Alhorines Valley
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Alhorines Valley Valle de los Alhorines |
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Valle de los Alhorines; to the right of la Vereda de la Zafra
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 Alhorines Valley
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| Coordinates: 38°45′56″N 0°49′26″W / 38.765556°N 0.823889°WCoordinates: 38°45′56″N 0°49′26″W / 38.765556°N 0.823889°W | |
| Country | Spain |
The Alhorines Valley (Spanish: Valle de los Alhorines) is a valley and a major grain producing area of the provinces of Albacete, Alicante and Valencia in Spain. Historically it was long disputed between the towns of Caudete and Villena. A large solar thermal power plant has recently been built in the valley. The lesser kestrel was re-introduced in 1997. Conservation measures have been taken to minimize impact of the power plant on the birds.
The Alhorines is one of the best cereal-growing areas in the province of Alicante. The level of insolation in the area is among the highest in the Valencia region, at 1,900 kWh/m2 annually. It is a relatively dry agricultural valley, but is of interest due to its unique layout. This includes small plots alternating between grain crops, vineyards and orchards, separated by fences and natural banks, with some sandy area colonized by pines. This makes it an appropriate habitat for numerous species of wildlife, especially small predators. The Bodegas Los Pinos winery in Fontanars dels Alforins, 635 metres (2,083 ft) above sea level, was founded at the end of the 19th century and in 1990 became the first organic winery in the Valencian Community and the second in Spain.
The valley was inhabited in Roman times, and later was populated by the Arabs of Villena. At the time of the Christian conquest by the troops of James I of Aragon its ownership was disputed between the towns of Caudete and Villena. The valley was given to Caudete and the kingdom of Aragon in 1240, but under the 1244 Treaty of Almizra between James I and the future Alfonso X of Castile the castle and town of Villena were transferred to Castile. In 1304 Villena became the property of the Marquis of Villena. In 1355 the Viceroy of Valencia try to buy the western part of the valley, leaving the Ontinyent portion the property of Caudete. But Villena never allowed the sale of its part.
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Wikipedia