IBIZA Information - BALEARIC
ISLES |
For many Europeans, Ibiza means an old hippie sanctuary or endless
nights in the huge discos and clubs on the city's outskirts. However,
the westernmost Balearic isle, with a style of popular architecture
consisting of cube-shaped buildings in shining white, contrasting
with the deep blue of the sea and the widows dressed in black, maintains
its traditional appeal, making it as seductive as ever. With Formentera
and the surrounding rocks, Ibiza is definitely different to the
other islands. The classical travellers called them Pitiusas, Pine
Islands, though these noble trees have since been relegated to the
cliffs. Rosemary, heather and juniper dominate the island, alternating
in the north with fig, almond and olive trees, which are common
to all the Balearic isles. In the south the salt flats have taken
over the landscape, supplying the most important salting plants
in Europe. The nearby lagoons provide safety for emigrating birds.
IBIZA / EIVISSA. The proximity of an inlet and a small hill led to
this town being founded in the eighth century BC. All the warrior
civilisations of the West have passed through this town, from Greeks
and Carthaginians to Romans, Ostrogoths and Byzantines. The Romans
left two statues guarding the entrance of Les Taules, and the Aragonese
a well sculpted coat of arms on the walls of Dalt Vila (the high town).
Its walled enclosure contains palaces from the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, an old quarter with traditional popular architecture and,
at the top of the hill, the Santa Maria church, built in a cathedral
style. Although renovated many times, it is an interesting church,
with chapels in the chevet which have had much of their original fourteenth-century
beauty restored. The sacristy dates from the same period.
The Bishop's Palace is a medieval building. The Santo Domingo church,
from the sixteenth century, contains various domes colourfully decorated
on the outside. Beyond the town walls, the ancient quarters of San
Marina and Sa Penya (areas of seafaring tradition) are full of traditional
popular architecture. Near Eivissa is the Puig dels Molins, a necropolis
with around 4,000 tombs which originally used a cremation system with
urns. In the sixth century BC the practice of burials in underground
vaults became widespread. Figures of Egyptian influence have been
found in the vaults, as well as pottery of all kinds, some in excellent
condition, with Hellenic features (albeit Punic in origin), with glass
bead necklaces and gold rings, and the Lady of Ibiza, an excellent
example of Punic earthenware kept in the Archaeology Museum of Barcelona.
For many, Ibiza means beaches and white coves, such as Moll, with
its cliffs covered in pine trees, and the Ca la d'Hort, opposite the
Es Vedra rock (a shrine of the Punic goddess Tanit, and a paradise
for birds and species that are exclusive to Ibiza). In 1999 the culture
and bio-diversity of Ibiza was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO.
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