Sóo is an agricultural village located north-center of the island of Lanzarote, at the northern end of the sandy plain of El Jable. The 600 inhabitants live in houses rather scattered at the foot of the Caldera Trasera (293 m) and live on dry farming, especially growing onions, watermelons and pumpkins. The town is part of the municipality of Teguise.
Since the “center” of the island, the Monumento al Campesino, one reaches Sóo by the LZ-20 road and then branching off right on LZ-401 road out of the village of Tiagua; then the road along the desert plain of El Jable to Sóo.
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the village of Sóo was mainly inhabited by Moorish slaves; this time there are some houses with the windows closed but not by windows with mesh timber in the model of Arab homes (kinds of moucharabieh).
El Jable is a vast plain of sand, an area of 40 km², stretching the middle of the island of Lanzarote, between the mountains of the north, the Risco de Famara and Risco de las Nieves, mountains south, the Montañas del Fuego. The place name “jable” is a corruption of the French word “sable” that the Norman conquerors of Lanzarote gave this region.
This sandy desert is formed from shifting dunes created by the action of northwest winds, which abut on the cliffs of the Cordillera Famara and moving towards the south, causing the sand of the coast to the interior of ’island. Despite the aridity of the soil, farmers Lanzarote have developed a dry farming (secano) using sand as evaporation retardant, in the same way as volcanic lapilli (picón) are used in the art of the enarenado.
The area of El Jable is appreciated by birdwatchers because it is the best place on the island to watch desert species of Lanzarote such as the Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), the stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) or the cream-colored courser (Cursorius cursor).
Situation.jpg "The village of Sóo in Lanzarote. La Caldera Trasera. Click to enlarge the image.")
Visits
.jpg "The village of Sóo in Lanzarote. Courvite Isabelle (Cursorius cursor) to El Jable (author Frank Vassen). Click to enlarge the image.")
.jpg "The village of Soó in Lanzarote. El Jable and Soó Guanapay seen from the volcano. Click to enlarge the image.")
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