La manga History

The great pool the little sea…the so called Mar Menor has received different names along history, but all of these names agree in describing a phenomenon which nature shaped as a great coastal lagoon, 170 square kilometres of warm salt waters.

Since ancient times, the wealth of its waters, the mildness of the climate, and the beauty of the surrounding landscape attracted the sight of a diversity of people.

Iberians Phoenicians and later the Arabs decided to include the mar Menor as part of their history. In Islamic times it was known as the Mar Chico. The Arabs chose the present town of Los alcazares – Al Ksar – as the place to build their second residences.

Continous skirmishes with pirates from Algiers forced them of El Ramé or Rami still remain. Until the 18th century, the area was occupied by settlers devoted to fishing and to the exploitation of the salt mines.

From the 19th century onward, these settlements progressively became leisure centres for the inhabitants from the interior. These people would choose this part of the coast as their summer residence, attracted by the curative properties of these brackish waters. Still today the Mar Menor is loyal to this concept of a residential area for relaxation and quietness.

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