Alaior’s heritage

History carved in stone

The island of Menorca is renowned for its rich heritage, embedded in every stone. And our talayotic heritage is outstanding. This period is strongly reflected within the island’s landscape that houses very significant megalithic monuments and talayotic settlements.

In fact, some of the best-preserved prehistoric sites are located within the Alaior district and it is really worth visiting these magical places. Menorca is currently in the process of being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO thanks to the island’s unique talayotic history in the world.

Necropolis at Calescoves

The largest necropolis in Menorca

The necropolis in Calescoves is the largest in Menorca and is made up of over ninety tombs and natural burial caves with different types of tombs ranging from the period before the Naviform II one (1400 BC) to the Talayotic one (900-750 BC) and the post-Talayot or Iron Age II (750-123 BC). Nowadays, most of the caves are sealed off so that they can’t be occupied and used as living quarters, which is what happened in the 80s.

The Paleo-Christian Basilica of Son Bou

The greatest evidence of Paleo-Christianism on the island

The basilica at Son Bou is of Spanish Paleo-Christian architectural design. It is located at the far eastern point of Son Bou beach and faces south-east. There are probably very simple monastic remains and graves around its exterior..

Torralba d’en Salort Talayotic Settlement

The highest taula in Menorca

The talayotic settlement of Torralba d’en Salortis one of the most spectacular sites in Menorca, not just because of its size but also thanks to the many buildings that can be seen. It also has the highest taula in Menorca, measuring 4 metres. There are two talayots, a hypostyle room and a burial cave. It is one of the most active settlements in that new areas are opened up every winter. It was here that one of the most important pieces was found and is now on display in the museum Museo de Menorca, a small bronze bull.

Torre d’en Galmés Talayotic Settlement

The largess talayotic settlement in Menorca

The talayotic village of Torre d'en Galmés is the largest in Menorca and also one of the largest in the Balearic Islands, with a ground surface of six hectares. This prehistoric settlement has many monuments and a range of buildings that stand out for their quality. It was inhabited during the Initial Bronze period, around 1600 BC, but its era of maximum splendour was around Roman times. It stands on a hill overlooking a panoramic view of a large part of the southern coast of Menorca. It houses three talayots, several round-based talayotic houses, a taula enclosure, a hypostyle room, a water-catchment system and even four hypogea that were originally used as funeral chambers.

Monument of Na Comerma de sa Garita

Of the oldest human remains on the island

This monument is unique in Menorcan archaeology and forms part of the Torre d'en Galmés prehistoric settlement. It comprises a large enclosure with an apsidal layout, covered by huge slabs and opening out to a big a cyclopean wall that would originally have been open to the sky.

Torrellisar Taula

When man gains ground over history

The Torrellisar taula stands out within the talayotic settlement of the same name and is located in the municipality of Alaior. There are also two talayots in the settlement which, together with the taula, have been partially altered by modern alterations.

Ses Roques Llises megalithic tomb

A tomb that is 4,000 years old

The megalithic tomb of Ses Roques Llises was built in approximately 2000 BC, forming part a large archaeological area around Torre d'en Galmés and retaining a rectangular-based chamber made up of six slabs.

Santuaris de So na Caçana

A sacred place

The So na Caçana site dates back to the Middle Bronze Age and was occupied until Roman times. It is considered to be a group of sanctuaries, as many of the enclosures are of that type in the opinion of researchers. The is also a necropolis made up of three hypogea, and two natural caves that have been inhabited by humans

Naveta de Biniac Oriental

A burial site from 3000 years ago

The bronze-age site Naveta de Biniac Oriental is classified as a funeral tomb or naveta (the shape of an upturned boat) on a circular base, built with huge smoothed down blocks that are placed horizontally. The naveta is built on a slope where collective burials were conducted between the beginning and end of the Bronze Age (1400 – 1000 BC).

Navetas of Rafal Rubí

Sister navetas

The Rafal Rubí archaeological site is made up of two funeral navetas of that period. They go back to dates between middle and the end of the Bronze Age, although their use was extended to medieval times. They are the same type of collective tombs as the Naveta des Tudons, but smaller and closer to each other.

Es Castellet de Calescoves Cape

Going inland

One wall remains on this coastal cape on the western side and set on a point of the Son Domingo bay. It comprises an enclosure that looks like a square base with various structures within it. There are sentry boxes, or spaces covered with big slabs and attached walls. Within the area marked out by the wall of this coastal building, there is a well that was excavated in the bedrock with an access corridor 1 m wide. It has 45 steps that reach the old water table level, some 14 metres deep.

Windmills

A tradition that lives on in Alaior’s heritage

Windmills form part of Menorca’s ethnological landscape, standing like witnesses of a past when agriculture was one of the greatest island economies. In Alaior, we boast the following windmills:

Molí des Cós, located in rural transition area. It was used as a house but is now uninhabited.
Molí d’en Jon, located in the street calle dels Bèrecs.
Molí del Munt de l’Àngel, named after the old church that it was built over.
Molí d’en Setu, located in the street calle Sant Antoni.
Molí del carrer de Sa Bolla, still in good condition and with a winding staircase.
Molí d’en Mascaró, currently an isolated and very changed from how it was originally.
Molí del carrer de s’Androna, whose structure has not been possible to recover. estructura.

Santa Ponça Quarry

The home of building stone

This old quarry is just a few kilometres from Alaior and was used to extract sandstone for building for over 100 years. You can now visit it and it has been declared a site of Cultural Interest by the Island Council of Menorca.

Torralba d’en Salort Quarry

A prehistoric quarry

The Torralba d’en Salort quarry is located within the talayotic settlement of the same name. Unlike the Santa Ponça quarry, the Torralba d’en Salort one was used in prehistoric times and is smaller. It can be visited in addition to the settlement.