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Considered unofficially as the capital of the western Costa del Sol, there is no doubting the fact that Marbella has all the qualities required to merit its position as one of Spain's premier tourist resorts.
Its privileged location, at the foot of the Sierra Blanca and on the coast, create an excellent climate and a landscape of immense beauty.
Several millennia before Christ, human settlements already existed in the Sierra Blanca of Marbella , as evidenced by the objects and human remains from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods discovered on its slopes.
Recent discoveries indicate that around the 7th century BC, eastern peoples (Phoenicians and Punic) settled in the Río Real area.
The presence of Rome in our area is demonstrated by numerous remains, such as the Roman Villa of Río Verde, the Roman Baths of Las Bóvedas, also known as Guadalmina, and various discoveries in the Old Town. In the heart of the Old Town, we find traces of the Roman occupation: three capitals can be seen on the walls of the Castle; recent works on Escuelas Street have uncovered the remains of a monumental Roman construction, predating the Castle; sigillata ceramic remains in the Plaza de los Naranjos; and a tomb in the Plaza de la Victoria. Signs of Roman occupation are also abundant in the municipality. Burials have been found in Las Chapas (Carril del Relojero); slag from mining activities in the areas of Cerro Torrón and Cerro del Trapiche; the remains of a Roman bridge in "Puente Romano"; ceramic fragments in the area of the San Pedro Alcántara cemetery; and also near the Torre del Duque, in Puerto Banús. The most important archaeological sites in Marbella: "Villa Romana de Río Verde" and "Termas Romanas de Guadalmina" date from this period.
The first references to Marbella are found in the texts of Muslim geographers and travelers of the Middle Ages.
During the Islamic period, Marbella became a walled city. The Muslims built a castle and surrounded the city with a powerful wall with three entrances or gates: the "Sea Gate , " the "Ronda Gate," and the "Málaga Gate ." The remains of the castle are still preserved.
After the Reconquista and throughout the 16th century, Marbella's urban structure underwent significant changes. The centre of the Muslim "Medina" (today the "old town" ) was demolished to make way for a square ( "Plaza Mayor" or "Real", now "de los Naranjos" ) and a "Nueva" street to connect it with the "Puerta del Mar" .
During the 19th century, with the installation of the first blast furnaces in Spain, in El Ángel and La Concepción, to exploit the iron from the Sierra Blanca mines, Marbella joined the industrialization of Málaga, which became the second province in terms of industry on the Peninsula.
However, it is for its excellent sun and sand holiday facilities that Marbella is best known: magnificent spacious beaches, natural AREAs of great interest such as Cabopino Dunes or Las Chapas Pine Groves, pleasure harbours, golf courses, sports clubs and a wide variety of establishments to justify its reputation.
Seven kilometres from the centre of Marbella is the densely-populated San Pedro de Alcántara district, which lies within Marbella's municipal boundaries and appeared as a result of the building of a sugar refinery in 1860.
For more information please visit:
The Andalucía Tourist Community website
The Spain's Official Tourism website
The Marbella Tourism website
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