Are you the kind of traveller who likes to skip the typical tourist sites and explore unknown and underexplored sites and places? Someone who looks for the usual spots during your trip and likes to experience the usual things. Today, we are going to explore one of those places in the white island of Ibiza which is still undiscovered as a tourist site and has its own kind of peculiarity. It is the museum of Puig Des Molins, which is a necropolis of the ancient world.
The Puig Des Molins, which literally translates as "windmill mountains", is the oldest necropolis in Ibiza, which means that it is the oldest preserved cemetery in Ibiza, now converted into a museum for the public. The museum has almost 3,000 tombs, but only about 300 of them, more or less, are open to the public. Puig Des Molins has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. This cemetery dates back to the 7th century and was created by the Phoenicians who were the founders of the city of Ibiza.
The Puig Des Molins Museum is located on the top of a hill in the city of Ibiza, close to the city center, southwest of the bay of Ibiza. The conservation of the site began in 1929, after the visit of King Alfonso XIII to Ibiza. Shortly afterwards, the site of the necropolis was declared a Historical and Artistic Monument in 1931. However, there was no official enclosure or area designated exclusively for the museum until 1935. Construction of a compound of official buildings for the museum began in 1936, but it was interrupted again with the onset of the Spanish Civil Wars. It was not until 1965 that work was completed, and the definitive museum was officially established.
In the museum, you will not only find graves of the dead, but it also displays a collection of ornaments, jewellery, figurines, antique vessels and artefacts that were found in the coffins and graves buried with the dead. There are also indications that these tombs at Puig des Molins were probably intended for nobility or royalty, as the Phoenicians wanted their deceased to be preserved from harmful predators such as snakes and the island does not have any, so this white island became the burial place for the nobles to keep them safe even after their demise.
What makes this museum unique is the characteristic of its hypogea-shaped tombs, which are tombs carved into rocks and into the earth. These tombs have been excavated by archaeologists over the years and are the result of an immense archaeological investigation. These excavated tombs are well accessible to visitors, although only about 300 of them are open to the public. You can find guided tours and narrative tours to learn the history of the necropolis in detail. Further inside the museum building near the hypogeum, you will also find audio-visual shows that give you a detailed insight into the culture of the Phoenicians, their burial practices and the rich history associated with the island of Ibiza.
The summer timings of the museum are from April to September, operating weekly from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and 6.30 pm to 9 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. Mondays are closed for visits. In winters the museum is open from October to March, Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 3 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm and Mondays being a holiday. The museum has free admission on Sundays and bare minimal admission fee for the rest of the days if you wish you to visit the museum on other days.
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