ARAB BATHS

This is one of the most important remains of Muslim art on Mallorca. From a more extensive complex, only the central hall housing the hot baths and an adjacent rectangular-shaped area remain. They are one of the few samples of Muslim architecture remaining on Mallorca, and they are located in the Can Fontroig garden, today owned by the Espanya-Morell family. Prior to the 19th century, the garden and baths were part of Can Serra.

The layout of the main floor is square-shaped, and it is anchored by two central columns with Moorish arches. A brick dome with skylights tops the central area. The ceiling of the lateral hallway has a pointed barrel vault.

The column shafts are unadorned with bases that are basically undifferentiated. The stylistic variety of the capitals and the shafts’ lack of correspondence with these capitals justify the theory that the building was made using materials recycled from other structures, perhaps buildings destroyed during the Pisa-Catalan expedition in 1115. You can still see remains of the fireplaces on the walls, and there still remain water or steam conduits on the floor.

The original entrance was from what is today Vallespir street, a dead-end. A narrow hallway led to an area that served as a dressing room. From there you could enter the warm room, the antechamber to the hot room or ‘hammam’. After that the cold bath would be the last step in this complicated process, but to date no traces of its location have been found.