Hercules Grotto (Tangier)
| Hercules grotto
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| Location: | Cape Spartel , Morocco | |
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Geographic location: |
35 ° 45 '36.9 " N , 5 ° 56' 21.4" W | |
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| Discovery: | 1878 (rediscovered) | |
| Show cave since: | 1920 | |
| Lighting: | electric | |
The Hercules Grotto ( Arabic مغارة هرقل, DMG Maġārat Harqul , French Grottes d'Hercules ) is one of the most famous sights in the Tangier region . It is located about 14 km west of Tangier near Cape Spartel .
description
The cave has an entrance on the sea and one on the land. The one facing the sea is also called the "map of Africa" because of its shape. It is believed that it was created by the Phoenicians . Some eye-shaped markings on the walls are ascribed to these, which should be part of a map of the area.
The cave itself is of natural origin. The Berbers extracted blanks for the production of millstones from its walls, which significantly expanded the cave. Visits and guided tours are possible upon payment of an entrance fee.
Legends
For a long time the cave was thought to be endless. It was believed to be the end of a "ley tunnel" that crosses under the Strait of Gibraltar for 15 miles and flows into St. Michael's Cave in Gibraltar . According to legend, this is how the monkeys came to Gibraltar.
Before his eleventh work , Heracles is said to have stayed in the cave and slept. He was supposed to pick the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides, which according to ancient Greek writers should have been near Lixus .
According to some Roman sources, Hercules (Heracles) had to cross Mount Atlas on his way to the Garden of the Hesperides . But instead of climbing it, he is said to have used his superhuman strength to walk right through it. This is how the Strait of Gibraltar was created, which connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic . Part of the divided mountain is Gibraltar, the other is either Monte Hacho or Jbel Musa . Since then, the two mountains have been known as the Pillars of Hercules , although this name is also used for other mountains. Diodorus, on the other hand, writes that Hercules narrowed an existing road so that no monsters could get from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
According to Greek mythology, Heracles offered Atlas to carry the sky while the latter fetches the apples from the garden of the Hesperides (Atlas' daughters). After returning with the apples, Atlas tried to outsmart Heracles. He offered to hand in the apples himself. Anyone who has purposely burdened themselves with heaven must wear it until someone else takes it off. Heracles didn't think Atlas was going to come back. So he should have carried the sky forever. He pretended to accept Atlas' offer. However, he asked him to take the sky from him for a few minutes in order to straighten his cloak, which he used to cushion his shoulders. When Atlas agreed and shouldered the heavens, Heracles took the apples and ran away.
history
- 6000 BC BC Neolithic settlement
- 1878 cave rediscovered
- 1900 used as a brothel
- 1920 cave opened to the public
- Declared a national cultural heritage in 1952
- 1982 electric light installed
- Closed to the public on December 20, 2003 after construction work caused a rock fall nearby
- Reopened January 2004 after a brief investigation
Trivia
On October 23, 1995, the British rock band Def Leppard gave concerts in London and Vancouver as well as a concert in the cave. This made them the first rock band to give three concerts on three continents in one day to enter the Guinness Book of Records .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Clammer: Morocco. , 9th Edition, Lonely Planet, Footscray, Vic. 2009, ISBN 1741049717 , p. 186.
- ^ Government of Gibraltar - St. Michael's Cave
- ^ Grottes D'Hercule "Cave of Hercules" in Morocco . Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ↑ Seneca, Hercules Furens 235ff .; Seneca, Hercules Oetaeus 1240; Pliny, Nat. Hist . iii.4.
- ↑ "Close to the Pillars there are two isles, one of which they call Hera's Island; moreover, there are some who call also these isles the Pillars." (Strabo, 3.5.3.); see also HL Jones' gloss on this line in the Loeb Classical Library .
- ↑ Diodorus 4.18.5.
- ↑ Tangier: Hercules Cave (Grottes d'Hercules) . Retrieved July 5, 2013.