History
Some 3000 years ago this city was called MALACA, derived from Malac which means Salt in some Semitic languages because Phoenicians used its harbor for salting fish for many years. They built the fortress overlooking Málaga city which is now replaced by the Alcazaba castle. It was futher inhabited by Greeks in the 6th century BC and then by the Romans in 218 BC, who stayed in Spain for more than six centuries. Some major developments were made during the Roman era. They extended the castle and built a theatre as its base, whose remains can be seen outside Alcazaba castle. Romans also developed Malaga’s Port as major trading port for the exports of iron, copper, lead, olive oil, wine and Garum. The Moors invaded Spain in 711 A.D and called it Al-Andalus. Málaga became a major Moorish city and trading point for figs and wine. They built the Gibralfaro as a defense against the Christian conquerors Isabella and Ferdinand, but after a harsh obstruction Málaga came under the Christian rule in 1487but it did not last long as the City faced a decline which led to a revolt in 1568 by the Moors, which resulted in their complete expulsion from the region.
In 1704 the largest naval battle of Malaga was fought which remained indecisive war. 17th and 18th century were bad times for this region until the 19th century prosperity truly returned to Málaga. Families from the north brought wealth which they invested in factories, shipyards, and sugar refineries. Meanwhile, Malaga’s dessert wine became famous in Royal families which helped soaring of the exports. There was an economic crisis in early 20th century when Malaga faced many natural disasters Agricultural problems and political instability which lead to Civil War of 1936-39. The City, truly recovered under the dictator ship of General Franco. The City met a major boom after 60s mainly through tourism. Many hotels and tourist resorts were built and many developments were made to the city. Today it houses the Spain’s second largest port and the third largest international airport. It is also known as the business and cultural center for the southern Spain.
