Talayotic Menorca starred in the ‘Marca España’ program this Tuesday, January 12th, with an interview to the conseller of Cultural Affairs, Miquel Àngel Maria, where he reviewed the key points of our new UNESCO World Heritage candidacy. Hosted by the journalist Lola Plaza, ‘Marca España’ is one of the most popular programs on Radio Exterior, the international station of Radio Nacional de España.
No inhabited place on Earth has a higher density of prehistoric sites than Menorca which has around 1,500. This great density of archaeological remains alongside the harmonious coexistence of the monuments with human activity and their great state of conservation, centered most of the conversation around the new candidacy. Articulated in nine territorial areas (or components) that distinguish different settlement types on the island, the candidacy groups together the most unique sites of Menorcan prehistory and also highlights its surrounding landscape, as was recommended by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to improve the candidacy in 2017. The conseller explained why these components are concentrated mostly on the southern part of the island: "It has to do with the geology, Menorca’s south is made mostly of limestone, where there is more water, which explains the greater affluence of settlements."
However, limestone is not what explains the great state of conservation of the sites: “It is not a resistant type of stone. Many sites are buried under the fields and this is what has helped with their conservation, because wind and rain erosion has been avoided. Seven of the 32 taulas located are still standing, an exceptional fact considering their age. There are about 300 talayots throughout the island, the upper part may have been damaged but in most cases the base remains perfectly visible and in its whole diameter,” according to Maria.
Coexistence between locals and the sites also has a lot to do with their good conservation: “There is no vandalism. In fact, whenever there have been cases, such as the painting of the naveta des Tudons in 2017, a wave of indignation came across Menorca, which shows the level of involvement and self-identification of the locals with their heritage,” explained the conseller. The possible inclusion of Talayotic Menorca in the 2022 UNESCO World Heritage List would be a reward for all their efforts: “If we succeed, it will be a recognition of the work done, sometimes unconsciously, by generations of Menorcans to help preserve the monuments. From my point of view, it will be a commitment to pass this heritage on to future generations in better conditions than we have received it. This means promoting research, conservation and prevention,” Maria reflected.
This year is of capital importance to the future of the candidacy. On February 1st, the Spanish Ministry of Culture will deliver the candidacy’s file to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and in September an ICOMOS commission will travel to Menorca to assess the candidacy on site. "If all goes well, in January 2022 we will have the ICOMOS interim report and in May, the final one. We hope that in July we can celebrate the inscription to the World Heritage List," the conseller of Cultural Affairs explained.