Marbella History

Marbella has been on the map since just about the year dot. Pottery found in Neolithic caves prove the presence of our cave dwelling ancestors and these early residents introduced such innovations as the plough, crops, livestock raising, pottery, textiles and permanent villages. They also developed metalwork, smelting copper and bronze to make agricultural tools and weaponry. By about 1000 BC the area was rich in agriculture, animals and metals and Phoenician traders came to trade perfumes, ivory, jewelers, oil, wine and textiles for Andalucían silver and bronze.

Around the 7th century BC, the Greeks came too, trading many of the same goods. The Phoenicians and Greeks brought to Andalucia the potter's wheel, writing, the olive tree, the vine and animals such as the donkey and hen. The Carthaginians were Marbella's next inhabitants, gradually pushing out the Phoenicians and Greeks and, once weakened, the area also attracted Iberians from northern Spain.

Roman’s Marbella

The mighty Romans conquered the area after nearly two hundred years of bloody battles had raged throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Once under Rome's command however, Andalucia became one of the richest and most civilized areas of the empire outside Italy. Situated on the main Via Augusta, which ran from Rome to Gades, lay "Salduba", today's Marbella. It was one of the most important Roman settlements on the Costa del Sol. The remains of a once luxurious Roman villa situated at Rio Verde (on the outskirts of Marbella) display in situ some beautiful mosaics from the period and the substantial remains of the octagonal Roman bath house of Las Bovedas in San Pedro de Alcantara has defied the elements in spectacular fashion.

The Romans held the area for nearly 500 years until the longhaired Visigoths settled in the area after overthrowing Rome and then being pushed to the far reaches of the former empire by other invaders. In San Pedro de Alcantara, the Visigothic Christian basilica of Vega del Mar is one of the best-preserved Visigothic monuments in Spain and artifacts from here, the Roman villa and Las Bovedas can be viewed at the archaeological museums in Malaga and Madrid.

The Moors in Spain

In 711, the Moors arrived in Gibraltar, going on to conquer Spain and shape her destiny. In the cities they built beautiful palaces (such as Granada’s Alhambra) and in the countryside built on existing Hispano-Roman villages introducing new fruits and crops such as oranges, lemons, peaches, sugar cane and rice. They did not, however, bring many women and before long the already mixed blood of the population merged with Muslim blood. Although never completely peaceful, due to spats between feuding Muslim sects, Andalucía prospered like never before and the area remained under Muslim rule becoming the last emirate to fall to the Catholics in the 15th Century.
The Muslims left a deep imprint on Andalucía - its palaces, castles, mosques and bathhouses, many of which still stand today in one form or another and the typically labyrinthine streets of Andalucían villages and towns are of Muslim origin. Marbella's walled Muslim city covered an area of approximately 90,000 m2.

The Moors’ predilection for fountains and running water is evident in many towns and villages and techniques and motifs used by Muslim craftsmen remain in use today. Flamenco song, although brought to its present day form by the Roma people (gitanos), has undeniable Islamic roots. Even the language contains many words of Arabic origin - arroz (rice), naranja (orange) and azúcar (sugar) for example.

Christopher Columbus

From the 13th to 17th Century saw the Spanish Inquisition and persecution of the Muslims and Jews; the departure of Christopher Columbus to discover America; the appearance of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, often built upon earlier constructions such as the Iglesia de Encarnacion in Marbella; the Morisco (ex-Muslim) revolt and their eventual expulsion; and, particularly in Andalucía, epidemics and bad harvests left the area under populated. The depleted population was destitute.

The industrial revolution of Andalucían

The 18th Century brought limited recovery with the monarchy financing industries, such as the tobacco factory in Seville, and new towns were built attracting German and Flemish settlers to the region. New free trade decrees saw the growth of Cadiz and Malaga as important ports and towns up and down the coast benefited, Marbella included.

The end of the century saw more war with Spain first declaring war on France and then switching sides and becoming France's ally against the British. Internally the liberals were at war with the conservatives and Spain was rapidly losing its colonies as the nineteenth century began. Andalucia declined to become one of Europe's most backward areas despite housing a quarter of Spain's total population.

 The social divide was huge with rich aristocratic landowners, often not even in residence, on one side, and hordes of impoverished farm workers on the other. The industrial revolution barely touched Southern Spain and uprisings and revolts by the area's poor were dealt with swiftly and violently.

General Francisco Franco

In 1936 under the command of several generals - among them Francisco Franco, garrisons revolted against the leftist government. This was the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, which split communities, families and friends. After years of bloodshed, General Franco became a fierce dictator ruling over the country with an iron will and often an iron hand for 36 years.

It was under Franco's rule however that Andalucía started once again to prosper - this time with the tourism revolution. The forties saw the arrival of Ricardo Soriano, a gentleman who recognized Marbella's potential and invested heavily in the area. He is now honored as the namesake for Marbella's main thoroughfare. Doña Elvira's guesthouse, which over the years attracted a loyal clientele, was sold to Don José Luque for the paltry sum of 600,000 ptas and in 1957 it re-opened as the Hotel El Fuerte, still one of Marbella’s top hotels.

The new luxury Marbella

In 1954, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe opened the doors of the Marbella Club Hotel and it was perhaps the Hohenlohe dream that really lit the fuse for Marbella's exclusive draw on the rich and famous. 1959 saw the beginning of the golf boom, with the first golf course opening at Guadalmina and in 1970, Puerto Banus began to welcome some of the world's finest yachts and cruisers and placed Marbella firmly on the jet set world map of desirable and celebrity residences. Although Marbella declined slightly in the 1980's, the election of the flamboyant Mayor brought the town a well needed re-vamp. Mayor Jesus Gil y Gil (deceased) had been responsible for the overhaul and Marbella is now once again a sparkling example of Mediterranean magic.

The old town's narrow streets flanked by white washed houses draped in bright bougainvillea and the old Parque de la Constitucíon contain many a reminder of the past, while continuing new development creates ultra modern living spaces for the ever-growing cosmopolitan population. If you want more information about what Marbella has to offer today in culture, click here; Marbella Culture. 

Marbella, the jewel of Costa del Sol

Amenities abound with municipal sporting areas and miles of blue flag beaches with the promenade shaded by palms running alongside it. Restaurants, both traditional and international, number in their hundreds and during the summer months the town's population swells to bursting point as Marbella, Marbella golf courses and Marbella property as apartments, townhouse/villas and luxury villas/apartments continue to attract visitors from all over the world.

Throughout history, Marbella has flourished and no doubt in the future Marbella will continue to grow and change, almost certainly casting its spell on its visitors who like so many will fall in love with this jewel of the Costa del Sol