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The Alcazaba was built on the site of an old Roman fortress. It is situated on the top of a hill from which it has a panoramic view of the city and sea. The construction of this defensive citadel was begun by the Abd al Rahman rulers of Cordova and finished in 1063 by Badis Ben Habbus, zirí king of Granada.

The monumental part was protected by three concentric walls, two of which remain today. It had 110 main towers and several smaller ones. Amongst the most important are the Torre del Homenaje ("Tower of Homage" or "the Keep") which was constructed during the reign of Abd al Rahman I.

The upper section of the Alcazaba is where they used to live, formed of 3 palaces of similar construction to that of Granada's Alhambra. The Alcazaba now houses the Archeological Museum.

Behind the Alcazaba are the Gibralfaro Castle remains, standing on the mountain the moors called Jabul Faruk or Castillo del Faro ("Beacon Castle") from which its name derives. It was joined to the Alcazaba by a walled pathway.

It is thought that this castle already existed before the Roman conquest. Abd al Rahman III transformed it into a fortress and around 1340 Yusuf I extended it and made it the castle we see today. Inside were located the alcázar ("fortress") and mosque which unfortunately have not survived. After the Reconquest the Catholic Monarchs chose the Gibralfaro Castle as an emblem on the coat of arms they presented to the city in 1494.

In 1951, the tiers of a Roman theatre, built in the first century, were discovered under the west face of the Alcazaba. Subsequent studies showed that it fell into disuse in the third century and that part of its construction was used by the Arabs as material for the Alcazaba. Nowadays, the theatre serves as headquarters for the International Theatre Festival.

In the plaza del Obispo ("Bishop Square") is located the most important monument in Malaga: the cathedral, popularly known by its nickname la Manquita ("the one armed one") due to its half-built second tower. The majesty of the cathedral acts as a contrast to the usual bustle of the square with its horse-drawn carriages and stalls which cluster on the pavements.

The building took place in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries on what was the Muslims's main mosque. Such a long period of construction explains the mixture of styles in the various parts of the building - the floor is Gothic, the altar area and pillars are Renaissance, and the towers, roof and main façade Baroque. The work was abandoned in 1782, leaving the south tower unbuilt.

The cathedral has an impressive central nave and two laterals with 15 chapels, of which stand out the Santa Bárbara and Nuestra Señora de los Reyes chapels. In the central nave are the magnificent choir stalls, the work of Ortiz de Vargas and Pedro Mena, and two organs made by Julián de la Orden between 1779 and 1781.

Next to the cathedral is the Episcopal Palace, considered one of the most representative buildings of Malaga's civil architecture. Whilst its style may belong to the late Baroque of the 18th century its construction fits perfectly with the architecture of the cathedral, the two together forming a harmonious monumental whole. At the moment the principal rooms of the palace house the the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art where over 100 works are on exhibit.

In the pedestrianized calle de Granada stands the Santiago church, dating from the end of the 15th century. Of the original construction remain the Gothic-Mudejar style tower and the old main door, now sealed up. The sculpture of Jesús el Rico is found in this church, and in the font the baptism of Pablo Ruiz Picasso took place.

Church of the Sagrario

Between the Episcopal palace and the cathedral, after crossing some beautiful gardens, you will see the church of the Sagrario, built on the main old mosque. You enter the church through an exquisite vestibule, considered one of the finest examples of Isabelline-Gothic style in Spain. Inside the building it is worth a close look at the main altar, work of the artist Juan de Balmaseda. On one side of the church there is a patio of orange trees - the sole reminder of the mosque which once stood there.

The palace of the marqués de Valdeflores transports the visitor into the "exquisite" life of Malaga at the end of the 18th century and start of the 19th. This building, constructed in the 18th century, was made a guest house in the 19th (even stables where men could leave their mounts were installed) until around 1895 when the Countess of Albarede acquired the building, reforming and furnishing it as her family home.

It has three floors and a typical central patio surrounded by a gallery whose walls are decorated with Arab mosaics. Inside the palace are the eyecatching staircase and balustrade, both sculptured in Carrara marble.

During the restoration of the building, acquired in 1985 by the County Council, the decorated wooden ceilings were preserved and frescos, painted by Fernández Alvarado, were discovered in the room which had been the main dining hall.

The San Francisco monastery, built at the start of the 16th century, began to fragment in the 19th century, each part of the building destined for a different use. The orchard became a square, now appropriately named Plaza de San Francisco. Other sections of the monastery came to form the María Cristina Royal Music Conservatoire, now the headquarters of the Malagan Philharmonic Society.

The hall where the philharmonic orchestra now gives concerts was once the large Mudejar-style chapel of the old monastery. The eyecatching paintings on the ceiling are the works of 19th century Malagan painters, such as Coronación de Dante by Martínez de la Vega, occupying two thirds of the ceiling, and Aurora and Tocador de Venus by Denis Belgrano.

The entrance into the old conservatoire is a Mudejar hall in which glass cases display the personal documents and diplomas of Eduardo Ocón, a Malagan musician and the first director of the Royal Conservatoire.

The Courthouse is located outside the town centre on the promenade going towards the Caleta beach. In 1928 the building was inaugurated as the Hotel Príncipe de Asturias. During the civil war it was used as a hospital but was then converted into the Hotel Miramar until the end of the 60's.

The building itself is considered the greatest work of the Malagan architect Fernando Guerrero Strachan. The interior design has Arab motifs which mix fluidly with other styles such as Salamantine Plateresque or French Isabelline style. The exterior is of solid, noble design, set in extensive gardens. The façade's most striking feature is the multicoloured effect created by the mixture of ceramics, tiles, ironwork and wood.

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