The island of Menorca is an open-air museum where the stones speak of a mysterious past. One of the most impressive Talayotic sites is that of Torralba d¿en Salord. Its taula precinct is spectacular. The scholars Peter Hochsieder and Doris Knösel have described Talayotic monuments as ¿masterpieces of power in equilibrium; they are architecture and sculpture at the same time, they are thoughts converted into stone¿. A visit to the Talayotic settlement of Torralba is a true example of this. The site is located halfway between Maó and Alaior. It was inhabited from the Prehistoric Period up to the Middle Ages, and conserves a spectacular hypostile chamber, fragments of walls, caves, a Talayotic dwelling, a large talayot (prehistoric tower), and remains of another smaller one. But the most spectacular feature is its taula precinct, 4.30 metres high and surrounded by lateral pilasters, a common feature in this type of monument. The taula consists of a large horizontal stone supported on top of a vertical one. It has the shape of a table, hence its name (¿taula¿ means ¿table¿ in Catalan). However, it also looks like an enormous T, which has become a symbol impossible to decipher. Monument exclusive to Menorca The taula is a construction which is exclusive to Menorca, more elegant and developed that the other prehistoric monuments discovered. It continues to be a mystery as to why there are no examples on Mallorca, in spite of it belonging to the same Talayotic culture. These were apparently used as sanctuaries which, at that time, were built in enclaves where a divinity revealed its presence. They were places used for worship, where sacrifices and offerings were offered to the image of the god, and where fires burnt permanently. The place was full of food, statuettes of divinities or votive offerings. The bronze figure of a bull, which has been dated from the 3rd Century BC, appeared in the surroundings of the taula de Torralba and apparently was placed on top of a pedestal base as an object of worship. Another find was a clay perfume burner made in the shape of a goddess¿ head. Nobody knows what these taulas signify, but all coincide in the powerful impact they achieve through simplicity. You can get to the Talayotic settlement of Torralba from Maó, turning off the main road after seven kilometres; and from Alaior, along a road which leaves the centre of the locality.
The Trepucó settlement is one of Minorca's finest megalithic archaeological sites, thanks to its gigantic talayot and well-preserved taula. The talayotic settlement in Trepucó, which was excavated by English archaeologist Margaret Murray in 1931 and declared a Historical-Artistic Monument that same year, is located approximately two kilometres from Mahon on the road to Sant Lluís. This approximately 5000-square-metre talayotic was originally surrounded by a wall, of which only several sections and two square defence towers in the western wall have survived. Archaeological findings have revealed that there were at least seven talayots originally, of which two have survived. The central talayot, a solid structure with a small window in the upper section, is one of Minorca's largest. The star-shaped building near the talayot was erected in the eighteenth century by the French army during their attempts to wrest Mahon from the English. Attached to the wall is a second, smaller talayot in a well-preserved condition. To the left of the settlement is a magnificent taula, a prehistoric monument for worship, which was reconstructed in the early 1970s. The section in the rear was reinforced to prevent it from collapsing. Visits to the Trepucó settlement are free of charge.
I love this site so peaceful the taula remains but it’s precinct is gone but there are other parts left around of interest, well worth a visit , just make sure you are travelling on the side of the road it is on before turning in there .
Ciutadella is also characterized by its narrow streets, with curious names like Qui not Passa ('did not happen') or Ses Voltes ('The Arcades') starting at the Plaça de ses Palmeres ('Plaza de las Palmeras' or Alfonso III) and end at the Ciutadella Cathedral beyond, towards the Town Hall is the Plaça des Born. There are remains of the Moorish occupation and reconquest that occurred at the end of the thirteenth century when the Arabs expelled Alfonso III and sent to fortify the city. They built several palaces, churches and convents within the walls of Ciutadella.
PeixateriaIt deserves at least a small portion of our precious vacation time. Only thus understands the importance Mahon had in the commercial hub of the Mare Nostrum and still exists today thanks to maritime communications acceptable with neighboring Mallorca and the Iberian Peninsula. The rectangular, the local fish market was built in the first decades of the twentieth century through the work of local architect Francesc female. High quality products populate the spaces on a site that distills the popular atmosphere that characterizes Llevant capital.
At the easternmost tip of the beach of Son Bou there is a peculiar rectangular-shaped building, oriented from east to west. It is the Basilica of Son Bou, dated in the 5th century, one of Menorca’s oldest testimonies to the Paleo-Christian era. It is a basilica with three naves and a tripartite chevet where there is an apse flanked by auxiliary chambers. The church was entered via a portico of which little remains, and the narthex or vestibule where the faithful who had not yet been baptised were located. It has been confirmed that above the narthex there was a high choir which overlooked the naves of the basilica, accessed by means of some steps, a few remains of which have been found. The last central section, closer to the apse, is slightly raised in relation to the level of the naves, and separated from the rest of the church by inner doors. The paving was very simple, made of mortar. The two chambers adjoining the apse are the prothesis or propositions room, on the left, and the diaconicum or diacons’ chamber, on the right, where the utensils for celebrating liturgy were held. Everything would appear to indicate that the baptistery was located in a small free-standing room that may have been close to the portico, and which now no longer exists. By contrast the small baptism pool, which was moved to its location in the prothesis, beside the baptistery, has been preserved. It consists of a cylindrical limestone with a lobed cross cut out of it. On the outside, beside the southern wall of the basilica, there was a small cemetery, some of the tombs of which can still be seen. The basilica was destroyed by a fire in the 18th century
This 4000-year-old collective ossuary will allow new data on the island of Menorca's society and pre-Talayotic culture to be collected. The prehistoric burial ground at Son Olivaret, an unknown and intact site discovered by the Museu de Menorca's team of archaeologists in 2004, is situated at a point with wonderful panoramic views in the vicinity of the military battery at Son Olivaret in Ciutadella . This collective ossuary was in use between 2,300 and 900 B.C. and the enclosure was covered by stone slabs. It consists of an oval-shaped double wall with an entrance facing the southwest, a corridor and an inner chamber where most of the human and ceramic remains can be found. Approximately six hundred ceramic shards and bone fragments were recovered during last year's excavations, which may correspond to more than 50 children and adults. Among the most striking findings are a dozen ceramic glasses, several triangular-shaped bones, beads, a pendant, a bronze needle and even a slingshot stone. The remains are being studied in the Museu de Menorca and will shortly be on display at Ciutadella's Municipal Museu.
The most emblematic settlement in Minorcan prehistory, thanks to its unique taula and wide variety of monuments. Only four kilometres from Maó on the Ciutadella-Maó road stands Talatí de Dalt, a prehistoric talayotic settlement that preserves a number of important monuments, including the central talayot, a sanctuary with a taula, several chambers with stone-clad columns and natural caves. The settlement is ringed by a dry stone wall and its highest point, the talayot in the centre, was used as a watchtower to control the territory as well as the sanctuary with its spectacular taula supported by the enclosure's pilaster, which was erected between the sixth and fourth centuries BC and used as the venue for rituals and offerings for fertile lands and livestock. The many excavations carried out by the Amics del Museu Association in Menorca and Arqueomenorca have led to findings that indicate the settlement housed around one hundred of people at its most populated point in time, around the third century BC.
A prehistoric settlement in the vicinity of Ciutadella with round dwellings and a number of caves, as well as the customary megalithic talayot. Protected by a dense oak forest between the old Maó road and the main road lies the prehistoric settlement of Torre Llafuda, which includes the remains of round dwellings, caves, a wall, a talayot and an enormous taula more than three metres high. Upon reaching this settlement, which dates from the third Talayotic period (800-450 BC), visitors are greeted by a series of huge boulders standing vertically in an arch that make up an enclosure in the entrance. Directly opposite is the talayot, which must have been hollow, since the upper part is partially collapsed. Entering the oak forest with the talayot to the right leads visitors to the rear of a sanctuary that includes an enormous three-and-a-half-metre-high taula (the island's second widest after Trepucó). In fact, it is actually a perfect taula-shaped pilaster, as are most Minorcan taules, embedded in the sanctuary wall slightly behind the central monument. Further information: Arqueobalear
Remains of a castle of Roman origin but with Moorish towers. It was here that the Moors surrendered the Island to King Alfonso III of Aragón in 1287.
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