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Except for the Phoenician remains found in the Museo Picasso, the citys most ancient monument is the Teatro Romano (Roman theatre, 100 B. C.) located at the foot of the Alcazaba. Its construction is similar to the Acinipo theatre in Ronda. A part of its proscenium, an entrance gallery, traces of the orchestra and a large part of the cavea (16 metres tall and with a radius of 31 metres) have been preserved. Its stone was used for the construction of the Alcazaba and for the foundation of the Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture), a building that was torn down in 1995 to restore the ancient monument.
The Alcazaba dates from the early eleventh century, but it was in the middle of that century that King Badis of the Taifa kingdom of Granada turned it into one of the most important Muslim fortresses of the age by providing it with a triple fortified compound with several towers. The fortress interior housed the palace of the Muslim high command and quarters for the servants. After the Christian conquest it served as a residence for the Catholic Monarchs and Felipe IV.
The fortress was abandoned during the eighteenth century and in the mid-nineteenth it was turned into a poor residential neighbourhood. It was designated a National Monument in 1931 and its restoration and reconstruction began at that time under the direction of the Málaga historian Juan Temboury and the architect Guerrero Strachan. The most interesting places on the premises are the Arco del Cristo (Arch of Christ), the Plaza de Armas (Main Square), the Torre del Homenaje (Tower of Homage) and the Cuartos de Granada (palace living chambers). Today the site is accessible by elevator.
The Castillo de Gibralfaro, which sits at the crest of the mountain of the same name, is connected to the Alcazaba by a corridor (coracha) that runs between two walls. This strategic fortress construction began in the late eighth century during the Emirate of Abderramán I. Apparently there was first a lighthouse on the top of this mountain, or at least that is what is to be gathered from a notation from the seventh century where it is referred to as Gebel Faruk (mountain of the lighthouse).
Beginning with the citys fall to the Catholic Monarchs it was used as a military garrison and in the eighteenth century a powder magazine was built inside it, that today has been adapted as the monuments interpretive centre. It was partly destroyed during the Napoleonic invasion and later rebuilt, but it preserves parts of its earliest structure. It should be noted that aside from its extraordinary historical value the compound, whose entrance is accessible by car, affords the best panoramic views of the city.
Immediately after the conquest of the city by the Christian troops, the former congregational mosque was consecrated under the name of Virgen de la Encarnación, and 30 years later construction of the Catedral (Cathedral) began on the same area that had been occupied by the mosque. The new church was designed in the final Gothic style, but when Diego de Siloé took charge of the project he decided on the Renaissance style. Its construction took more than two centuries, however, so succeeding architectural styles were incorporated, especially Baroque with some Neoclassicism. The south tower was never completed, so the Málaga Cathedral is known as La Manquita (The One-armed One).
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