Caves of Nerja
The Caves of Nerja are a series of caverns close to the town of Nerja in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Stretching for almost, the caverns are one of Spain's major tourist attractions. Concerts are regularly held in one of the chambers, which forms a natural amphitheatre.
The caves were re-discovered in modern times on 12 January 1959 by five friends, who entered through a narrow sinkhole known as "La Mina". This forms one of the two natural entrances to the cave system. A third entrance was created in 1960 to allow easy access for tourists, just south of the Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park. The cave is divided into two main parts known as Nerja I and Nerja II. Nerja I includes the Show Galleries which are open to the public, with relatively easy access via a flight of stairs and concreted pathways to allow tourists to move about in the cavern without difficulty. Nerja II, which is not open to the public, comprises the Upper Gallery discovered in 1960 and the New Gallery discovered in 1969.
In February 2012 it was announced that possibly Neanderthal cave paintings dated in 42,000 years had been discovered in the Caves of Nerja.
History
Approximately 5 million years ago, during the Upper Miocene, water penetrated the fissures of the marble rock and dissolved it, forming a huge cavern. Seismic movement and landslides during the Holocene forced the water to find new pathways through the cave system and began the formation of the giant stalactites and stalagmites that can be seen in the cave.Skeletal remains found in the caverns indicate that they were inhabited from about 25,000 BC up until the Bronze Age. Cave paintings from the Paleolithic and post-Paleolithic eras have been discovered on the walls of the cave. For about 4,000 years from 25,000 BC the caves were used seasonally by a small group of humans, and were occupied by cave hyena during the periods that the humans were absent. By 21,000 BC the human population had taken up year-round residence in the caves and had increased in number. A culture based on hunting in the local area had evolved, illustrated by first cave paintings found in the cave which date to around the time. Pine nuts and snails were also important elements of the diet. Up until around 10,800 BC the hunting culture continued to develop with more prey species being taken, including goats, rabbits, fish and marine mammals. A wide variety of animal bones, shells and fish bones from this time have been found in the cave, including the remains of a number of offshore species, along with stone and bone tools. By 4500 BC domesticated animals were being kept and the area around the cave was being used for farming and the production of pottery. By 3800 BC textiles and more advanced styles of pottery were being produced and parts of the cave were being used as a burial chamber.
Galleries
Upper and New Galleries
The Upper and New Galleries are each divided into two halls. In the Upper Hall are the Columns of Hercules and the Hall of Immensity, while in the New Gallery there are the Hall of the Lance and the Hall of the Mountain. These two areas contain many of the cave paintings, but tourist access is restricted to specialised caving "speleothem tourism".Investigations
Several expeditions have been made to further explore the caves and its different galleries. In 1969 a narrow passage was discovered in the Hall del Cataclismo, which led to a magnificent find, the so-called high galleries and the new galleries, with spectacular formations and prehistoric remains. It is closed to the public.The "Fundación Cueva de Nerja" promotes the study and research of the caves, and has formed a scientific committee whose members include geologists, biologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, etc. The Fundación also arranges congresses, photographic studies, improvements in equipment and cultural activities.
In 2012 some organic remains associated with paintings of seals were dated to 42 000 years which could be the first known work of art in the history of humanity.
Bien de interés cultural
The enormous wealth of the Cave of Nerja made it, one year after its opening to tourism, declared Historical Artistic Monument , according to Decree nº 988, of May 25, 1961 and, subsequently, Bien de Interés Cultural, by virtue of the Law 16/1985 of the Spanish Historical Heritage of June 25, 1985.In 2006, the Cave of Nerja was declared Property of Cultural Interest with the category of Archaeological Zone, according to Decree nº 194, of October 31, 2006.