Gibraltar mysteries

GIBRALTAR LEGENDS

whilst on a visit to the rock of Gibraltar the tour guide told us of a legend that there was a tunnel that connected the rock to the coast of africa.

he also told of two army officers that went to explore the tunnels and they were never see again .

the old name for Gibraltar was Calpe but further down the coast there is a town called Calpe with a smaller version of the rock of Gibraltar .

i have tried to research into these legends and to see if there was any connection between the two rocks but i have had very little success but maybe its because my 62 year old brain is not up to 2011 computer technology.

so i was wondering if any of you more skilled researchers could shed any light on these subjects .

reply to post by tom.farnhill


The Phoenicians named Gibraltar, Calpe, then the Romans renamed it Mons Calpe, then Tariq ibn Ziad named it Jib-Al-Tariq (mountain of Tariq) when the Spanish captured the rock they changed the Arabic name to make it sound more cristian, hence Gibraltar.

The cave that you speak of is called lower St.Michaels cave. There is a story that it's so deep, they called it the gates of Hades.

The town Calpe took it's name from the original Calpe which is Gibraltar because their seems to be a smaller rock, but it's not the same, the rock of Gib is limestone.

Gibraltar is the north pillar of Hercules and the south is debated, Jebel Musa or Monte Hacho.

We also say that the apes came through the tunnels that connect's the rock to Africa, but that is legend.
The apes most probably came with the Arab's.

As for the tunnels, if you believe that maybe Atlantis couldve existed and couldve been right there in the straights of Gib, then it's kool to think that tunnels could exist, but getting through them, impossible.

reply to post by Dr Cosma


thank you for the input this is just what i needed
if any one can add any more please do , especially further info on the tunnel

reply to post by tom.farnhill

St Michael's Cave (Spanish: Cueva de San Miguel[1]) is the name given to a network of limestone caves located in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve of Gibraltar, at a height of over 300 metres above sea level[2]. According to Alonso Hernández del Portillo, the first historian of Gibraltar, its name is derived from a similar grotto in Monte Gargano near the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo in Apulia, Italy, where the archangel Michael is said to have appeared.[1]

That's a bit from wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org...

* The Cathedral Cave was long thought to be bottomless, making St. Michael's Cave the subject of one of Gibraltar's most famous legends. It was believed that the cave is one end of a subterranean Ley tunnel over 15 miles (24 km) long which passes under the Strait of Gibraltar. Legend has it that the Barbary Macaques entered The Rock from Morocco this way.[7] * As the Rock of Gibraltar was thought to be one of the legendary Pillars of Hercules, the Ancient Greeks also believed the cave be the Gates of Hades, an entrance to the underworld.[11]

Im going there in two weeks i'll take some pics and post them in this thread for you. Im from Gib you see

reply to post by tom.farnhill


I never heard if this legend at all, but I did find a couple of links for you.
Here's one link
Another link here

Here mate thought you'd like these.

Those are in lower St.Michaels cave.

superb pictures it makes me want to go exploring down there . maybe i will return for another visit soon , i hope .

I've heard about those caves in an old book that my grandfather had. Supposedly, there have been several dozen people get lost in those caves and never come back. The theory is that they're sort of like a natural made London catacombs. The book hypothesized that perhaps they were how ancient man first came to Europe, but I've never heard of them finding any human remains or cave drawings.

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck


A man fell down with his dog walking across a bridge inside upper St.Michaels cave a very long time ago.
I dont know the date but I will find out soon.
There is a ghost story that goes with it. Firefighters went down to rescue him but never came back, I dont know if that's true or just legend, but the guy did fall down with his dog.
The ghost story is that people can still hear the dog bark down there. I have never heard it.
I think the guy who fell was a captain in the British army also im not sure but i'll get more info on that.

Interesting story, have you ever heard the legend that Gibraltar will remain a British colo ... oops "British Overseas Territory" as long as the Rock is inhabited by the Barbary Apes? It reminds me of that other urban legend that the UK will remain a monarchy as long as the Ravens inhabit the Tower of London.

reply to post by ChrisF231


Hey this is a late reply but still thought you might be interested.

The legend about the apes leaving and Gibraltar becoming spanish was started by the spanish themselves.
I'm not sure on dates but we're talking about 250 years ago or so, give and take.
The spanish tried to take the rock covertly. They landed on the eastern side of the rock and made their way up the rock, they had the english garrison in sight and were preparing to attack.
The story goes that they disturbed the apes and the apes started to make a lot of noise, which alerted the sentry who then alerted the garrison. The attack failed and they drove the spanish back.
Thank's to the apes.
The legend was then started in spain that until the apes left, Gib would remain British.