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Cave paintings of the Cogul

el Cogul, Garrigues, Lleida

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Cave paintings of the Cogul

Curiosity · el Cogul, Garrigues, Lleida

Image of el Cogul, not of the place itself.

Known as the Roca dels Moros, this rock shelter with Levantine and schematic rock art, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998 as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, was discovered in 1908 by the village priest, Ramón Huguet. It contains 42 figures painted in brown, red, black and dark red tones, and 260 engraved elements; the best-known scene shows nine women dancing around a male figure with an oversized phallus. Inscriptions in Iberian script and votive texts in the Latin alphabet suggest the place functioned as a sanctuary for Iberians and Romans. It is today protected as a monument and archaeological zone, with an interpretation centre.

Photo: Ivan_bea (CC0)

What to see and do in el Cogul