Fundación Marjal

Rábita Califal Guardamar del Segura

Fundación Marjal and the City council of Guardamar recover the archaeological remains of the Rábita Califal.The mayor, Carmen Verdú, and the president of the Foundacion Marjal, Francisco Gomez, have signed a collaboration agreement that will allow the consolidation of the archaeological remains of the Rábita Califal; a religious complex dated from the Islamic period between the tenth and eleventh centuries AD. The agreement provides funding for rehabilitation ofthe site, whose remains have been deteriorating over the years.

The Mayor of Guardamar, Carmen Verdú, explained that "the signing of this agreement is a first step in the collaboration policy we intend to develop in the City Council with all companies in the municipality. Fundación Marjal is, in this sense, an example of collaboration with the City assisting in the preservation of our archaeological heritage." For his part, the President of the Fundacion Marjal, Francisco Gomez, said that "it is an honor for Fundacion Marjal to contribute to the consolidation of this important archaeological site. One of our main goals is to promote conservation of heritage in our environment."

The Rábita Califal in the dunes of Guardamar is a Hispano-Muslim monastery consisting of an architectural complex of three sections separated by two streets or open spaces which articulate the whole site. From its founding in the late ninth century until it was abandoned in the middle of the eleventh century after Christ, inside this monastery a Muslim community dedicated his life to retreat. The religious site has been covered by the dunes from its abandonment, which has determined its exceptional condition of preservation.

However, once discovered, the site has been exposed to all natural threats that are generated in the environment. Some of these impacts on the site were mitigated since 1985 through various consolidation and basic protection works that culminated in 1996 with a major restoration action on the set by the Ministry of Culture. However, since then there has been no further intervention on the remains, except for small tasks of clearing and securing the northern sandy slope with vegetation, by the Town Council gardening service of Guardamar del Segura.

The Rábita Califal was declared Place of Cultural Interest in 1990, with the category of archeological area; and is part of the Catalogue of Goods and Protected Areas of the General Urban Plan (PGOU) of Guardamar, as a site of historical,artistic and archaeological Interest.

During the last ten years, the lack of basic maintenance work at La Rabita has created a preservaction shortage, which is often deteriorated with the inclemency of the weather. In fact, as a result of heavy rains during the past winter some collapses and a series of flaws that seriously affect the conservation status of some of the structures of the Rábita Califal have taken place.

The Fundación Marjal,organization that channels all CSR (Corporate Social Responsability) activities of Marjal Group, is confident that with the signing of a cooperation agreement with the City Council of Guardamar del Segura, the recovery of this valuable archaeological site is guaranteed.

Fundación Marjal

Rábita Califal Guardamar del Segura

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