Islamic Period

Although Jávea, like the rest of the Iberian Peninsular, was under the control of the new Arab rulers from the VIII Century onward, no archaeological remains of the first moments of the Muslim Conquest have been found. The first Islamic archaeological material in Jávea dates from the X Century.
The oldest known evidence is a fragment of a funeral incription from the Partida de Cap Martí, a necropolis area known for this kind of remains and the origin of another, much later funeral inscription from the year 1199 A.D. Some of the ceramic remains recovered from the Rodat site seem to be from the XI Century.
The number of settlements increased in the last two centuries of Islamic presence in the region (XII-XIII Centuries). The Muslim authors Edrisi (XII Century) and Yaqut (XII Century) mention a mountain called Qa un (the present Montgó), as well as the fertility of the land, where “vines, fig-trees and almond trees grow.”
Fourteen Islamic sites are presently known in the municipal area, thirteen of which date from the XII-XIII Centuries: Cueva del Montgó, Cueva Tallada, La Vall, Punta del Arenal, Capsades, Rebaldí, Adsubia, Lluca, Rodat, etc . . .
The greatest density of settlements is now found at the south of El Pla, on the small chain of hills known as Els Tossalets.

The Christian conquest of Dénia in May 1224 conclusively ended this important historical period. Its legacy is, however, very much present today, and not only in archaeological remains: their words give names to many places in the municipal area; L’Atzúvia, El Rafal, Els Benimadrocs, etc . . . and even the very name of Xàbia seems to be of Arab origin.