Elche
[key], Valencian Elx, city, Alicante prov., SE Spain, in
Valencia. It is surrounded by an extensive grove of date palms, the only one
of its kind in Europe. The city's industries produce footwear, soap, olive
oil, and palm products. Elche preserves a North African atmosphere. Many
Iberian, Greek, Roman, and Moorish artifacts have been found in the area,
notably the Lady of Elche, a stone bust (presumed to date from the 5th cent.
b.c.) now in Madrid's National Museum of Archaeology. An annual
drama dating from the Middle Ages marks the feast of the Assumption.
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