Mahon

Harbor Islands Mahon

In the port of Mahon, there are several islands the La Isla de la Mola coupled with land and it is the naval base on the easternmost point of Spain. King Island is where King Alfonso III of Aragon landed on his expedition of conquest historically neglected it is receiving attention from a group of Minorcans led by Lieutenant General Mahon Alejandre Sintes who is actively working the historical rehabilitation of the site.

The Island hosts Lazaretto scientific events, conferences and workshops regularly.
The Mahon Center and the Port Mahon and the View of the convent and church of the Carmen in Mahon are worth seeing.

Mahon is located on a natural harbour in the Western Mediterranean. It was founded by one of the Carthaginian general Hannibal and his brother, Mago, and later the Romans, after the annexation, and named Portus Magonis.

The harbour passed from the Romans after the fall of the Roman Empire, to the Vandals and Byzantines who occupied it the it suffered frequent attacks by the Normans and Muslims, until finally, in the year 903, it was conquered and annexed to the Caliphate of Cordoba.

Conquered in 1287 by King Alfonso III of Aragon and in 1535, suffered from looting by the corsairs-pirates of Barbarossa and then King Philip II began construction of Fort San Felipe, on the southern entrance to the port of Mahon. This was one of the most impressive military engineering feats of the era and reputedly impregnable.

Mahon experienced more changes of sovereignty after being captured by the British in 1708 during the War of Spanish Succession and ceded officially after the Treaty of Utrecht to become for seventy years a British dependency and a British naval base in the Mediterranean in the eighteenth century. The British presence boosted the economy of the island, so that Mahon became the capital of the island and centre of trade and smuggling in the Mediterranean.

The British influence can be seen in local architecture, in stark contrast to the Citadel and the ancient capital where the clerical and aristocratic stronghold languished. During the various gains and capture of Menorca that occurred during the eighteenth century the castle of San Felipe was ordered demolished by King Carlos III, who reasoned that if without such a jewel of military engineering the British would no longer want Menorca.

The result was that when the British again attacked the Menorca Cala Mesquida and their being no defences they were able to capture the island without taking casualties. Later, in the nineteenth century another imposing building was built on the north side of the mouth of the harbor, Fortaleza de la Mola.

Mahon is in Catalan or Mao and in the local dialect it is pronounced Mo and is written as Maho. This city is located in the east of the island of Menorca the Balearic Islands of Spain with around 28 000 inhabitants it is the official capital of the island.

Urban

On the north coast is Es Grau, with a lagoon and a beach with calm waters, Sa Mesquida, has a tower and the small community at Murto. On the opposite side of the Port, as'altra banda, as are various suburbs from Rat Cala, Cala Llonga and Cala Barril to the interior where you will find the hamlets of Sant Climent and Llucmacanes.

Colom Island

The channel island by King Alfonso XIII or St. George opened in 1058 and was the Lazaretto literally touching, the Quarantine Island and in the harbour is the island of the Hospital of the King a military hospital built by the English during 1713-1756 and nicknamed "Bloody Island".

On the South Coast, is an island called "illa redone" or "Sas Rats," and known in the fifteenth century as "S'Illa d'penjats and this island no longer exists today. A little less than a mile away from the hospital, toward the West and united by a wooden bridge at Arsenal is another island that bears the name of the maritime unit, the Pinto, and known in medieval times as Illa d'es Gegants.

Transportation

The city has a civilian-military airport located 4 miles East of downtown the Airport Menorca, with daily flights to major cities of the Peninsula like Madrid and Barcelona, other islands like Aeropuerto de Menorca and Ibiza and major European cities of the United Kingdom and Germany.

Between 6 and 9 September the town celebrates the Patron Saint Festival of Grace, in honour of the Mare de Deu de Gracia which opens on the evening of the 6^th continuing the tradition with activities like fireworks, horse racing, dancing and then moves to climax at the harbour.