History of Malaga

Modern day Malaga

Throughout Malaga’s history there has been a multitude of different civilisations settling on the land. The changes and developments which have occurred within the area have been a result of Malaga’s placement near the Mediterranean Sea as it has been susceptible to foreign invasions in the past.

The First Settlers

Over 3000 years ago the first settlement was founded by the Phoenicians. They named the town Malaka, the Phoenician word for salt, in reference to the fish salted near the harbour. During this period the town was used as an area of exportation of metals such as silver and copper. When the Carthaginians entered and conquered Malaga in 550 BC, they continued the commerce and selling of metals in the area.

The Roman’s Takeover

An important period occurred during 218 BC as the Roman takeover of Malaga saw the town become part of the Roman Empire. As well as Malaga’s name being changed to Flavia Malacita, developments such as the Port and the Roman theatre were built in this period. During the fall of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the 5^th Century, Malaga was invaded by Visigoths tribes on numerous occasions. In 623 the tribes finally conquered the area and removed the last of the Romans. This domination didn’t last as tribes from North Africa invaded the Iberian Peninsula and ended the Visigoths’ settlement in Malaga. During this period the town expanded and developed as the civilians built the town’s surrounding wall and five great gates. The fall of the Umayyad dynasty who ruled over Malaga at this time saw the area come under the Kingdom of Granada where the town then became known as Malaqah. This development resulted in the construction of two major monuments in Malaga as they built the fortress Alcazaba and the castles and fortress Gibralfaro between the 11^th century and the 15^th century.

The Christians Conquer

In 1487, Christian Spanish forces finally succeeded in conquering Malaga which they had been attempting to do since the 14^th Century. During this transition, Malaga changed from a Muslim into a Christian town. As many Muslim’s attempted to defend the town they were either killed or sold as slaves. The takeover also saw the ruining of many monuments built by the previous settlement alongside constructions of Christian buildings. During the 16^th century of the Christian Spanish takeover, the cathedral in the town was both started and finished. The Alcazaba and Gibralfaro remained intact in order to prevent attacks from other countries. Between the 17^th and 18^th century the town suffered hardships as a number of floods and earthquakes resulted in the ruining of many monuments and constructions such as the harbour.

The growth of the town continued during the 19^th century which resulted in the demolishment of the great wall surrounding the town. During this time Malaga started to develop into the holiday destination it is today. It was then a popular holiday destination for the elite and rich which resulted in many attractions such as the theatre Cevantes being built to maintain this tourist industry.