Málaga
Málaga is a port town in
Andalusia, Southern
Spain, on the
Costa del Sol coast of the
Mediterranean. It is the capital of the
Spanish province of the same name. The city has over 600,000 inhabitants
in 2003. Malaga is surrounded by mountains, and two rivers, the Guadalmedina
and the Guadalhorce, flow near the city into the
Mediterranean.
The inner city of Málaga is just behind the harbour. The quarters of
El Perchel, La Trinidad and Iagunillas surround this center.
The city has much revenue from the agrarian sector and from tourism.
The painter Pablo Picasso, 19th century Spanish politician
Antonio Canovas del Castillo and the actor Antonio Banderas were born in Malaga.
History
The Phoenicians founded the city Malaka here, about 1000 BCE. The name
Malaka is probably derived from the Phoenician word for salt because fish
was salted near the harbour; in another Semitic language like Arabic
the word for salt is still milch, and in Hebrew melach.
About 7 centuries later, the Romans conquered it along with
the other Spanish areas of Carthago. From the 5th century CE it was under
the rule of the Visigoths. In the 8th century, Spain was conquered by
the Moors, and the city became an important centre of trade. At a late
stage of the reconquista, the reconquering of Spain, Málaga also became
Spanish again, in 1487.
Malaga underwent fierce bombing by Italian and Nationalist airplanes during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Tourism on the
adjacent Costa del Sol boosted the city's economy in the 1960s
Tourism
The city is visited by very many tourists every year. There are various
very cheap charter flights to and from Malaga from cities like Amsterdam
and London.
From Málaga, other cities of Andalucia can be visited, like Sevilla,
Cordoba and Granada, which can be reached by train, bus or car.
One can make a beautiful walk up the hill to the castle, which is called
the Castillo de Gibralfaro (Parador). From here one has a very beautiful
view over the city, as the pictures show. The castle is next to the Alcazaba,
which in turn is next to the inner city of Malaga. By the Paseo del Parque,
a promenade that runs along a park with lots of palm trees and statues,
one can walk from the Alcazaba to the harbour.
Sights in Málaga:
- Alcazaba
- Castle
- Harbour
- Museo Municipal (city museum)
- Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares
- Cathedral in the inner city
- Palacio Episcopal (palace in the inner city)
- Iglesia del Sagrario (church in the inner city)
- Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago (church in the inner city)
- Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista (palace in the inner city)
- Plaza de Toros (bullring)
External Links
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/home.htm
Literature
Guia Viva, Andalucia, Anaya Touring Club, abril 2000.\n