Málaga, one of Spain’s oldest cities, was founded around 770 BC by the Phoenicians, who named it Malaka, likely meaning 'salt' or 'fish salting site', as they used the harbor for preserving fish. Over the centuries, the city came under Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim control, yet the name has remained remarkably consistent.

Much of Málaga’s early history has been built over, including a Phoenician hilltop fortress, which was replaced by Roman structures and later by the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress-palace constructed in the 11th century. While traces of its Phoenician past are sparse, the city’s layered history can still be explored in its architecture and museums.

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