The name's origin is attributed to the Carthaginian general Mago Barca, brother toHannibal, who is thought to have taken refuge there in 205 BC. After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire, it was part of the Byzantine Empire; it suffered raids fromViking and Arabs, until the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba conquered it in 903.
Mahon was captured in 1287 from the Moors by Alfonso III of Aragon and incorporated into the Kingdom of Majorca, a vassal kingdom of the Kingdom of Aragon. Its harbour, one of the most strategically important in the western Mediterranean, was re-fortified.
In 1535, the Ottomans under Hayreddin Barbarossa attacked Mahon and took 6,000 captives as slaves back to Algiers, in the Sack of Mahon.
British rule
Minorca was captured by the British during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1708, and its status as a British possession was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During the island's years as a British dependency in the 18th century, Mahon served as its capital and residence for the governor, the most famous being General Richard Kane.
The island changed hands several times during the eighteenth century, with France and Spain both capturing it. In 1783 the Peace of Paris returned the town to control of the Spanish but it was occupied for a final time by the British during the Capture of Minorca in 1798 before being returned to Spain for good in 1802.
Modern era
Today it serves as the seat of the Island Council of Minorca (Consell Insular de Menorca).
Towards the end of the 20th century, the renovation of its historic centre was made possible by income from tourism.
A traditional cheese made on the island (formatge de Maó) is named after the city. Some believe that the origin and name ofmayonnaise are found in this Minorcan city. In Spanish mahón is also the name of nankeen, especially the blue
