.jpg)
The discovery of a large defensive tower has put the finishing touches to the excavation campaign of the Medieval town of Ifac organised by the MARQ. The project, which began on 1 July last year with the collaboration of the Calp Town Hall and of the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park, will conclude its thirteenth edition on 31 August and has been formed by 36 students Archaeology students from different Spanish and European universities.
Under the direction of the MARQ technician, José Luis Menéndezthe archaeological team has confirmed that this year there have been important developments with the discovery of this great defensive bulwark with more than 4 metres wide and with 1.30 metre load-bearing walls The exterior and interior are lined with carved ashlars. The building is located in the west front of the siteThe new road is located on the platform next to the current car park of the natural park. This has been verified this morning by a delegation led by the acting mayor of Calp, Manolo CabreraThe head of the Architecture Department of the Provincial Council, Rafael Pérezthe president of the Junta Rectora del Penyal d'Ifac, Guillermo Sendraand Menéndez himself.
The tower had the role of defending the space closest to the system of entry to the village and proof of this is the testimony preserved thanks to the image of its remains that appears in the famous engraving of the Peñón de Ifach made by the French traveller Alexandre de Laborde, in 1809, for his book Itinéraire descriptif de l'Espagne the original of which is kept in the library of the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA) in Paris. In the engraving Nº 20.965 the elevation and strength of this bastion can be seen, the remains of which are incorporated into the ensemble of the ten towers and 800 linear metres of walls that this exceptional mediaeval enclave has to offer.
On the other hand, and in parallel with the archaeological research work, the Provincial Government of Alicante has continued with the work of preventive conservation on the site. With Rafael Pérez The work at the helm has been focused on the consolidation and volumetric reintegration of a new section of the walled enclosure of this enclave, which was founded at the end of the 13th century by the Calabrian admiral Roger de Llúria, under the reign of James II.
In addition, preventive conservation work has also been directed towards the maintenance of 19 burial pits of the 57 tombs that make up the medieval necropolis. The process has focused on the backfilling of pits using geotextiles and screened earth, the preservation of their silhouettes to avoid future losses due to the wear and tear of rainfall and the marking of graves with black gravel to make its presence visible in the complex. All these works, as well as those carried out over the last three years on the site, make up the preliminary body of work that will allow the next drafting of the necessary Pobla de Ifach Master Plan to undertake its enhancement and museumisation.
The next drafting of the Plan could coincide with the creation of the Interpretation Centre of the Medieval Town of Ifacha space permanent museum The negotiations have been initiated by the Diputación de Alicante through the MARQ, the Junta Rectora del Parque Natural del Penyal d'Ifac and the Fundación de la Comunidad Valenciana MARQ. The agreement would allow the start next year of the installation works of a careful selection of pieces of ashlar and carved stone belonging to the different buildings found in the excavations, including the gothic vault of one of the chapels of the Church of Ifach as the most outstanding piece.
