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. This design contrasts with the earlier sprawling palace complexes that were built during the
Umayyad Emirate and
Caliphate periods of Al-Andalus (such as
Madinat al-Zahra), and demonstrates the importance of military impregnability for the rulers of this period. The name of the latter gate comes from the two Roman-era
columns and
capitals, reused from the nearby Roman theatre, that are integrated into the gate's façade. Some parts of the outer enclosure are closed to the public today, including a large
well, known as the
Pozo Airón, which cuts into the bedrock to a depth of 30 meters, where a natural water source was used to supply the inhabitants of the citadel. The northern wing of this palace has disappeared and is replaced by trees today. 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. This element may date from the early days of Hammudid rule in the city, under Yahya I (r. 1021-1036). 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. 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
Aljaferia Palace in
Zaragoza. Directly behind the southern pavilion is an outer fortification tower known as the
Torre de Maldonado, which was remodeled by the
Almohads in the 12th-13th century, with vestiges of decoration from this era. Across from it, to the northeast, is a large chamber dating from the 16th century (after the Christian conquest) and featuring a wooden
Mudéjar ceiling. Today it houses a model of the Alcazaba.
Nasrid palace and houses 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. 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. 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 . The rest of the space between the Nasrid palace and the
Torre del Homenaje is occupied by the so-called
Barrio Castrense ('Military District'), thought to date from the 11th century and to have been inhabited by the ruler's other officials and servants. It is one of the best-preserved areas of the citadel due to the fact that it was not rebuilt or repurposed in later centuries, but it is not open to the public today. The area contains eight houses connected by narrow streets. Some of the houses were reconstructed in the 20th century while others were preserved and are sheltered by a protective roof. One of the largest houses has its own
hammam (bath facility) and toilets. ==See also==