Walking up Malaga’s Mount Gibralfaro
If you’re in the bustling and vibrant city of Malaga looking to memorable things to do, then you may want to take a walk up the mighty Mount Gibralfaro, a 130-metre peak in the Montes de Malaga mountain range.
On the crest of Mount Gibralfaro you can enjoy fabulous views of the sprawling city below, adjoined by the sparkling Mediterranean. Asides this rousing vista, Gibralfaro’s zenith is the home of the Castle of Gibralfaro.
This well-preserved castle dates to the 10th century. In 929AD, Abd-al-Rahman III, Caliph of Cordoba, built the fortress on a former Phoenician lighthouse. In the 14th century, the Sultan of Granada, Yusef I, extended the castle, building a wall that stretches to Malaga’s Alcazaba, one of the best-preserved Moorish fortresses in Spain, hailed as Malaga’s most important landmark.
The Castle of Gibralfaro’s ancient ramparts are reached through dense, fragrant woods of eucalyptus and pine. Inside the castle are well-restored courtyards and buildings, which provide captivating hints of what life was like in bygone centuries.
At the entrance to the castle is a small military museum, known as the Centro de Interpretacion de Gibralfaro. The building was one the Church of San Luis, which was destroyed by the French army during the War of Independence. More latterly, the building was used as the castle’s gunpowder storeroom.
Today, the Centro de Interpretacion de Gibralfaro represents the castle’s entire history and is a must visit site to become acquainted with the rich and beguiling history of this inspiring castle on the pinnacle of Mount Gibralfaro.