Elche (ancient Ilici), city, southeastern Spain, in Alicante Province, Valencia, near the city of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea. Dates, olives, cereal grains, and pomegranates are cultivated, and woolens, brandy, wine, and olive oil are manufactured. The city's Iberian origin is indicated by the Lady of Elche, a painted bust from the 5th century BC. Elche, occupied by Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans, was made an episcopal see by the Goths. It lost importance during the Moorish period but retains much of its Moorish architectural character. Population (1998 estimate) 191,713.
