Mazarrón Phoenician boat interpretation centre

Mazarrón visitor centre for Phoenician boats, Mazarrón I and Mazarrón II

Mazarrón is the location of an important marine archaeological site in the Playa de la Isla, which is part of the way along the beach front towards Bolnuevo. ( Click Playa de la Isla).

Two Phoenician boats have been discovered in the Isla, dating back to the 6th/7th century BC, one of them, Mazarrón 2,  in a remarkably complete state of preservation and providing invaluable information for archaeologists about the processes of Phoenician shipbuilding techniques, being the most intact ancient ship discovered to date.

To read a full history of who the Phoenicians were, what they were doing in the Region of Murcia over 2000 years ago, and to follow their footsteps in Murcia, click Phoenicians in Murcia.

Mazarrón 1 was discovered  in 1988, following the construction works for the new marina. The excavations for the marine caused sand from surrounding beaches to be literally sucked into the excavations revealing the remains concealed beneath the sand further along the beach. Mazarrón 1 is a type of vessel known a hippos, built for speed rather than cargo capacity and commonly used for either ferrying loads out to larger vessels in deeper water or transporting local loads along the coastline.

Mazarrón 1 was in a poor state of repair, and the remains were dispersed across the sea bed, along with a quantity of amphorae which the vessel is believed to have been carrying. The remains are currently on show in the ARQUA marine archaeology museum in Cartagena.

The wood has been freze-dried to conserve it. The remains are fairly scant, but there are interesting displays in the museum relating to the Phoenicians, along with elephant tusks and ceramics recovered from this, and other sites and a reproduction of Mazarrón 2. Click for ARQUA.

Following the excavations on Mazarrón 1 the area was thoroughly surveyed, but Mazarrón 2 was not discovered until 1994. Mazarrón 2 is virtually intact, complete with a cargo of lead ingots weighing 2820kg, which is a major volume of cargo for a vessel which is only 8 metres long and 2.25 metres wide. It is believed that the boat was either carrying the cargo along the coastline, or was meeting a larger vessel in deeper waters to transfer the cargo when it sank.

The cargo was removed and excavations carried out to map and survey the area, before the boat was sealed inside a protective steel casing on the sea bed where it still lies, at only 3 metres depth. Parts of the cargo are to be seen in the ARQUA and also the archaeological museum in Cartagena.

One of the most exciting finds in Mazarrón 2 was a plant fibre basket, still with wooden handle intact and the anchor, in perfect condition, the best example ever found of its type.

In the ARQUA a reproduction has been made of the boat and contents as she lay on the sea bed, which gives a clear indication of size and structure. This is a very important vessel as there are only minimal wooden remains dating from this period worldwide and it is exceptionally rare to find a vessel conserved to this degree and even rarer to find a complete structure.

Visiting the Phoenician boat Interpretation centre, Mazarrón

The visitor centre hosts an exquisitely made small scale replica of Mazarrón II,  lovingly crafted using the same building techniques and the same woods that would have been used in the original. It was customary to use different woods for different jobs , as the elasticity and texture of the woods dictated their use. In this case, cypress would have been used for the keel, fig for the frame, pine for the strakes, (side panelling) and olive for the tabs, the whole being sealed with pine resin.

The Phoenicians were master mariners, colonising the whole of the mediterranean coast 3000 years ago, and dominating the shipping and trading ports from modern day Lebanon, across Cyprus , Crete, Malta, Southern Italy and the Spanish coast as far as Cadiz, then back along the northern tip of Africa.

Their sophisticated culture has left a wealth of archaeological remains and artefacts, but few traces remain of their seafaring history, so it was a major coup for Mazarrón when these boats were discovered In an astonishingly intact condition, after more than 2700 years underwater.

The visitor centre has good literature in English, the model of the boat and display boards showing a little information about the Phoenician culture and marine explorations. An atmospheric 2 minute presentation in Spanish talks about the discovery of the boat, showing the remains in situ, and although non-Spanish speakers  will not understand the commentary, the visuals are informative and in English.

 Would we recommend it?
There's not a lot to see, although the display panels are interesting, and its well worth visiting if you're in the Puerto de Mazarrón doing something else, it's certainly not worth driving a long way to visit on its own.
We would strongly advise visiting along with the Roman salt fish museum and house in Calle Era as these sites are only a 5 minute drive from the Salt fish museum.

Its also advisable to check with the tourist office if the centre is open as hours do vary. Tourist office number 968 594 426

The Centre is located on the left hand side, just out of the Puerto de Mazarron, on the main coastal road running to Bolnuevo. The bay known as Playa de la Isla is about half a km from the El Arbol supermarket on foot, so is walkable with a good degree of mobility, otherwise there is plenty of parking nearby.

Museo Fenicio

Centro de Interpretación del barco fenicio

Avenida Tierno Galván

Click for map, Avenida Tierno Galván, Puerto de Mazarrón

Opening Times:

Please check with tourist office first as entry times do change, Tel 968 594 426

Winter Hours

Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 8pm

Sunday 10am to 1pm

Summer Hours ( from May onwards.)

Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Entry : Free of charge