24 minute read
GIBRALTAR
At the crossroads of Europe and Africa lies the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, whose awestriking and majestic charm draws an international audience
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Jordan Levey
Gibraltar is situated on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, where the iconic and impressive Rock of Gibraltar dominates the Mediterranean horizon.
A dramatic limestone outcrop, the Rock provides breathtaking views of Spain and the North African coast and has attracted visitors from far and wide to Gibraltar throughout its colourful history.
At 426 metres high, the Rock of Gibraltar is mazed with numerous caves and a labyrinthine network of tunnels constructed over the course of hundreds of years, housing some of the country’s biggest mysteries and secrets. Indeed, the tale of Gibraltar is a legendary one, the historical legacy of which lives on today.
The appeal of Gibraltar as a travel destination continues to grow as a result, and it is more than just a popular and vibrant tourist hotspot. At the foot of this magnificent monolith sits a densely populated town area, home to over 32,070 Gibraltarian citizens.
However, Gibraltar’s most famous residents are the Barbary Macaques, a species of tailless monkey and the only wild monkey population on the European continent.
The Barbary Macaques are one of the most important tourist attractions in Gibraltar, where activities are as diverse as they are plentiful, ranging from dolphin watching to exploring historical trails.
The country’s temperate climate, meanwhile, makes Gibraltar an attractive choice for visitors all year round, enhanced by local events and customs that offer an equally warm flavour of the country.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS GIBRALTAR TOURIST BOARD
The Hon. Vijay Daryanani MP
THE PRIMARY GOAL of the Gibraltar Tourist Board (GTB) is to market Gibraltar as a destination of choice, especially in the country’s main source markets of Spain and the UK. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the number of visitors arriving in Gibraltar by land more than half in 2020, GTB has also focused on marketing the location as a safe place to travel. We speak to The Hon. Vijay Daryanani MP, Minister for Business, Tourism and The Port, to find out more.
Outlook Travel (OT): Can you talk me through the origins of the GTB, its initial vision and current goals?
The Hon. Vijay Daryanani MP, Minister for Business, Tourism and
the Port (VD): The GTB originated as the Government Tourist Office before it became the GTB in 1996. Initially, the GTB’s role was to promote Gibraltar as a tourist destination and to run the Upper Rock Nature Reserve and beaches. Our current goal is solely to market Gibraltar as a tourist destination.
OT: How do you market Gibraltar as both a business and leisure travel destination?
VD: We attend travel shows such as World Travel Market (WTM) London, the Routes World Conference, and Seatrade Global Cruise. We also engage with the UK press as the UK is our main market source for overnight tourism.
Regarding business, we market Gibraltar through meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) within the industry. Social media has now also become extremely important, so we are present on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
OT: How is the GTB navigating the recovery of tourism from the COVID-19 pandemic? What marketing tactics are you leveraging to move forward with this?
VD: Like every other tourist destination, Gibraltar has suffered immensely from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, we are one of the first countries in the world to have vaccinated our entire population,
so we have been able to market Gibraltar as a safe destination for travel.
At one point, we were the only European destination on the UK Green List for travel, which also allowed us to market Gibraltar to British holidaymakers as a “Staycation in the Mediterranean”.
OT: Do you have any ongoing projects that you would like to highlight?
VD: As the situation is ever changing due to the pandemic, our projects are more short term and dependent on travel restrictions and so on. We will keep on marketing the Gibraltar brand at every opportunity and at the best conferences and trade shows worldwide.
OT: Are you optimistic about the future of the tourism industry in Gibraltar, particularly with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic?
VD: I am extremely optimistic about the tourism industry. Gibraltar is working with the EU on a possible treaty to allow freedom of movement for people within the Schengen Zone, so we hope this will bring further tourism to our shores.
In terms of the pandemic, we continue to work harder than ever, but I certainly see light at the end of the tunnel. The success of the vaccine, the fact that the impact of the Omicron variant was not as bad as first predicted, the possibility of even better treatments and the introduction of antivirals will hopefully see an end to the pandemic.
Gibraltar Tourist Board
The Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Main Guard 13 John Mackintosh Square Gibraltar
information@tourism.gov.gi
Tel: (+350) 20745070
www.visitgibraltar.gi
EXPLORE WORLD HERITAGE
f you’ve read Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Lost World”, has it not triggered your imagination? And if you’ve watched Dr Who, has the idea of time travel not stirred some inner feeling about the wonders of the past? We like to think that in Gibraltar we have our very own lost world with a cave that is the closest you’ll come today to Dr Who’s Tardis!
For over 30 years we have been digging in Gorham’s Cave, a spectacular cathedral-like cavern set behind a rocky beach on the Mediterranean coastline of the famous Rock of Gibraltar. It is our very own time machine. With the latest scientific techniques, we have been able to date the contents that fill up the cave and we know that the oldest stretch back to around 125,000 years ago. That was a time when the climate of the Earth was even warmer than today, sea levels were five metres higher, and Gibraltar was an island.
Over thousands of years the climate took a turn for the worse as ice sheets engulfed Scandinavia and the British Isles. Sea levels dropped by as much as 120 metres and a large plain was exposed outside Gorham’s Cave. Gibraltar became connected to the mainland. The beach was now over three miles away from the cave which was now habitable. The people who came in may have seemed strange to us today, but they were humans. We call these tough, stocky, people Neanderthals. Gibraltar is a world-famous Neanderthal site. After all, the first ever skull of a Neanderthal was found here, in 1848. It was only after the discovery of another specimen in the German Neander Valley eight years later, that the significance of the Gibraltar find was realised and Gibraltar missed out on the naming. For a long time, the image of a brutish Neanderthal has persisted in our minds but that image is gradually changing, thanks to what is being discovered in Gorham’s Cave and its sister cave – Vanguard – which lies close by. The Neanderthals occupied these caves for close to 100,000 years and they were among the last surviving populations on the planet.
Come in the summer months and you will find a hive of activity in the caves as archaeologists continue to excavate and find exciting new finds that are opening up our understanding of the Neanderthal world. Access to the caves is limited because of their fragility, but it is possible to visit them, with guides, by prior arrangement. There is also the chance of seeing the caves from an observation platform from where expert guides will bring us up-to-date with the latest information, fresh from the caves. A third option is to see them from the sea with commercial operators offering the chance to combine the visit with dolphin watching.
Either way, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse yourself in the hidden world of the past as it is being uncovered. Here we are finding the remains of Neanderthal camp fires, their millennial barbeques, and the remains of the animals they hunted or that they shared the cave with. The plains outside the caves were rich in animals and the Neanderthals shaped tools and weapons out of flint ready for the hunt. And we find those very tools today! They hunted large game – ibex, red deer, wild cattle (aurochs) and horses. Occasionally, they would come up with the large rhinos and elephants that also roamed the plains. When they finished the hunt and left the cave, hyaenas came in to scavenge the left overs. This was a lost world full of dangerous predators, not dinosaurs as in Michael Crichton’s other lost world, but lions, leopards, wolves, bears, not forgetting the hyaenas.
Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves are changing the way we see the Neanderthals. These large-brained people were no fools. They were sophisticated, as the evidence coming out of the caves is revealing to the world. It is in these caves that the first Neanderthal engraving was found a few years ago. It has become popularly known worldwide as the ‘Neanderthal hashtag’. This is the first evidence anywhere of the Neanderthals’ mental capacities.
Our time machine moves us along as we climb up the slope of the cave. We zoom forward to a time when the sea has, once again, flooded the plain and is where we find it today. It is 2,500 years ago. Mysterious people are arriving by sea. They have small wooden ships with sails. They are the
ancient mariners of the eastern Mediterranean – Phoenicians, Greeks and, later on, Carthaginians. They stop here because they know Gibraltar as Calpe, the northern Pillar of Heracles. This was the end of the world. You went beyond at your peril.
So, for 500 years, these mariners stopped here and went into Gorham’s Cave to leave offerings to the gods that lived inside. Here archaeologists have found the many offerings left by the mariners and one discovery has left us all with our mouths wide open. This was the discovery of a ceramic representation of the Gorgon Medusa. Did the Greek mariners leave it here to ward off unwanted visitors? Was this really the entrance to the underworld? A narrow passage that runs deep into the cave close to where it was found is tantalising.
We step back into the open and marvel at the spectacle of Gibraltar’s cliffs. Look up and you contemplate the entire World Heritage Site, right up to the peak of the Rock at 426 metres. You’ll see sheer cliffs interrupted by gentler, vegetated, slopes. The cliffs and slopes form a kind of stepped route into the heavens. Each step represents a moment of uplift – for millions of years Africa has pushed into Europe and has elevated the Rock. That story is also told by the unique features of the World Heritage Site.
Nature has a funny way of persisting through the many trials and tribulations thrown at it. As we sit in awe with the caves and cliffs in front of us, a cormorant flies past. It belongs to a species that has been living in the caves since the time of the Neanderthals, as their remains have also been found in the caves. It serves to remind us that the World Heritage Site is also about that continuity of life. From the observation platform you can see, on a clear day, the mountains and coastline of North Africa, barely 21 kilometres away. Catch it on a good day, and you’ll see whales migrating by, but there is one more spectacle that this wonderful site has kept for last.
Visit the site in spring, from March to June, and if the wind blows stiffly from the west you will experience one of the wonders of the natural world. Captured by David Attenborough in his series “Life on Earth”, you can see thousands of birds of prey migrating overhead. Sometimes the wind is so strong that it pushes the birds close to the sea and they pass below you. They even land to rest on the cliffs of the World Heritage Site! Eagles, kites, harriers and vultures all come across as they migrate from Africa into Europe for the spring and summer. They cannot fly over open water so the narrow crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar is their window of opportunity. This is the only place on the European mainland where you can observe such a spectacle at such close quarters.
Whether you are interested in prehistory, ancient history, or the natural world, the Gorham’s Cave Complex UNESCO World Heritage Site provides a unique chance to lose yourself in lost or hidden worlds, to immerse yourself and become a part of the natural world in an unforgettable setting. You will be in a wild place but within minutes you can be back in the comfort of your hotel, recounting the tales of a lost world.
Gibraltar National Museum
www.gibmuseum.gi enquiries@gibmuseum.gi (+350) 200 74289 /TheGibraltarMuseum/ @GibraltarMuseum /GibraltarMuseum/
Gorham’s Cave Complex World Heritage Site
www.gorhamscave.gi neanderthals@gibmuseum.gi | whoffice@gibmuseum.gi (+350) 200 74289 /GorhamsCaveGibraltar/ @gorhamscave /channel/UC6CRt2qj7STT4OsQm88n2wQ
OUTLOOK RECOMMENDS
EAT:
FOR BUDGET TRAVELLERS… FOR AL FRESCO DINING DELIGHTS
Lined with numerous pubs, bars and restaurants,
Casemates Square is strategically positioned in the heart of Gibraltar’s shopping district. It is the larger of the two main squares within the city centre of
Gibraltar, and the site for several outdoor eating establishments. Casemates Square also acts as the gateway into Gibraltar’s city centre for many tourists.
FOR A SENSORIAL TREAT
Grille53 is a must-visit for lovers of steak and seafood. Cosy, contemporary and unique, this Marina Bay restaurant brings something different to Gibraltar both aesthetically and on a culinary level, priding itself on great service and the high quality of its food. To find out more and make a reservation, visit grille53.com
Casamates Square.
DO:
FOR NEANDERTHAL EXPLORATION
Discover Gorham’s Cave Complex, considered to be one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe. Consisting of four caves situated on the eastern side of the Rock of Gibraltar, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is of major significance in understanding the global story of human evolution and adaption, as they contain archaeological and paleoethological deposits that provide evidence of Neanderthal occupation. Standard tours and specialised visits led by senior scientists can be booked here.
FOR HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL EXHIBITS
The Gibraltar National Museum houses a collection of the country’s original artefacts, old prints and photographs. With guided group tours available on request, fully immerse yourself in the museum’s array of displays portraying the Rock’s millennia-old history and the unique culture of its people. All tickets include access to galleries, 14th-century Moorish baths, archaeological excavations in the garden, all special exhibitions, a bookshop and giftshop.
SLEEP:
FOR A FIVE-STAR ‘FLOATEL’ EXPERIENCE
Stay and dine in Sunborn Gibraltar, the world’s first five-star floating yacht hotel. Located in the luxury surroundings of the Ocean Village Marina, accommodation is elegantly spaced over seven floors. Staying aboard Sunborn Gibraltar is a persuasive proposition that presents visitors with the unique opportunity to enjoy the privacy and exclusivity of an ocean-going superyacht combined with the quality and comfort of a five-star hotel.
Visit the Sunborn Gibraltar website to book:
sunborngibraltar.com
FOR BREATHTAKING VIEWS BEFORE BED
With an enviable position on the quieter side of the Rock, Caleta Hotel offers spectacular sights of Spain and North Africa. The location and proximity to the beach and the clear blue Mediterranean Sea makes this hotel unique on the peninsular. To enjoy elegant surroundings with panoramic views of the Rock and beyond, book here: caletahotel.com
IN FOCUS GIBRALTAR NATURE RESERVE, UPPER ROCK
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory, the upper area of which is mostly covered by a protected nature reserve
COVERED IN LUSH vegetation and commanding impressive views of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Spanish mainland and the African coastline, it truly feels as if you are on top of the world on the Rock of Gibraltar.
The Gibraltar Nature Reserve is home to many of Gibraltar’s important historical sites, including St. Michael’s Cave, Moorish Castle and World War II tunnels, and is therefore a main highlight for visitors interested in both landmark attractions and marvelling at the fantastic views on offer.
As part of continued efforts to further protect the area’s biodiversity and natural habitats, the Gibraltar Nature Reserve was extended in 2013 to include new areas that would further help to protect important habitats and species.
Gibraltar is home to a wealth of plant life, from palms and jacaranda to lavender and jasmine, and is also a well-known and popular bird look out. As a key migration point, keen bird watchers return year after year in the hope of spotting the myriad of bird life that use the Strait of Gibraltar as their crossing point to and from the north of Africa.
It is the Gibraltar Nature Reserve’s natural beauty, stunning views and sites of historical interest, combined with its unique, meandering nature trails, that differ it from the more mainstream tours of the Rock.
GIBRALTAR BY NUMBERS:
SIZE
6.8 square kilometres
POPULATION
33,070
GDP
£2.3 billion
VISITORS PER YEAR
10.5 million
The Gibraltar National Museum
Gibraltar itself is a living museum. Wherever you go, be it the tourist sites or simply one of the narrow back streets, you will find a piece of history. There is only one place, however, where you will find the many layers of history condensed and described. It is the Gibraltar National Museum.
The Gibraltar Museum, as it was then called, was founded in 1930 and it has remained in its present location since then. The name of the street on which the museum resides – Bomb House Lane – raises eyebrows, but explains perfectly the nature of the building. The museum is situated in the former residence of the Principal Artillery Officer, an old fireplace inside the building still bears the Royal Army Ordnance Corp’s coat of arms! It’s as if time stood still.That’s Gibraltar, and that’s the history told in this museum.Many years ago, archaeologists excavating inside the museum found a layer of charcoal which was dated to the late eighteenth century. They immediately knew what they had found. During Gibraltar’s Great Siege (1779-83) this building was hit by enemy fire. Part of the building was burnt to the ground and one of the officers dining at the time was killed. Here, archaeologists had found, frozen in time, evidence of that tragic moment.
Archaeology is very much part of the work which museum staff undertake. Digging in Gibraltar is like going down a multi-layered cake. Everywhere there is evidence of the past. It may not be as monumental as Rome or Athens, but it is certainly far more diverse. Not many places in the world boast such a rich heritage in such a small area.
You can catch a glimpse of this diverse archaeological heritage in the museum itself. There is an excavation for all visitors to see in its garden. It tells the story of this unique building, the only one in Gibraltar with all its urban periods represented. At the base of the excavation, you find the oldest levels, represented by a well and the remains of an old building. These date back to the fourteenth century. This was a time when the Rock was occupied by a North African Islamic dynasty – the Merinids. They enlarged the town and strengthened its defences and they sought sources of fresh water. This area was one of them and they put the water to good use. Enter the museum building and you will find an impressive ancient monument within the museum itself. It is a Moorish Bath or hammam, also dating to the fourteenth century. Here, the governor of Gibraltar of the time entertained and conducted his business, not far from a palace whose remains are yet to be unearthed.
Returning to the garden, we find the next layer in the excavation. We have travelled 200 years and we are in the sixteenth century. Gibraltar was captured by the Spanish in 1462 and in this layer of the excavation, you find the remains of a cistern and a drinking trough for animals. We know that the building was then part of an estate, (further remains having been found in other parts of the building) from written accounts. In the excavations we have tangible proof: domestic animals would have been brought to the trough to drink, especially during the hot summer months.
We step forward in time once more and we reach the early nineteenth century. Gibraltar was taken by the British in 1704 and they adapted many existing infrastructures. Corresponding to this time, we see evidence of how the British repaired and rebuilt part of an aqueduct that supplied water to the ships in the original harbour, close to present-day Casemates Square.
The building itself has been adapted as a museum while retaining many of its colonial military features. Exhibits are supplemented by display screens telling some of the many stories of Gibraltar’s rich history.
@GibraltarMuseum
Gibraltar is famous for its Neanderthal heritage, which the museum team continues to uncover in Gorham’s and Vanguard Caves inside the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The information provided in the museum on our prehistory can be combined with a visit to the viewing platform at Europa Advance Battery for the total Neanderthal experience. In the museum you will meet Nana and Flint, life size forensic reconstructions of Gibraltar’s two most famous Neanderthals. Let them look at you in the eye and judge how human they really were. Here you will also find a replica of the Neanderthal “hashtag”, a unique engraving made by a Neanderthal in Gorham’s Cave. There are also examples of the fossil animals and stone tools excavated in the caves.
Moving around the galleries, and forward in time, we find Calpeia. She is the forensic reconstruction of a Neolithic woman, dated to around 7.5 thousand years ago. Her skull was found by archaeologists near Europa Point and DNA analysis shows that she came from present-day Anatolia, in Turkey. She was one of the earliest inhabitants of the Rock, after the Neanderthals. Move forward in time a bit more, to the Bronze Age and you find another forensic reconstruction. He is Yantar, a man who lived here around 2.5 thousand years ago and was buried in a cave near the top of the Rock. His DNA tells us that his origins were the present-day Russian steppe!
This is Gibraltar, known in classical times as the Pillars of Heracles. A unique geographical location that has attracted people from far and wide since the very dawn of humanity. One of the richest collections in the museum also comes from Gorham’s Cave. In the museum there is, on display, part of a unique collection of offerings made by ancient mariners, after Yantar’s time, from 800-200 BCE. They include the largest collection of scarabs in the Iberian Peninsula and some wonderful pieces of ceramic and glass, one of which has been used for the museum’s logo. These were placed as offerings by Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians, as they sailed past.
At the Gibraltar National Museum, you can discover Gibraltar, the fortress Rock, with its massive cliffs which offered protection to the north and east, the manmade walls surrounding the west and south, and honeycombed with tunnels which added cover and protection, especially in the north. The museum gives a sense of life in the fortress from displays and artefacts from as far back as the Great Siege itself and from official films of Gibraltar during the Second World War. If you want to get a 3 dimensional perspective of the historic Rock and the places which you can visit, then the model of the Rock on the first floor of the museum is the ideal place to start. This model was built in the late nineteenth century and has been housed in this building since 1930. It provides a snapshot in time of Gibraltar as it was in 1865. The detail, based on charts at a scale of 1:600, is incredible and you can rapidly visualise the extent of the defences that were built by the British, making this the fortress of fortresses.
LANDMARK ATTRACTIONS
BARBARY MACAQUES
The world-famous Barbary Macaques roam freely in their natural habitat of the Apes’ Den. It is unofficially known as the national animal of Gibraltar, and is the only wild monkey population in the whole of Europe, drawing thousands of tourists every month. Barbary Macaques are considered by visitors to be Gibraltar’s top attraction, and they certainly garner attention wherever they are seen.
ST. MICHAEL’S CAVE
A world class visitor attraction, appreciate this breathtaking limestone cathedral cave situated at the entrance of a system of prehistoric caverns, dating back to the Neolithic era and giving rise to myths and folklore that transcend the generations. It is a beautiful natural grotto complete with stunning stalagmites and stalactites that has long since fascinated visitors, and today it is a unique auditorium.
THE SKYWALK
Standing 340 metres directly above sea level, enjoy mesmerising 360-degree panoramic views as stunning as anywhere else in the world. This former military lookout has been transformed into a state-of-the-art glass platform and walkway, spanning two continents and three countries. The Skywalk also links to other sites within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, including the thrilling Windsor Suspension Bridge and the famous Apes’ Den.
GETTING THERE AND AROUND
GIBRALTAR IS EASILY accessible by air, predominantly from the UK with direct scheduled services regularly flying from major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Outside of the UK, visitors can fly to Gibraltar from the Moroccan cities of Tangier and Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc.
Visitors will arrive at Gibraltar International Airport (GIA), a peculiar and intriguing facility in which a road spans across the runway. Landing here is not dangerous, however, as the road is closed well in advance of any aircraft landing or taking off. In the event of low visibility and crosswinds on approach, aircraft may be diverted to the neighbouring Malaga Airport, wherefrom travellers will be readily transferred to GIA by coach.
By road, meanwhile, Gibraltar is accessible by car via Spain, as it is adjoined to the Spanish south coast at the western end of the Mediterranean.
In addition, there are a total of eight different bus routes in Gibraltar provided by Gibraltar Bus Company and Calypso Transport, transiting people to the territory’s most popular landmarks.
Gibraltar is also a popular destination for cruise ships, with tourists able to book excursions organised by ship operators, negotiate taxi tours, or even save some money by walking into the city. Indeed, at just under seven square kilometres in size, getting around Gibraltar and its town centre by foot is easy, with attractions and amenities all located in close proximity to each other.
One of the most rewarding ways of negotiating the heady heights of Gibraltar is to climb the Mediterranean Steps, a steep path that mainly runs along the eastern side of the Rock. The route is particularly appealing during the spring, when visitors are greeted by a beautiful array of flowers including the Gibraltar Candytuft, whose pale lilac petals grow nowhere else in Europe.
Alternatively, a cable car service carries about 30 passengers at a time on a trip of the summit of the Rock where, on arrival, awaits various terraces, souvenir shops, viewing and eating establishments over 407 metres above sea level.
A cable car to the summit of the Rock
BAY OF GIBRALTAR
Ferry Crossing ORIGINAL BY ERIC GABA (STING), LABEL/LEGEND EDITS BY JEFF DAHL.
