The Diputación de Alicante, in close collaboration with the Town Council of Calp and the Conselleria de Medi Ambient, Aigua, Urbanisme i Habitatge de la Generalitat Valenciana are developing the IFACH Project, an archaeological investigation aimed at documenting the archaeological remains on the slope of the Peñón de Ifach. The project, which this year has completed its fifth campaign of works (2005-2009), has the specific objective of studying the remains of this unique, newly founded settlement that was built at the end of the 13th century (1298) under the command of Roger de Llùria, Admiral of the Crown of Aragon, and was destroyed in 1359 in the midst of the Castilian-Aragonese conflict.
With a large multidisciplinary scientific team ranging from archaeology to history and the study of the palaeoenvironment, and with the field support of more than 200 volunteers from almost 30 Spanish and European universities, the work over the last few years has focused on the Northern Sector, where the best-preserved remains of the wall and the most emblematic buildings are concentrated.
This project is generating important expectations for the historical knowledge of Calp and its territory, as it is the only town that has not yet been investigated, excavated or transformed before, which makes it a unique and exceptional site. A future adaptation of the archaeological remains will make it possible to convert it into a true interpretation centre that will add to the enormous leisure possibilities that the current natural park already offers, completing a first-class cultural offer where archaeology and environment come together in a complete way that is so far unique.