The Alcazaba of Málaga

The Alcazaba was built in the XI Century, being enlarged and embellished at the beginning of the XVI Century. In times of the Reconquest, it became one of the safest residences of the Catholic Kings, because it was protected by a triple walls area and was joined with the Castle of Gibralfaro by a strong walled path.

It is regular and geometric. In that time, it consisted of 110 towers, buildings, gardens, baths, houses and mosques. The buildings were distributed around three big courtyards, with beautiful ceramics swimming pools. In the Royal Mansions you can see which of them were used by the dignitaries and the fortress staff.

At the end of the quarter we can find the Keep with an almost square floor, from the XIV Century. A house was built on its highest area, with rooms and a courtyard. It is one of the few monuments from the Spanish Arabic life from the XII Century that have survived. The gardens of this palace, in many occasions hanging gardens, are one of the most charming elements in this place.

The Catholic Kings conquered the town of Malaga in 1487 and two Centuries later, the buildings of the Alcazaba were in good conditions for accommodating the king Felipe IV.

Inside the Alcazaba, the Archaeological Museum and the Ceramics Museum have been installed in the Cuarto de Granadas, in the central part of the upper area, where the kings and governors lived.