Jávea history: Islamic Period

Although from the eighth century Jávea, along with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, they became dependent on the new Arab rulers, they have not been found archaeological remains of the first moments of the Muslim conquest. We must wait until the tenth century to verify the presence of Islamic archaeological materials in the space of Javea.

The oldest known evidence is a fragment of funerary inscription from the departure of Cap Martí, necropolis area known for these epigraphic remains and from which comes much later another funerary inscription in the year 1199 of our era.

The eleventh century seem to be some of the ceramic remains recovered at the site of the Rodat.
It is during the last two centuries of Islamic presence in these lands (XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries), when the number of settlements increased. The citations of Edrisi (XII century) and Yaqut (XIII century), Muslim authors, who speak of a mountain called Qa un (the current Montgó), as well as the fertility of these lands where "wines grow , fig and almond trees".

Currently there are fourteen known Islamic sites in the Term, thirteen of which are located in the XII-XIII centuries: Cueva del Montgó, Carved Cave, La Vall, Punta del Arenal, Capsades, Rebaldí, Adsubia, Lluca, Rodat, etc ...

The highest density of settlements is now at Southern Pla, on the small chain of hills that are called Els Tossalets.

With the Christian conquest of Dénia in May of 1224, this important historical stage ended radically. The testimonies left by her are, however, well present even today and not only because of the archaeological remains; with his same words we still name many places of the term: l 'Atzúvia, Rafal, els Benimadrocs, etc ..., and even the same name of Xábia seems to be of Arab etymology.