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The city of Palma is the result of centuries of history marked by the different cultures that inhabited the city. One of them, which had an important political and economic weight on the island, was precisely the Jewish community. During the Muslim domination, Palma’s Jewish quarter, known as “Call Maior”, was a kind of city in its own right; it was also walled and had its own entrances. 

The Carrer Sol was considered the main entrance to Palma’s Jewish site. At the top of the street, on the ground, we can see a plaque commemorating the old entrance to Call Maior. The street leading up to this entrance is actually called Carrer del Call. One for the main stops on the route is the Iglesia de Montesión (Mount Zion) church. The original main synagogue stood here before the church was built. The few remaining features of the synagogue form part of the foundations of the current building, running from the right-hand side of the façade, to the building’s rear. If you look closely at this section, you will see that in between the stones belonging to the original synagogue, there are tiny pieces of paper with wishes written on them.

The interesting Centre Maimó ben Faraig is a great place to learn about Palma’s medieval Jewish history from the 14th century. At the Museum of Mallorca we also see some archaeological remnants from the Jewish era.

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