The Coves dels Hams (; es, Cuevas dels Hams; en, "Fishhook Caves") are a

Solutional cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. ...

system on the east coast of the Spanish

Balearic Island The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

. The caves are in the municipality of

Manacor Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such a ...

, about 1 km to the west of the town of

Porto Cristo Porto Cristo is a small town on the eastern coast of Mallorca. It is from the town of Manacor and is within the Manacor municipality. Geography The village is located in a major tourist area between Costa de los Pinos and Cala Murada. Its small ...

. Alongside the larger '' Coves dels Drach'' ("Cavern of the Dragon"), the ''Coves Dels Hams'' contribute to the cavernous tourist attractions in the eastern region of the island.

Description

The caves were discovered on 2 March 1905 by Pedro Caldentey. The caves lie along the route between the regional capital of

and the coastal town of

. Like '' Coves dels Drach'', the ''Coves Dels Hams'' hold an underground lake, which is known as ''"The Sea of Venice"''. The caves get their name from the unique formations of the

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s. ''Hams'' is the ''

Mallorquí Balearic ( ca, balear) is the collective name for the dialects of Catalan spoken in the Balearic Islands: in Mallorca, in Ibiza and in Menorca. At the last census, 746,792 people in the Balearic Islands claimed to be able to speak Catalan, ...

'' (local dialect of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

) word for fishhooks or harpoons. Scientists have yet to explain the cause of these unique formations. Lorenzo Caldentey, a son of the discoverer, is a certified diver and has outfitted the caves with an electric lighting system for performances and tours. Multilingual tour guides lead visitors on a roughly 500 meter walk through 12 different areas of the caves. Currently the visitors also enjoy the "Magical Mozart" concert accompanied by a light show. The musicians navigate the "Sea of Venice" in a small rowboat with candle-lit railings. The caves are a popular tourist attraction for tour groups and individual visitors during the summer months.

External links

Official Website

References

Show caves in Spain Landforms of Mallorca Tourist attractions in Mallorca Landforms of the Balearic Islands Caves of Spain {{balearics-geo-stub