The commune can be accessed by the small D247 road from the village to Tardets-Sorholus in the north-east. The D149 branches off this road in the commune and goes north to Camou-Cihigue. There is also the D117 road which goes west from the village to Mendive.[4]
Hydrography
Located in the drainage basin of the Adour, most of the southern border of the commune is formed by the Alphoura river (18 km long) which also flows through the village and continues northeast to join the Saison near Alos-Sibas-Abense. The Alphoura is fed by many tributaries rising in the commune including the Azaléguy and Ardounc. The Escalérako erreka rises in the south and flows west with its many tributaries.[4]
Paul Raymond[5] mentioned the Arangaïxa, a brook that rises at Alçay and flows into the Alphoura.
View of Alçay villageSaint Peter's Church and the cemetery at AlçayOld Hilarri at AlçabéhétyThe Church at Sunharette
The commune name in Basque is Altzai-Altzabeheti-Zunharreta.[3][9]
According to Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, the base (h)altz meaning "aulne" was used for both the toponyms Alcay and Alçabéhéty. beheti means "at the bottom".[10]
The name Sunharette comes from the Basquezunhar (Name from Soule meaning "elm" or "poplar") using the romanized locative suffix ette meaning the "place of elm".[10]
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
In 1833, the three communes of Alçay, Alçabéhéty, and Sunharette merged to form a single joint commune.
Heraldry
Arms of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Blazon:
Azure, a wolf argent passant at dexter in front of a beehive of Or to sinister and accompanied by 6 bees at dexter chief, 3 bees at sinister chief, one bee at sinister, and 4 bees in base the same.[17]
The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:
The Seven Ibarnaba Tumuli in the Esquirassy district[6]
The Ten Ibarletta Tumuli in the Esquirassy district[7]
Other sites of interest
The Gaztelu zahar (Basque meaning "fortified place") of Maide korralea meaning "the enclosure of Maide" is attributed to Maidé, mythological beings incorporating some of the traits of Jentils and Laminak.
Religious Heritage
The RomanesqueParish Church of Saint-Pierre (Middle Ages) is registered as an historical monument.[20] The church contains a Processional Cross (16th century) which is registered as an historical object.[21]
Environmental heritage
The Belhygagne peaks (also called the peak of Vultures) and Gaztelia are the highest points in the commune at, respectively, 1,072 and 1,345 metres high.[8]
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