Malaga - Event

Málaga's hilltop Gibralfaro Castle preserves much of its original structure from when it was the city's focal defensive point during Moorish occupation. Wander the 14th-century remains for insight into Arab lifestyle in Andalusia and beautiful views of the harbour.

The name Gibralfaro comes from the Arab word yabal or mountain and the Greek word faruh, or lighthouse, which is why many historians believe that a Phoenician lighthouse was built on Mount Gibralfaro before the construction of the Moorish castle.

The building that can be seen today was built under the reign of King Yusuf I, in order to protect the royal palaces of Alcazaba. The fortified castle displays all the military innovations introduced by the Arabs in Al-Andalus.

Many parts of the castle still show traces of the old Moorish enclave - furnaces, wells and fountains remain intact to this day. During the Reconquest, led by Isabel and Fernando, Los Reyes Católicos, the Arab mosque was converted into a Christian church, which is why this part of the building displays a fusion of Arabic and European styles, known as mudéjar, which constitute a unique feature of the Andalusian architectural landscape.