THE ARAB WELL
Read moreA vestige of a bygone era, this well, architecturally similar to those that were once dug in Arabia, has long supported the thesis that the Arabs knew and conquered the island as early as the 8th or 9th century, the thesis of a poorly informed Egyptologist. More recent studies have proved that the well was commissioned by the colonial administration in the 19th century. A lot of noise for a simple square excavation, whose 42 steps carved in lava, go down to the water table. The source was dried up in 1986, following an eruption.
THE MOTAIS HOUSE OF NARBONNE
Read moreIt is one of Reunion's architectural masterpieces inspired by neoclassism. Built in 1820 by Laurent Philippe Robin, pharmacist, then owner of a sugar factory in the Ravine Blanche, this house owes its name to the Motais family of Narbonne, owner of the site from 1911 to 1980, the year it was bought by the department which installed the offices of the sub-prefecture. It is registered in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments since 1989.