its area is relatively small, not enough to be considered a mountain range. Separated from Monte Arabí by a ravine to the eastern end is the hill known as Cerro de los Moros or Arabilejo.
Due to its cultural remains, rich biodiversity, and unique appearance, Monte Arabí is a prominent archaeological, biological, and geological site.
Monte Arabí was declared a Natural Monument on March 2, 2016.
Archaeology
At its base, there are archaeological remains dating from the 2nd millennium BC to the Romanization period.The Arabilejo Settlement
On the Arabilejo there are ruins of a walled settlement from the Bronze Age. It is dominated by a large rock with a natural basin, connected by various artificial channels.The Petroglyphs of Monte Arabí
At the foot of Arabilejo lies a limestone outcrop. Over a length of 340 m and an average width of 25 m, there are more than 50 groups of petroglyphs, featuring hemispherical cupules connected with fine sinuous channels, foot-shaped carvings, and circles.Cave Paintings of Monte Arabí
The most valuable treasure of this natural space is the prehistoric art from the shelters of and, comprising Levantine rock art and Iberian schematic art, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.Cantos de Visera
The rock paintings of Cantos de Visera are located in two rock shelters, resulting from the collapse of nearby cliffs.- Shelter I: Features 43 figures of naturalistic style, depicting fauna from a transitional period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic, including horses, bovines, goats, and deer. The paintings are presented in red.
- Shelter II: The panel shows 80 figures, including representations of bulls, horses, deer, goats, and a wading bird, depicted in a naturalistic style. Schematic figures such as serpentiforms, grids, broken lines, dots, and idol-shaped eye motifs are also present, all in red.
The Cerro de los Santos