Sorbas Travel Guide

Sorbas means "pot of sand" in Arabic; the name is related to the clay pots that were made in the region since Neolithic times. At present, the municipality has the most important pottery industry in the Levante of Almeria. In the Las Alfarerias neighbourhood, the visitor has the opportunity to appreciate the potters in their work as they make their pieces according to the ancient tradition and create beautiful souvenirs in the process. Its distinctive feature is the hanging houses that can be seen in the Afa ravine.

It has traces of prehistoric settlements from the Neolithic Age and the Metal Age, and also from the Bronze Age (2,000 BC). However, the first important civilization was an Iberian one. There are also traces of the Roman era, the domain of the Arabs and the Christian Reconquest.

In this town is one of the largest gypsum quarries in Europe. Gypsum is the main export product and the most important economic activity. Must-see sites for visitors are the Caves of Sorbas, which are formations and underground gypsum glass galleries that are six million years old. On the site is a Visitor Centre where tourists can learn everything about this ancient and mysterious place.