Benimerins

The Benimerins Group took part in the Moros y Cristianos de Ontinyent for the first time in 1947. Although they were originally supposed to be called Tuaregs, the local authorities urged the founders to choose from other names, from which they chose Benimerins.

The Benimerins' clothing corresponds to the classic Ottoman style, consisting of a waistcoat and breeches, a yellow sash, an elegant cape, a turban, a lance and slippers. This composition was chosen from among the different combinations made with the pieces of the Ropería de la Viuda de Trelis de Alcoy and has remained practically intact since the beginning of the Comparsa. The daily chilaba replaced, in the 1969 festivities, the old cotton "shooting" suit, and its vertical striped design includes the colours of the gala suit: red, blue, green, yellow and white.

Since 2011, the Benimerins have been located in a house in the emblematic Plaza de Sant Domingo, where they share space with two other groups from the Moors and Christians festivals: Moros Marinos and Mossàrabs. Among the extensive musical repertoire of the group, it is worth highlighting the march “Benimerins de Ontinyent”, premiered on the occasion of the Captaincy in 1991 and composed by Daniel J. Ferrero Silvaje, which is always played at the end of events and parades, being a symbol of the Benimerins.