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Roque Bentayga is a rock formation on the island of
Near Roque Bentayga are the old Canarian aboriginal settlements of Cuevas del Rey and Roque Camello, which consist of a hundred caves with rooms, burials, silos, etc. On the eastern side of the base of the roque is the so-called "almogarén del Bentayga", a construction that must have been a place of worship for the aborigines. A stone wall that runs along the base of the rock on its east and south sides could delimit the sacred space, although other sources point to its use as a defensive bastion.
Several cave engravings in the Libyan- Berber alphabet have recently been unveiled, although their authenticity is questioned.
File:Roque Bentayga.jpg, Roque Bentayga from
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...
( Canary Islands, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
). It is located within the volcanic caldera of Tejeda
Tejeda is a village and a municipality in the mountainous central part of the island of Gran Canaria in the province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Location
The village of Tejeda is situated north-west of the Pico de las Nieves and s ...
, in the municipality of the same name, in the heart of the island. Roque Bentayga is considered an archaeological monument because it contains an "almogarén" (a sanctuary built by the indigenous Guanche people).
Characteristics
Roque Bentayga is a natural rock pinnacle. Its height is 1,414 metres (4,639 ft) above sea level. The Roque is located within the .Archaeology
Near Roque Bentayga are the old Canarian aboriginal settlements of Cuevas del Rey and Roque Camello, which consist of a hundred caves with rooms, burials, silos, etc. On the eastern side of the base of the roque is the so-called "almogarén del Bentayga", a construction that must have been a place of worship for the aborigines. A stone wall that runs along the base of the rock on its east and south sides could delimit the sacred space, although other sources point to its use as a defensive bastion.
Several cave engravings in the Libyan- Berber alphabet have recently been unveiled, although their authenticity is questioned.
Toponymy
The origin of the name "Bentayga" has been widely debated, mainly due to contradictory information collected during theconquest
Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms.
Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
, as well as irregularities in the way of writing and referring to it, even about the roots that form the word.
One hypothesis is that the voice ''Bentaiga'' is composed of two elements: ''ben-(t)aiga'', the first being a prefix with the notion of property or belonging, and the second to the toponym ''Taiga'', from Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...
and Lanzarote, and indirectly with ''Tigaiga'', from Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
. Bentaiga would therefore literally mean 'the taiga' or 'place of taiga'. However, the origin of the voice 'taiga' is uncertain.
Another interpretation of the term ''Bentaiga'' suggests a compound of the Numidian word ''bent'' meaning 'mountain' and the Mycenaean word ''aiga'' (metathesis of ''agia'') meaning 'sacred', thus 'sacred mountain'.
The most extended interpretation is the one that sustains that, suggested by the word ben-''Guanches
The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa.
It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. The Guanches were the only nativ ...
, who believed that the place was an '' axis mundi''.
Gallery
Tejeda
Tejeda is a village and a municipality in the mountainous central part of the island of Gran Canaria in the province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Location
The village of Tejeda is situated north-west of the Pico de las Nieves and s ...
File:Almogaren roquebentayga.jpg, Meeting place of the former inhabitants of Tejeda
Tejeda is a village and a municipality in the mountainous central part of the island of Gran Canaria in the province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Location
The village of Tejeda is situated north-west of the Pico de las Nieves and s ...
.
File:Bentayga5.jpg, Roque Bentayga's 'almogarén' (place of cult)
File:Roque Bentayga visto desde Artenara.jpg, Bentayga as seen from Artenara.
See also
* Parque rural del Nublo * Roque Nublo *Tejeda
Tejeda is a village and a municipality in the mountainous central part of the island of Gran Canaria in the province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Location
The village of Tejeda is situated north-west of the Pico de las Nieves and s ...
* Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...
* Canary Islands
* Guanches
The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa.
It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. The Guanches were the only nativ ...
References
{{reflist Landforms of Gran Canaria Mountains of the Canary Islands Bentayga, Roque Bentayga, Roque