Tanit. You will undoubtedly have heard that name in Ibiza. There is a Tanit car rental, a beach bar called Tanit beach and even a hotel, Fiesta hotel Tanit and Tanit fashion Tanit jeans
designs And don't forget the nature pharmacist Tanit Balsàm d'Eivissa. All refer to the Carthaginian goddess Tanit , who plays an important historical role in Ibiza. Yet Tanit is not always known to visitors to Ibiza, so I thought it would be interesting to write a piece about it.
A bit of history…
In 654 BC. the Phoenicians first discovered the island of Ibiza, and they immediately founded Ibiza Town, one of the first cities in Europe. They named it Ibossim , after the Egyptian god Bes. Both the name Ibiza and the Catalan version Eivissa were later derived from Ibossim . However, the Phoenician empire weakened, and Ibiza fell into the hands of the Carthaginians : they were passionate traders and were very interested in the island, because of the 'white gold' that they could mine there: salt.
The Carthaginians worshiped the sun: the male sun god was Baal, and his female consort was Tanit, goddess of the moon, dance and fertility.
The goddess Tanit was one of the most important goddesses in Carthaginian mythology. She was worshiped not only in Ibiza , but in various areas around the Mediterranean Sea such as Cyprus, Sardinia and Sicily that also belonged to the Carthaginian Empire.
Cova des Culleram
In the north of Ibiza , the cave Cova des Culleram was discovered in 1907, arranged as a sanctuary, with a kind of altar and more than 600 ceramic figurines of Tanit, which are now exhibited in the archaeological museum in Ibiza town, Museum des Puig des Molins. Legend goes that child sacrifices , were made here to appease Tanit and Baal. Euhm bit creepy, though. You can still visit Cova des Culleram for freeOpen during the high season from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.
Tanit today
The cult of the goddess Tanit continues to this day, she is deeply rooted in Ibizan society: Tanit was and still is regarded as the 'guardian goddess' of Ibiza, the name 'Tanit', and depictions of her will you can often find on the island. For example, you can see a tanit statue in some restaurants, bars or shops.
At the hippy market of Las Dalias and Punta Arabi you will find some stalls selling gems and figurines of Tanit. The islanders hold her close to their hearts, but many Ibiza lovers are now fans of this lady.
