Why go
The sequence explains why the Arab Baths, Almudaina, La Seu and merchant quarter sit so close together. Look for reused sites, water-minded gardens, defensive edges and courtyards that survived repeated changes of power. Use Reading Palma's History in the Old City for a wider comparison. Let Reading Palma's History in the Old City show how local terrain works; Reading Palma's History in the Old City also shows how history shapes Reading Palma's History in the Old City today.
The full story
Palma began as a Roman settlement and passed through Vandal and Byzantine control before becoming Madina Mayurqa. Under Islamic rule it developed as the island’s capital, with a fortified palace, baths, gardens and a street pattern adapted to climate and water. James I of Aragon captured the city in 1229. The Almudaina became a Christian royal residence, and La Seu rose beside it over centuries. Merchant wealth shaped the Llotja and surrounding quarter, while churches and convents filled the expanding Gothic city. Later fortifications, redirected waterways and grand town houses changed Palma again. The Arab Baths remain one of the most direct surviving glimpses of the Islamic city, but the deeper story appears in reused sites, street alignments and the close overlap of royal, religious and commercial buildings.