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Castillo de Gibralfaro is Málaga's hilltop Moorish fortress, perched 130 metres above the city on the Gibralfaro hill overlooking the harbour, the bullring, the cathedral, and the sweep of the Mediterranean coastline. Built by the Nasrid Sultan Yusuf I of Granada in the 14th century on the foundations of a Phoenician lighthouse, it is one of the best-preserved examples of medieval military architecture in Andalucía.
The castle walls enclose a circuit walk that reveals extraordinary 360-degree panoramic views over Málaga's rooftops and out across the bay — among the finest vistas in southern Spain. The interior contains a small interpretation museum explaining the castle's strategic history from its Phoenician origins through Arab rule and the Christian Reconquista, including Ferdinand and Isabella's famous seven-month siege of 1487 that resulted in the fall of Moorish Málaga.
The Castillo connects via a fortified walkway (La Coracha) to the Alcazaba at the base of the hill, and many visitors combine both monuments in a single visit.
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