PILLARS OF HERCULES, SEA OF DARKNESS

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Caves of Hercules Near Tangier, Morocco

The interiors of the Caves of Hercules have been used as dwellings for centuries, and there are several quarries and passages between them. Only a small percentage of the caves are open to visitors.

The Caves of Hercules are reputed to have been the home of Hercules who founded Tangier and made the Straits of Gibraltar with one blow from his sword.

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BEAUTIFUL PICTURE, BUT WAY TOO LARGE TO BE WELL SEEN......


BUT LOOK WHAT CAME WITH IT:




Author  Topic:   Atlantis in Morocco 
Jonas Bergman
Member
Posts: 180
From: Uppsala, Sweden
Registered: Jul 2003
  posted 02-04-2004 00:54             
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Quote from Morocco by Barnaby Rogerson
Morocco was long known in the Muslim world as maghreb el Aksa, the land of the furthest west. It was literally considered to be on the edge of the world, a place notorious its powerful magicians and demon-like jinn. It is a country with an intense almost insular, awareness of itself. In a sense it is an island, encircled by the seas of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the sand-sea of the Sahara. The land is further defended by four great mountain ranges ( The Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti Atlas ) that run like vast ramparts across its breadth, breaking up the area's geographical unity and providing a secure mountainous refuge for the indigenous people, the Berbers, against both invaders and any central power.


When we have an area called Atlantis on every world map today, it doesn�t necessarily mean that this is the location of Plato�s Atlantis, but when this area is located exactly in the area of Plato's fabolous island, and also correspond to his descriptions almost perfectly, you begin to wonder if this perhaps was the area Plato spoke of. The area of Atlas ( Atlantis ) and the area of the Atlanteans were regions known hundreds of years before the time of Plato.

Regards, Jonas Bergman

[This message has been edited by Jonas Bergman (edited 02-04-2004).]

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atalante
Member
Posts: 1301
From: Tucson AZ USA
Registered: Apr 2003
  posted 02-04-2004 11:16             
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Based on berber vocabulary, it seems that Morocco was originally settled by emigrants from the Touat Oasis group, which is on the border between southern-west Algeria and Morocco.
quote from: http://www.dafina.net/meaningofthenames.htm

"Touat, Morocco. in berber
...
Touati : ethnic group of Touat, group of Oasis at the southern border between Algeria and Morocco"


Here is a link which discusses the Touat oasis group. http://www.wetlands.org/RDB/Ramsar_Dir/Algeria/DZ013D02.htm
That region today has 800 miles of man-made underground water channels, and supports a human population around 8000. The water table of Touat was higher in the past, and would have supported more people. There are fish living in the underground canals which have evolved to be blind; scientists speculate that the fish may have been living in darkness for 10,000 years to evolve this way.

The people who live nearby are sometimes called the Fenoughil community. Here is a map which shows that they live in a desert valley between two mountain ranges. http://www.calle.com/world/AG/0/Fenoughil.html


http://forums.atlantisrising.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000813.html

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GREAT IDEA FOR A NEW THREAD!!!

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CAVES OF HERCULES


A few kilometers farther west of Tangier is Cape Spartel and the Caves of Hercules, where the legendary hero struggled with Anteaus, and history and legend blend to give the city its mythical dimensions. Its geographical location in proximity to Europe has largely affected its fascinating history, opening it to the outside world and contributing to its liberal spirit.

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There might not be anything to the story of Tangier being founded by Hercules, but the city symbol is as striking as ever. Coming out here — it is a 20- 30 minute car ride from Tangier — is a fascinating experience, especially after seeing so many postcards with the same motif as the one above. There is no fake to it, it really does look like the map of Africa.         





The Grotto of Hercules is hidden underneath the baked earth. Yes, Hercules lived here, and he is heralded by a festive “See Rock Mountain” feel in the square above his seaside cave home. Sea shells are attractively embedded in the stucco walls with turquoise buildings, and a giant mural of the brawny hero is painted on a rock wall. Camels are saddled and ready to ride. A small boy in costume with donkey in tow asked if we’d like to take a picture. Jim said no. I said yes. We paid him a small price and snapped. Traditionally dressed Muslim women gossiped on a terrace with the white-capped waves crashing below them.



As we walked down into the cave, the guide told us the story of Hercules and later the Berbers who had lived there.  He pointed ahead where the rock walls were splayed open in the shape of the African continent with the ocean lapping just beyond the massive crack.

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The interiors of the caves have been used as dwellings for centuries, and there are several quarries and passages between them. The last use of these caves was as a brothel in the first half of the 20th century.

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                                   The Caves of Hercules, Tangiers, Morroco, Africa.
 
   

   

The caves of Hercules, located just 14kms west of Tangiers, are a place of stunning natural beauty and great archeological significance.



Apparently, this is where the mythical figure, Hercules, used to rest after finishing his 12 labours.

The mouths of the caves open up onto the Atlantic and are flooded at high tide. When the tide comes in, water gushes up through these massive holes in the ground and hillside. It's very impressive.

The caves are partly man-made and partly natural. It's not exactly sure how the caves were created. It's believed that for some reason, an ancient civilization used to carve millstones out of the solid rock that caused giant caves to form over the years. How these primitive people managed to cut into solid rock with simple and crude tools is still a mystery.

At low tide, the views inside caves looking out over the ocean are stunning, the colours in particular. The blue Atlantic Ocean and sky above resemble a reverse silhouette of Africa.

Swimming here can be quite dangerous. The currents offshore can get very strong. If you're not a strong swimmer, it's best to stick to sunbathing.

Some people say that the caves were once joined under the sea to St Michaels caves on the rock of Gibraltar and that this is "possibly" how the Barbary Apes crossed over. But nobody knows for sure. This coastline is also where the pirates of the region were once headquartered.

Also well worth a visit is the old 2nd and 3rd century Roman ruins of Cotta. They're just 500 feet away.

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TANGIER AT SUNSET

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TANGIER, Morocco.

View of the beach and the Medina (old town), where beat writers Paul Bowles and William Burroughs wrote their masterpieces. Also the home at one time to virtually every international scoundrel.

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Tangier is built on the slopes of a chalky limestone hill. The old town (medina), enclosed by 15th-century ramparts, is dominated by a casbah, the sultan's palace (now a museum of Moroccan art), and the Great Mosque. European quarters, whose populations have declined considerably since integration ...

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Beach at Cap Malabata, TANGIER, Morocco.

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Tangier - the very name evokes an air of mystery, of one-time shady dealings. This stems from the days when the city was divided between Britain, America, France, and Spain, an International zone within easy reach of Europe. From 1923 - 1956 Tangier was a playground for international jet setters, attracting authors, spies, artists and aristocrats alike.