Hercules Cave - YouTube
According to our Moroccan tour guide, the Hercules Cave in Tangiers has 2000 years of history.
Located 14 km west of Tangier in Cap Spartel, the north-western extremity of Africa's Atlantic coast. Cap Spartel is heavily wooded, but below it the Robinson Plage stretches off to the south. The caves are located about 100 meters from the Robinson Plage Holiday Village and surrounded by some expensive cafes.
The caves has been used as a dwelling since Neolithic times. Archaeological excavations have produced human bones and flints. For a long time locals quarried stone here, then, in the first half of the 20th century they were used as brothels, until it was found that tourists were a more lucrative venture.
It is recommended that one visits the caves very early in the morning to avoid being hassled by the locals. The Caves of Hercules are Tangiers premier tourist attraction. Apart from their great beauty and archaeological interest, they are reputed to have been the dwelling place of Hercules who founded Tangier and made the Straits of Gibraltar, with one blow from his sword.
From the entrance kiosk, the guide leads the party along a concrete path, past the old quarry working to a second entrance overlooking the Atlantic ocean. This is called "The Map of Africa", as the outline of the entrance is said to resemble this feature. This entrance is impassable at high tide.
Text by Tony Oldham (2004). With kind permission.
This cave and its neighbouring caves the Al Alia Cave, the Al Khil Cave and the Cave of Ace Sayfia contain prehistoric remains from the Neolithic. The findings are currently exposed at the museum of Kasba of Tangier. They include smooth, red pottery, polished rocks, cut flint and terra cotta figurines.
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