Farmland within the city: the curious structure of Mahon

Mahon’s urban structure has been evolving for centuries, allowing that some fertile irrigated farm land be completely surrounded by streets and houses. These farms are called here “Sinies”. At least 3 of them have survived, although with different fates: Sa sina des Cuc, Sa sinia des Fraginal and Sa Sinia de’n Costabella.

Until the 70’s they produced all kind of fruits and vegetables for the local market. In some sinies, for example sa Sínea des Cuc, the farmer’s wife even sold their produce directly to the people at the farm’s house. All sinies had a characteristic chain pump originally pulled by a horse or a mule, as it was the case since the Islamic domination of the island. In fact, Sinia means precisely that: chain pump. In recent years, this kind of pumps has been substituted for electric ones that eased the job (at least for the horse!). We can still see one of these old chain pumps for instance in the Sinia des Cuc.

The Sinies no longer produce vegetables. The Sinia des Freginal, for instance, is now a public park, although many traditional elements, such as the characteristic stone irrigation gutters have been preserved. The Sinia des Cuc has became a free car park, while the Sinia de’n Costabella houses some sports facilities as well as a new Evangelicalism Church.

Another interesting presence of the rural world, inside the urban structure, is the windmills for grinding wheat. This is something that Mahon shares with all other towns in Minorca. The best known examples are probably es Molí des Compte (the Count’s Mill) in Ciutadella and the Molí de Dalt in Saint Lluis. This last one has kept all of its old equipment and machinery. Now it has been transformed into an ethnologic museum, including also an interesting collection of traditional farming tools. In Mahon es Molí de Xoriguer is also properly preserved.