Moorish walls and orange trees: old Marbella, the back story

About Moorish walls and orange trees: old Marbella, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Marbella Editorial Team

Long before the beach clubs, Marbella was a small walled town between the mountains and the sea, known for its fishing, its iron mines and its sugar cane.

Romans and Moors

The coast here was settled in antiquity, and Roman remains have been found around Marbella and San Pedro de Alcántara. Under Moorish rule the town grew inside walls dominated by a castle, parts of which still stand on the edge of the Old Town.

1485 and the square

In 1485 the town surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. The new Christian authorities opened up the dense Moorish lanes to create Plaza de los Naranjos, with the town hall and the Casa del Corregidor, which remains the heart of the town.

Under the whitewash, the Old Town still follows the outline of a Moorish walled town.

Iron, sugar and fish

In the 19th century Marbella had iron foundries fed by mines in the Sierra Blanca, and sugar cane grew on the coastal plain. For most of its history, though, it was a modest town of farmers and fishermen.

Our advice: walk the Old Town early in the morning, when the lanes are quiet and freshly watered, and look for the stretches of Moorish wall around Calle Trinidad.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Moorish walls and orange trees: old Marbella, the back story before you go.