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FUERTE HOTELES
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Malaga - Malaga Spain
Malaga - HistoryMalaga andalusia spain - History
History
In the 1st century B.C., Estrabon mentions a Phoenician town which
stood at the foot of the hill now occupied by the city’s
fortress, the Alcazaba.
Roman Malaga enjoyed periods of great splendour, as witnessed
by its Roman Theatre and other important archaeological remains,
as well the statute which declared it a confederate, self-governing
city, known as the Lex Flavia Malacitana.
A long period of decadence followed the fall of the Roman Empire.
In 571, the city was captured by the Visigoth king Leovigildo.
In 711, Tarik, lieutenant to the governor of the north of Ifriquiya
(Africa) Muza ben Nusayr, crossed the straits of Gibraltar (Yebel-Tarik)
with almost 10,000 men to begin the conquest of the whole peninsula
-a feat which took just five years-, which was achieved more by
convincing its inhabitants of the virtues of a new creed and way
of life than by using military force. That same year, Malaga was
taken by the Moslems, and a new chapter in its history, one which
was to span eight centuries, had begun. The area was settled by
a variety of peoples -Yemenies, Berbers, Southern Arabs, Muladies
(Hispanogoths converted to the new religion), Mozarabs (Christians
who continued to observe and practise their religion) and Jews.
In the first three centuries of Moslem domination, the city’s
population grew rapidly as a result of a considerable economic
impulse which brought prosperous times for Malaga, with commerce
and barter of products via its sea port.
By the 10th century, Malaga had a population of 15,000 inhabitants.
Following the fall of the Caliphate of Cordoba, Malaga became
the capital of the Taifa of the Hammudies, a kingdom which stretched
as far as Algeciras. After the Almoravide and Almohade invasions,
the city and the surrounding area became part of the Nazari kingdom
of Granada at the end of the 13th century. During this period,
the city flourished, living from the commerce of its agricultural
produce -sugar cane, almonds, raisins, figs, saffron and olives,
while its silk textiles and fine ceramics also acquired great
prestige.
It was during the Moslem occupation that the city walls were built,
running from the sea to the Alcazaba fortress, climbing up the
left bank of the River Guadalmedina as far as the present-day
Calle Alamos street, from where it headed towards Calle Granada,
so named because it was here that a gate led out of the city and
onto the road from Malaga to Granada; the whole of the walled
area was protected by Gibralfaro Castle.
The traveller and geographer Ibn Batuta (1304-1368) wrote of Malaga:
"It is one of the most beautiful capital cities in all Al-Andalus.
It combines the advantages of inland regions with those of coastal
cities. Its figs and almonds, its fine ceramics and gold porcelain
are exported to distant locations to the East and to the West
"
The 14th century saw the Christians make their first attempts
to reconquer the area.
The city was captured in 1487. From this date onwards, religious
communities would play a crucial role in Malaga’s urban
development.
On the whole, the 16th century was a time of decadence, not only
as a result of the aftermath of the morisco (Moslem convert to
Christianity) rebellion and their subsequent expulsion, but also
due to the epidemics, floods and crop failures which afflicted
the city. Even so, this century saw the building of a large section
of the Cathedral: the transept, nave and main chapel. The 16th
century was also the date of the first urban redevelopment of
the Moslem city: a wide road was built to allow carts and merchandise
to be transported from the main square (Plaza Mayor, now Plaza
de la Constitución) and the Puerta del Mar gate, present-day
Calle Nueva.
In the 17th century, life in the city revolved around the port,
which had two clearly-defined functions: one military -being the
most important naval base on the coast of the kingdom of Granada-,
the other mercantile -the port of Malaga stood in a privileged
position between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic-. The busy
port stimulated the growth of industry in the city, notably weapon
manufacture.
One of Malaga’s most serious problems was without doubt
the lack of hygiene, its streets, awash with faecal waste and
rubbish, were breeding grounds for illnesses and epidemics, the
worst of which was probably the plague of 1637.
By the 18th century, the port, the catalyst of the city’s
economy, was one of the most important on Andalusia’s Mediterranean
coast. Its activities were based on the importation of wheat and
exportation of wine and raisins. Following the decree permitting
free trade with the Americas in 1778, commercial traffic at the
port increased further still, the population growing considerably
as a result. The city’s growth was evident in the urban
renovation carried out in accordance with the enlightened ideas
of the period; 1783 saw the building of the Paseo de la Alameda
avenue. The Customs House also dates back to the end of this century,
as does the harbour in the port.
The 19th century brought times of general political, economic
and social crisis. The ravages of the War of Independence, the
permanent conflict between absolutists and liberals -Malaga was
the scene of the shooting of the liberalist General Torrijos-,
the cessation of sea trade with the Americas, the collapse of
Malaga’s industry and, in the final quarter of the century,
the terrible phylloxera plague which swept the Axarquia region
and the Malaga Mountains all combine to write a dark chapter in
the city’s recent history.
The 20th century began with high hopes of progress, hopes that
were soon dashed. The first decade of the century saw the renovation
of the old centre, with Calle Larios, built in the late 19th century,
becoming the hub of the city and the meeting point for Malaga’s
high society; also built in the same period was the landscaped
avenue of Paseo del Parque, on terrain reclaimed from the sea.
The political, economic and social crises which hit Andalusia
in the opening third of the century were more tragically evident
in Malaga, the city being the port of entry for wounded soldiers
returning from the African War. The Civil War had two distinct
phases in the city of Malaga, the Republican domination (July
1936 to February 1937) being followed by Nationalist control (February
1937 to July 1939).
In the second half of the century -particularly in the 1960s,
coinciding with the opening of Franco’s régime to
the western world- the city, capital of the Costa del Sol, experienced
a rapid rise in population and huge urban growth as a result of
the development of tourism; this decade saw the disappearance
of large sectors of the historic districts of El Perchel -formerly
known as Los Percheles- and La Trinidad, with a new urban centre
being built on this site: the Avenida de Andalucia. Subsequent
years brought further increases in population and Malaga became
the most populous city in Andalusia until September 1988, when
Torremolinos ceased to be a suburb of Malaga and became an independent
municipality.