Ember & Grain · Field Notes · Salts · Origin Atlas · Nº 13
Añana Salt
of the Valle Salado
Salinas de Añana, Basque Country, Spain. Springs of brine in a narrow valley, and men making salt there for some seven thousand years.
42°48′ N · 2°59′ W
Southwest of Vitoria the hills of Álava fold close, and in one narrow valley the ground is salt. Springs rise at its head, and the water that comes out of them is nearly saturated with it. Down the slopes stand thousands of flat wooden platforms on stilts of stone and timber, stepped one above the other, grey with age and white with salt. It looks like no other place on earth.
Field notes
| Origin | Valle Salado, Salinas de Añana, Álava |
| Position | 42°48′ N · 2°59′ W |
| Source | Brine springs over a salt diapir |
| Method | Sun and wind on wooden eras |
| Season | Summer |
| Honors | FAO GIAHS (2017) · Ramsar wetland |
Continue in The Origins Atlas
The rest of this chapter lives in the book: the full story of the place, how the salt is made, the people who keep the tradition, and the hand-drawn map.
- The Place · a sea under the hill
- The Harvest · wood, sun and wind
- The Valley · fall and rise
Sources: Wikipedia, “Salt Valley of Añana”; Álava Turismo; FAO GIAHS. Imagery is illustrative and AI-generated.