The magnificent Torralba d'en Salort taula (meaning “table” in Catalan) is the most characteristic and spectacular feature in the settlement and has become one of the most iconic images of prehistoric Minorca. It is colossal in size: The upright stone is 4.30 metres high and the capital stone is 3.80 metres long and 0.73 metres thick. The whole taula is 5 metres high in total. The upright stone features a central rib on the back face, and the base —reinforced with embedded stone wedges— is inserted into the bedrock. Both stones were cut with great perfection and offer a weightless and very elegant image.
The taula stands in the middle of a horseshoe-shaped enclosure with a central portal on the front façade. The floor plan of what was an outstanding prehistoric sanctuary was carved into the bedrock and has an average diameter of about 16 metres. The inner part of the wall surrounding the taula features several side chapels, separated from each other by vertical stones that served as columns. At the back of the chapels are small niches or altars. Underground, archaeologists found cult objects that indicate the sacred and liturgical significance of the space, such as two terracotta figures of the goddess Tanit and a bronze ox (mentioned above). It has not been possible to provide a precise date for the enclosure, but it is estimated that it was used between the 4thcentury BC and the 2nd century AD.
The East Talayot is circular in shape and is located at the highest point of the site. With an almost truncated cone-shaped profile, it is surrounded by a pile of stones that give it a neglected appearance. At the top (main feature of the talayot) there is a cylindrical stone in an upright position, which might have been a central column of the whole.
The West Talayot is located next to the taula enclosure and also has a circular floor plan. The dating of some cereals using carbon-14 has made it possible to determine its date: 13th century BC. The West Talayot was probably built on a Bronze Age dwelling. Only a section of the outer wall remains today, as it was probably demolished when the taula enclosure was erected. The West Talayot was excavated by William Waldren and Manuel Fernández-Miranda in the 1970s.
The hypostyle hall at Torralba d'en Salort is half-buried. The roof is made up of slabs resting on stone columns and pillars in an upright position. It is one of the most interesting prehistoric pillared halls in Minorca, as its roof (made of small stones and earth) is the only one that has remained almost entirely preserved until today. The hall was used as a storehouse between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
The settlement houses several small hollow spaces used to store cereals or rainwater.
These underground burial chambers were part of the necropolis of the site. One of them is actually an adapted natural cave that is almost 10 metres long. The other one, dug into the bedrock, is a 7.50 m deep artificial cavity. The cavity known as the “The Cave of the Five Portals” (Cova dels Cinc Portals) features two hypogea and is located outside the property.
They are difficult to see, since they are half buried by sediment and loose stones and also partly covered by vegetation.
The settlement used to be surrounded by this wall, which was built using enormous blocks of stone. Only the ruins of the wall remain to this day.
It could be a medieval or early modern dwelling, although it could also have served as a Christian chapel, since a cross can be discerned on the stone.