The Gibralfaro mountain has held a strategic role going all the way back to the Phoenicians and Romans. But it wasn’t until the 10th century when Abd al-Rahman III transformed the ancient ruins into a fortress.
A lighthouse was also built at the top of the mountain and is where the name Gibralfaro derives from. In arabic it was called “jabal-faruk” which means “lighthouse mountain.”
In 1340, the Nasrid king Yusuf I expanded the fortress and converted it into a full blown castle. The Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba, located just below, were connected by a bridge known as the “coracha”.
If they were attacked the royal family could flee from their residence in the Alcazaba and up to the safety of the Gibralfaro. In this sense, the Gibralfaro functioned as a castle within a castle, having twice the protection.
In 1487, Christian forces besieged Malaga and were able to eventually overcome the Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro. But it didn’t come easy. The battle lasted for the entire summer.
After the victory, King Ferdinand made the castle his temporary residence and included it in the city’s coat of arms.
Today, there is not much inside the Gibralfaro due to severe damage suffered during the Peninsular War (1807–1814). In 1812, as the last French troops fled the city, they blew up most of the castle. Afterwards, the Gibralfaro continued to slowly decay until restoration began in the 1990’s.