Alcazaba of Málaga: Difference between revisions

| built = 10th century- 15th century

The '''Alcazaba''' ({{IPA-es|alkaˈθaβa, alkaˈsaβa|lang}}; from {{Lang-ar|القَصَبَة|translit=al-qaṣabah}}, {{IPA-ar|alˈqasˤaba|pron}}; {{lit|[[kasbah|citadel]]}}) is a palatial fortification in [[Málaga]], [[Spain]], built during the period of Muslim-ruled [[Al-Andalus]]. The current complex was begun in the 11th century and was modified or rebuilt multiple times up to the 14th century. It is one of the best-preserved ''[[alcazaba]]s''s in Spain. The Alcazaba is also connected by a walled corridor to the higher Castle of [[Gibralfaro]], and adjacent to the entrance of the Alcazaba are remnants of a [[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatre]] dating to the 1st century AD.

The Gibralfaro and the hill on which the Alcazaba is built was previously occupied by [[Phoenicia|Phoenicians]]ns since around 600 BC, and remains of a Phoenician fortification wall have been uncovered there.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Alcazaba - Historia |url=http://alcazabaygibralfaro.malaga.eu/es/alcazaba/historia/index.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Alcazaba y Castillo de Gibralfaro |language=es}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780195309911 |editor-last=M. Bloom |editor-first=Jonathan |location= |pages=436–437 |chapter=Málaga |editor-last2=S. Blair |editor-first2=Sheila}}</ref> During the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] period of the city (after 205 BC), the area was occupied by a [[Roman villa]] and industrial facilities.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":7" /> A Roman theater, excavated and visible today, was built into the western slope of the hill in the 1st century AD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Málaga Roman Theater |url=https://www.wmf.org/project/m%C3%A1laga-roman-theater |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=World Monuments Fund |language=en}}</ref> After the Muslim conquest of the [[Iberian Peninsula]] in the early 8th century, historical sources mention the existence of a fortress on the hill, constructed by [[Abd al-Rahman I|Abd ar-Rahman I]] (r. 756–788) and including a mosque inside.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":7" />

In a crucial event near the end of the ''[[Reconquista]]'', the Spanish monarchs [[Catholic Monarchs of Spain|Ferdinand and Isabella]] captured Málaga from the Muslims during the [[Siege of Málaga (1487)|Siege of Málaga]], which began on 6 May 1487 and ended with the surrender of the city on 18 August that same year.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=159-163159–163}} After their victory, the monarchs raised their standard at the ''Torre del Homenaje'' in the inner citadel.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022|reason=Citation needed for the fact about the tower being used for this purpose; the siege itself is well known.}}

The Alcazaba of Málaga is built on a hill in the centre of the city, overlooking the port, and comprises two walled enclosures, one contained within the other. Each enclosure is defended by a wall fortified with towers. The inner enclosure occupies the summit of the hill and contains the palaces. Along with the double-layered fortifications, a total of five gates had to be crossed in order to reach the palace areas.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Llorente |first=Margarita Sánchez |title=Málaga Citadel and Gibralfaro Castle |url=https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;es;Mon01;7;en |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers}}</ref> This design contrasts with the earlier sprawling palace complexes that were built during the [[Umayyad Emirate]] and [[Caliphate of Córdoba|Caliphate]] periods of Al-Andalus (such as [[Madinat al-Zahra]]), and demonstrates the importance of military impregnability for the rulers of this period.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> The fortress was formerly connected to the city [[defensive wall|ramparts]] which formed a third defensive wall.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022|reason=This is normally true of an Alcazaba like this, but still needs a source to confirm. (Also would be great if we had more details.)}} According to architect restorer, [[Leopoldo Torres Balbás]], the Alcazaba of Málaga is the prototype of [[Moorish architecture#In Al-Andalus|military architecture]] in the [[Al-Andalus|Taifa period]] of [[Al-Andalus]], with its double walls and massive entry fortifications.<ref name=":0" />

The outer entrance to the citadel is via a climbing passage that passes through multiple gates and doubles back on itself twice (known as a "[[bent entrance]]"), a design intended to make progress difficult for attacking forces. Part-way up, the passage goes through the ''Puerta de la Bóveda'' ('Gate of the Vault'), which forms one of the bends, and then through the ''Puerta de las Columnas'' ('Gate of the Columns'), which is a simpler straight passage.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Fortificaciones de Ingreso de la Alcazaba |url=https://www.alcazabademalaga.com/el-monumento/fisionomia-y-recorrido/fortificaciones-de-ingreso/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Alcazaba de Málaga |language=es}}</ref> The name of the latter gate comes from the two Roman-era [[Column|columnscolumn]]s and [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]], reused from the nearby Roman theatre, that are integrated into the gate's façade.<ref name=":2" /> In the 18th century, the mayor or governor of the Alcazaba built his residence on top of this gate. Over time houses and residences were built along much of the entrance passage and covered it, so that by the 19th century it was known as the "Alcazaba Tunnel" (''Túnel de la Alcazaba'').<ref name=":2" />

The inner or upper enclosure can only be accessed through the ''Puerta de los Cuartos de Granada'' ('Gate of the Granada Quarters', also known as the ''Puerta de los Arcos'') a heavily-fortified gate on the western side of the enclosure. This gate is flanked by towers and has a straight passage with two doorways, between which is a small space open to the sky where defenders could attack intruders from above.<ref name=":3" /> The gate fell into ruin over the centuries and was largely demolished in 1854; the current structure was reconstructed in the 20th century with the help of historical illustrations.<ref name=":3" /> On the eastern side of the inner citadel is the large ''Torre del Homenaje'' ('Tower of Tribute'), built during the 11th century but rebuilt in the Nasrid period. During the 20th-century restoration campaigns the tower was preserved instead of reconstructed.<ref>{{Cite web |titlename=Recinto Superior de la Alcazaba |url=https":6"//www.alcazabademalaga.com/el-monumento/fisionomia-y-recorrido/recinto-superior/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Alcazaba de Málaga |language=es}}</ref> Inside the inner citadel is a series of courtyard residences known as the ''Cuartos de Granada'' (Quarters of Granada) which served as the home of the kings and governors.

The first (southernmost) of them is the only one that dates to the Taifa period (11th century).<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Arnold |first=Felix |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXjXDQAAQBAJ&dq=Islamic+Palace+Architecture+in+the+Western+Mediterranean&pg=PP1 |title=Islamic Palace Architecture in the Western Mediterranean: A History |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2017 |isbn=9780190624552 |location= |pages=152–156}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Bloom |first=Jonathan M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRHbDwAAQBAJ&dq=Architecture+of+the+Islamic+West%3A+North+Africa+and+the+Iberian+Peninsula%2C+700-1800&pg=PP1 |title=Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700-1800 |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2020 |isbn=9780300218701 |location= |pages=94}}</ref> The northern wing of this palace has disappeared and is replaced by trees today.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Recinto Superior de la Alcazaba |url=https://www.alcazabademalaga.com/el-monumento/fisionomia-y-recorrido/recinto-superior/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Alcazaba de Málaga |language=es}}</ref> Only the southern wing or pavilion remain standing, though it was also heavily restored by Leopoldo Torres Balbás in the early 20th century. This pavilion has an inner façade (facing north to the former courtyard) and is entered via a wide [[portico]] with arches, restored by Torres Balbás in a Nasrid style but possibly standing on top of original remains.<ref name=":32" /> Behind this is a small rectangular chamber entered via another [[Arcade game|arcade]] with three horseshoe arches. The arches are supported by two columns in the middle and two engaged columns on the sides and are decorated with carved [[arabesque]] decorations, with alternating plain and decorated [[Voussoir|voussoirsvoussoir]]s. This arcade reflects the earlier caliphal style of Madinat al-Zahra (10th-century), but in a much smaller and simpler form.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last1=Barrucand |first1=Marianne |title=Moorish architecture in Andalusia |last2=Bednorz |first2=Achim |publisher=Taschen |year=1992 |isbn=3822896322 |location= |pages=124–127}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> This element may date from the early days of Hammudid rule in the city, under Yahya I (r. 1021-1036).<ref name=":32" />

Adjacent on the southwest side of the main chamber and portico is a small annex. A square chamber at the entrance of this annex is surrounded on all four sides by pairs of intersecting multifoil arches, although the arches on the southwest side (looking towards the city and the sea) were created by Torres Balbás.<ref name=":32" /> These multifoil arches are similar to the precedents found in the 10th-century expansion of the [[Great Mosque of Cordoba]] but they are simpler and serve a more strictly decorative purpose, foreshadowing the more elaborate arches of the later 11th-century [[Aljafería|Aljaferia Palace]] in [[Zaragoza]].<ref name=":4" />

| image2 = Spain Andalusia Malaga BW 2015-10-24 15-21-05 (cropped)edited.jpg

The rest of the area northeast of the Taifa palace is occupied by a Nasrid palace with various rooms and porticos arranged around two rectangular courtyards. Most of this palace was reconstructed or restored in the 20th century on the basis of archeological remains.<ref name=":6" /> The first (southern) courtyard, known as the ''Patio de los Naranjos'' ('Courtyard of the Orange Trees'), has preserved two original pools and their paved [[tile]] decoration. The second (northern) courtyard, known as the ''Patio de la Alberca'' ('Courtyard of the Pool'), has one long central pool, again surrounded by original tile paving.<ref name=":6" /> On the northeast side of this section is another courtyard, the Patio del Aljibe, which may or may not have been part of the Nasrid palace as well. It is now occupied by the restoration workshop of the Alcazaba. It is named after a cistern built under it with an area of approximately {{Convert|25|m2|sqft}}.<ref name=":6" />