Talaies d'AlcalÃÂ (, ), also known as Serra de les Talaies or simply Les Talaies, is a 21.5 km long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Talaia Grossa (635 m).
Talaies, the name of the range, means "watchtowers" in Catalan, which is derived from Arabic, and refers to ancient battles fought in the area since Iberian times. AlcalÃÂ refers to the town of AlcalÃÂ de Xivert located in the plain below the mountains.
The Talaies range stretches a few kilometres inland parallel to the Serra d'Irta and the Mediterranean coastline in a NEâÂÂSW direction south of the Vinaròs plain, its northern limit. It rises on the western side of the road between Barcelona and Valencia. It stretches over the municipal terms of Santa Magdalena de PolpÃÂs, Cervera del Maestrat, La Salzadella and Les Coves de Vinromàin the west. Its southern limit is within Alcalàde Xivert municipal term. The Serra de la Vall d'ÃÂngel mountains form a natural boundary further inland at the northwestern end of the Talaies.
The range is covered with low Mediterranean forest and Maquis shrubland. Parts of the lower slopes are planted with olive, almond and carob trees. Generally the eastern side of the range has more vegetation than the western owing to the influence of the sea breeze.
Geologically the Talaies d'Alcalàis a karstic formation with numerous shafts and caves. It is a southern prolongation of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range that formed 25 million years ago as part of the Alpine orogeny. Geologically the section formed by the Talaies d'Alcalàâ Santa Magdalena de PolpÃÂs/Alcalàde Xivert Valley â Serra d'Irta is very similar to the section formed by the Serra del Montsiàâ Ulldecona/Freginals Valley â Serra de Godall further north. These sets of parallel mountain ranges and valleys form the transition between the Mediterranean System and the Iberian System.
This mountain range was the scenario of violent battles both during the Third Carlist War (1872âÂÂ76) in the 19th century and again during the Spanish Civil War (1936 â 1939) when rebel faction troops tried to split the Spanish Republican government territory in two and reach the Mediterranean coast cutting across the Talaies.