Sóller, Mallorca, Things to do and see, hotels, market

Moorish period

In 902, Mallorca was annexed to the Emirate of Cordoba after centuries with no influence or dominance of foreign countries or empires.

It was Moorish general Issam al-Khawlani, whom in 902 captured and annexed the island under the Emirate of Cordoba ruled by the Umayyad Caliphate.The archipelago became known under the name “Islas Orientales de Al-Ándalus” with the capital of Madina Mayurqua, present day Palma. In 1015, the archipelago came under the Emirate of Dénia.

With the new Moorish rulers, the island saw a great increase in prosperity, as new fruits were introduced in the agriculture, it was convenient to do naval trading, as well as piracy raids against Christian ships could easily be launched.

Furthermore, the island was introduced to a fiscal policy that made it possible to construct mosques, baths, water supplies etc. The island was roughly divided in twelve administrative districts, each known as a “Juz” (plural. ajzā), whereof Sóller belonged to the Juz’ de Sûlyâr which also comprised the area of present day Fornalutx.

One of the most emblematic marks the Moors has left has been in the Tramuntana range where you find the so-called “marjades”, stone terraces carved into the rocky walls of the mountain slopes. These terraces allowed water from the mountains to travel and irrigate the crops. These marjades has been conserved as a part of UNESCO’s world heritage program, and one of the main reason why Tramuntana is a such unique place to visit.

The Aragonese conquest

In September 1229, King Jaume I of Aragón landed in the bay of Santa Ponca with his 20,000 soldiers and 700 horsemen, ready to conquer Mallorca. After a three months siege of Madina Mayurqua with about 20 – 30,000 casualties and massive destruction, the Moorish governor Abu-Yahya Muhàmmad surrendered in the Almudaina palace.

The bloodbath in the capital made about 15,000 Moors flee to the mountains of Tramuntana and Llevant. According to Llibre del Feits (Book of Acts), a chronicle documenting the entire conquest, the last places to be conquered was the Alaró castell and the Santueri castle (Felanitx), in the years 1231/32.

Archaeologists Jaume Deyà and Pablo Galera have conducted an incredible research based on excavations of more than 10 years they have done in the area of the Gorg Blau lake, which tells the story of 3,000 Moors who had retrenched themselves and resisted the Aragonese forces for almost two years. The excavation has been difficult to do as the two archaeologists have had to wait for droughts to be able to access this site, which was called “al-Yibal” during Moorish rule. Al-Yibal, which then became Almallutx (Almeruig in medieval Catalan), had an extension of about 160,000 square meters, and a note from 1276 mentions a walled enclosure of 300 meters. In 1595, a local priest spoke of the existence of a large town which he meant derived from Moorish times due to the finding of remains of a mosque.

The two archaeologists have managed to map out most of the Moorish settlement including houses, streets, the mosque with its mihrab (cemetery) with human remains and funeral gifts. Of artifacts, multiple ceramics, keys, cowbells and other tools was excavated. Another interesting find by Deyà and Galera at Almallutx, was a container with an inscription that was interpreted to something like “good luck”. This container was carefully analyzed in a laboratory, where remains of saffron, lemon and olive has been detected.

As the Aragonese almogarvars (medieval trooper) intensified and made progress in the Tramuntana, it became more difficult for the Moorish population here to hold stand. The lack of food and desperation led to extremely primitive behavior where cannibalism was practiced to survive.

Moorish representatives traveled to Sóller to meet with the Christians, in order to negotiate a pact with them for surrendering, but it was all in vain. Those Moors that was not killed, were sold as slaves.

You are encouraged to visit the Museum of Sóller to learn more about this story and many other from the local area, as well as see the fascinating artifacts found on the archaeological sites.

Following the successful campaign, King Jaume divided the island in about eight districts and, according to agreements between the participants, distributed the lands among barons, knights and church. In the Llibre del Repartiment de Mallorca (Book of Distribution of Mallorca), the area of Sóller went to Ponç Hug, count of Empúries and Gastón de Montcada de Forcalquier, viscount of Bearn. With this, the private kingdom of Mallorca was a reality.

The kingdom of Mallorca ended in 1349 with the defeat of Jaume III in the Battle of Llucmajor.

The legendary battle of Sóller

One of the most defining moments in the history of Sóller, was the attack of Algerian privateers on May 11, 1561.

From the first third of the 16th century, the Ottoman empire started attacking the Balearic Islands as part of its expansion campaign in the Mediterranean basin. In May 1558, the Ottoman fleet landed in Mahón, Menorca, sacked it completely and took 6,000 innocent people as slaves.

The Ottoman fleet, consisting of both Turk and Algerian corsairs, made numerous raids on the coastal towns of Mallorca, but was often defeated by the well-organized Mallorcan troops, such as the cases of Alcúdia and Pollenca.

On May 11, 1561, an attack on Sóller commanded by Grand Admiral Occhiali came to define the culture of this area. The squadron of 22 ships had stopped in Ibiza to re-supply, which was spotted by the Mallorcan people who came to know their plans to attack Sóller. Mallorcan captain general, Guillem de Rocafull, quickly sent a message to the captain of Sóller, Joan Angelats, as well as to the captains of Bunyola, Alaró and Santa Maria. The four captains quickly gathered their troops in Camp de s’Oca not far from the cove of Sóller.

The Ottoman corsairs managed to disembark near the area of Ses Puntes without being noticed by guards. The fleet was divided in two delegations, one that went straight for the harbor of Sóller and one that sailed further up the coast and attacked Sóller from the north. The Ottoman fleet attacked with about 1,600 men, while the Mallorcan resistance counted about 500 men.

The Mallorcan resistance went to the cove of Sóller, present day Port de Sóller, to fight the Ottoman privateers. They managed to fight down the attackers leaving the bay red of blood. As Captain Angelats and his men had gained full control of the bay, he made a wise decision waiting for the other group of privateers to come through the valley with the loot and hostages they had taken, instead of going to Sóller town to fight in the streets.

The Mallorcan troops managed to drive the privateers through the valley towards the steep cliffs. The Ottoman soldiers killed many hostages in an attempt to threat the Mallorcan troops. Eventually, the corsairs were pushed to the limit and had to surrender without conditions.

During this ugly yet heroic episode, there are two stories worth mentioning. The first is the tale of two brave women who by the use of a bar taken from a doorway killed a couple of privateers as they tried to forcefully enter their house, these women became known as “les Valentes Dons de Can Tamany” (Valiant Women of Can Tamany). The second story is about a group of bandits who did great damage to the invaders and their ships. These bandits were forgiven by King Philip II for their previous crimes.

Following this event, the Torre de Picada and the Sóller castle was constructed, a well as a part of the town was fortified including parts of the church which is still seen.

Every year in May, these events are reenacted during the annual main fair of Sóller, with hundreds of people participating.

The orange adventure

From the first third of the 19th century, Sóller saw a great increase in export of citrus fruits and olives to other countries, particularly France. Port de Sóller suddenly became the main commercial hub of the entire area, but not just that, it too became the reason why many of the traders started expanding and emigrating to Latin America and southern France, especially around 1835.

Along with the massive economical growth of Sóller, the population too increased significantly. This meant an increasingly active textile and shoe industry. Some of these factories operated up until the 1970’s.

In 1865, a plague struck the entire orange valley causing severe damage to all the olive and citrus trees. As a direct consequence of this downfall in the economical situation, many traders left for other countries and area, especially Belgium, France, Switzerland and the mainland of Spain. Here they created new businesses making fortunes in trading, before they returned to Sóller decades later.

Upon their return, Sóller experienced great prosperity once again. Some of the greatest examples of this, are the Bank of Sóller building designed by famous architect Joan Rubio, the Can Prunera, Ca s’America and Can Moratal mansions built in stunning modernist architectural styles with arte nouveau decorations. Moreover, in 1912, the famous railway connection between Sóller and Palma, Ferrocarril de Sóller, was inaugurated.