One of the most charming attractive cities in Spain (España) and the whole world, and an exceptional place on this earth being the Capital of Costa del Sol (Coast of the sun)...Malaga is a major tourist region known mainly for its rich architectural history, beaches, and Mediterranean cuisine. To get to know this awesome city, you have to know a lot about its old history, pass down so much and uncover it since ancient times. It was the second Largest city of Andalusia (Al Andalus in Arabic and Andalucia in Spanish) and is the sixth largest city in Spain nowadays, located at the southernmost of Europe and at the North side of the Mediterranean sea.
Malaga was named Malaka by the Phoenicians after they first colonized it in 1000 B.C. and the name of the city came probably from Malac (a Phoenician word that means 'to salt' ). After sometime since the Phoenicians settled along the Guadalhorce River , that was the fish salting center...the city became a crucial commercial center as it was very rich in metals such as silver and copper.
The Greeks came at the 6th century and settled in an area called Mainake. However, the Greek rule was ended around 550 B.C. when the city was attacked and controlled by the Carthaginians. The Phoenicians were forced to abandon all their settlements after the Carthaginians took control of the commercial industry.
The Romans drove out the Carthaginians after attacking Malaga and other territories of Spain around 218 B.C.
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| Roman Malaga |
During the Roman era its name was changed into Malaca and the Romans included it under Hispania Ulterior of Roman Empire. Malaca represented a highly remarkable center of civilization and science..Moreover, it witnessed a cultural and economical Renaissance and revolution as the port of Malaga and the Roman theatre were constructed. It showed a great progress in many aspects of life and during this time it was named a confederate city of Rome under the rule of Emperor Tito, that further increased its importance among other Spanish cities.
During the Roman rule, this city was amongst the few cities which had adapted well to the Roman lifestyle and where christianity majorly became present.
The Visigoths tribes attacked Malaga at the beginning of the 5th century after the Western Roman Empire fell. Later, when the last of Romans left the city, the Visigoths took full control of the whole city.
However, the Visigoths were not capable of dominating for a long period of time and they finally had to leave after the Moors attacked in 711.
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| Al Andalus Mosque |
The Moors (including the Saracens and Muslims) were the North Africans of Arab descent, Berber, and the Black Africans who conquered, occupied, and for about 8 centuries they ruled the Iberian peninsula (located in the southwest of Europe and formed of Spain, Portugal, Pandora, and the colony of Gibraltar "derived from the original Arabic name: Gabal Tareq").
They called the city Malaqah and named the whole territory Al Andalus which is comprising most of what is now Spain and Portugal.
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| Alcazaba Fortress |
Initially , the Arab Muslims concentrated on guarding Malaqah from other foreign invaders and at the same time they expanded their territorial boundaries. Abd Al Aziz (Abdalajis in Spanish) was one of the magnificent leaders who played a major role in the expansion of Malaqah. During the Muslim Arabic rule over España, Malaqah became a significant city and a Large trading center that strongly affected throughout the whole region and exported to the whole Mediterranean and to the seaport of the Arabian Kingdom of Grenada.
One of the very well known castles in Granada, Andalus..is Calat Alhambra (Spanish) which means the red castle and its name was derived from its real name Al Qalaah Al hamra (Arabic).
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| Alhambra palace in Granada |
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| Alhambra Granada |
After 800 years under the Muslim Arabic rule...leaving behind lots of Civilization manifestations and diversity of scientific books and other books in lots of fields, historical structures, and cultural landmarks, Al Andalus fell to the Christian conquers in August 1487 and Malaqah was one of the last cities to fall with the help of small christian clans within the city.
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| Alcazaba |
During the Christian rule the Muslims faced a lot of problems with them being sold as slaves or being killed. Malaga was transformed into a Christian town with the construction of churches and other structures, while the Moorish structures were destroyed. The only exceptions were the forts of Alcazaba and Gibralfaro. The conquerors of Christianity were Isabella and Ferdinand.
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| The Cathedral |
The 17th and 18th centuries were the worst periods for Malaga, with epidemics, floods, and earthquakes ruining the city. The situation improved during the 19th century and the town walls built by the Moors were demolished for expansion of the town. Malaga became a rich city and an important touristic center. Structures like Theatre Cervantes (1866), Calle Marqus de Larios y la Alameda (1891) were built during this period. Even though, the century ended on a bad note with economic crisis, new plagues and inundation.
The Economic crisis continued even during the start of the 20th century and the agricultural sector suffered the most due to natural disasters. Political instability dominated this era due to the Spanish Civil War. But during General Franco’s rule, Malaga started regaining its position as an important commercial center.
It was not till the 1960s that Malaga became famous as an important touristic center with hotels and resorts sprouting all over the city. The Costa del Sol was one of the most important regions responsible for boosting the city’s economy. Malaga has undergone significant transport infrastructure since the 1900s to improve its roads and motorway connections to other neighbouring cities.
Today Malaga is an important commercial center and boasts of being Spain’s second largest port and its third largest international airport. It is also an important business center with a number of international conventions held throughout the year.
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