| Jebel Musa | |
|---|---|
| Jbel Musa, Djebel Musa | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 842 m (2,762 ft) |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges in the world named The Sleeping Lady |
| Coordinates | 35°54′N05°25′W / 35.900°N 5.417°W /35.900; -5.417 |
| Geography | |
  Jebel Musa | |
| Parent range | Rif Mountains |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Unknown |
| Official name | Littoral de Jbel Moussa |
| Designated | 16 April 2019 |
| Reference no. | 2381[1] |
Jebel Musa (Arabic:جبل موسى,Jabal Mūsā;Berber languages:Adrar n Musa; meaning "Mount Moses") is amountain in the northernmost part ofMorocco, on theAfrican side of theStrait of Gibraltar. It is part of theRif mountain chain. The mountain is generally identified as the southernPillar of Hercules, Mons Abila (Mount Abila or Abyla).[citation needed]
Jebel Musa, named, according to the 14th-centuryBerber Muslim geographerIbn Battuta, in honour ofMusa ibn Nusayr, to whom the conqueror of AndalusiaTariq ibn Ziyad owed fealty,[2] was known to theancient Greeks andPhoenicians asMount Abyla and to theRomans asColumna.[3] Together with theRock of Gibraltar to the north, it is generally identified as one of thePillars of Hercules (this title is also claimed forMonte Hacho in theSpanishexclave ofCeuta, to the east of Jebel Musa).[4]
The name "pillars of Hercules" derives from one of thetwelve labours assigned by the Greek heroHeracles.Perseus had defeated theTitanAtlas by showing him the head of theGorgon. Atlas waspetrified; his hair became a forest and his shoulders became cliffs. Heracles was then directed to get theCattle of Geryon and deliver them toEurystheus. Heracles' way was blocked by the mountain that Perseus had created; to clear a way, he used his mace to split the mountain in half, one part becoming theRock of Gibraltar and the other becoming a mountain in Morocco. According to the myth, this split in the mountain created a sea link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. This link was the Strait of Gibraltar.[5]
Jebel Musa is 842 metres (2,762 ft) high. To the north, across theStrait of Gibraltar, lieSpain and theBritish Overseas Territory ofGibraltar. To the east isCeuta, a Spanish exclave, and to the west and south is Morocco.[6] By road, the mountain is about 22 kilometres (14 mi) west of Ceuta and about 72 kilometres (45 mi) east ofTangier.[7]
Jebel Musa is opposite theRock of Gibraltar at the entrance to theMediterranean Sea from theAtlantic Ocean. It is an important landmark in the region ofTanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima on the north coast of Morocco.[8] The coastlines around the mountain show evidence of having had varying sea levels through the ages. Thesehighstands are at 120–130 metres; 80 to 90 metres; 40 to 60 metres and from 0 to 25 metres above the present sea level.[9]
In Ceuta, around the town ofBenzú, the mountain is known asThe Dead Woman (Spanish:la Mujer Muerta), because from that direction it resembles a woman on her back.[10]
The mountain is a site forbirdwatching.Migratory birds use theupdraughts andthermals from Jebel Musa to gain height before attempting to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.[11] The Strait of Gibraltar is "one of the world's most prominent" migration bottlenecks andraptor watching is popular in the fall, though the best observation points may be north of the Strait.[12] The site has been designated anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports significant populations ofmigrating soaring birds, especiallyraptors,cranes andstorks, as well aspasserines andwaders.[13] The shoreline at the foot of the mountain has been designated as a protectedRamsar site since 2019.[1]
The area around the mountain has over 200 caves that attract visitingcavers. The area around the mountain is mainly forest and is identified in the Plan for Protected Areas in Morocco as aSite of Biological and Ecological Interest (SIBE).[14][15]
| High Atlas |
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| Middle Atlas |
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| Anti-Atlas |
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| Saharan Atlas |
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| Rif |
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| Other peaks & ranges | |
