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The archaeological site of El Castellar de la Morera is located 3.50 km north of the urban center of Elche, on the left bank of the Vinalopó river. It occupies the upper part of an isolated elevation with a slightly conical shape, belonging to the rural area known as Ferriol, being part of the last southern foothills of the Sierra del Tabayá, with a maximum altitude of 274 m a/s/l. The prevailing soils are not suitable for agriculture due to their thinness, their steep slope and, consequently, the high degree of erosion.

Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the ancient Andalusian population chose to occupy this space, already frequented in prehistoric and late Roman times, as their place of habitat, probably because it was located in an area of remarkable landscape and environmental richness, but above all because of its strategic nature. From it, the natural communication route between the coast and the interior through the Vinalopó Valley is visually controlled, an environment that has also been interspersed with human settlements since prehistoric times.

This site was declared a Cultural Heritage Asset, identified with the code R-I-51-0011129, under the category of Monument in the register of Cultural Heritage Assets of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, since 1985. Likewise, the walls of El Castellar de la Morera are registered in the First Section of the General Inventory of the Valencian Cultural Heritage with code 03.33.065-079; and at a local level, this heritage asset is included in the Inventory of Archaeological Sites of the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Generalitat Valenciana, under the name of “ZA: Castellar de la Morera”. For all these reasons, in addition to the protection provided for the heritage asset in state and regional legislation, there is a Special Plan for the Protection and Conservation of the Walls of El Castellar, approved on September 6, 2006, with the aim of defining the environment of protection and identify the protected heritage asset, including it in the Special Plan for the Protection of Buildings and Ensembles of the Municipality of Elche. The aim is to protect the landscape and the natural environment, while adopting the necessary measures for the best conservation and maintenance of the whole of the Walls of El Castellar.

For further information:
http://rua.ua.es/dspace/handle/10045/72190