History of Orba, Alicante
- Tip: Orba’s prehistoric origin was an Iberian settlement, UR-OBIA, meaning the place where the water flows at the bottom of the mountain.
- Tip: In this part of Spain people speak both traditional Spanish and Valenciano, so you’ll notice Jávea is also spelt Xábia and Jalón is also spelt Xaló.
Where water flows…
The history of Orba goes back to prehistoric times, both Bronze and Neolithic artefacts have been uncovered in local caves.
In 1768 12 skulls found in La Cueva de las Calaveras (Cave of Skulls) are now thought to be those of early Moors.
Greeks, Carthaginians, Visigoths, Romans, and of course Moors all settled and worked here.
Evidence of the presence of the Moors can be seen here today. It was the Moors who terraced the land for the first time, introducing citrus fruits and rice into Spain as well as many farming techniques still used today.
However, after the defeat of the Moors at Green Horse Ridge agriculture in the region went into decline in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Orba valley was almost completely depopulated by 1609 and it remained so for two years.
In 1611 the Letter of Population defined how land would be re-distributed. Migrants from surrounding villages and from Majorca were brought in to re-establish the population.
There are still traces of Mallorcan culture today, especially in the architectural details of some of the houses.
As well as tourism, the local economy is now firmly based on agriculture; rice, citrus fruits, olives, almonds and carob trees. These foods are often served in Orba restaurants too, read our food section for details of local specialties.
Consider buying a plot of this historic land in the sun. Look at our selection of local Spanish properties and see if you can find something you like in Orba.
