The municipal district of Marbella is situated in the heart
of the western Costa del Sol, between the sierras of the coastal mountain range and the
sea to which it looks out along 23 kilometres of coast.
Sierra Blanca, as well as being a significant factor in the
exceptional climatic conditions of the city and a good part of the municipality is without
doubt the most outstanding element in the Marbella area. The peaks of Marbella (1.215 m.)
and the Juanar (1.160 m.), this one already in the lands of the neighbouring municiaplity
of Ojén, crown a mountaineous landscape which has been deeply dug into by the erosion
which offers areas of special beauty such as the cliffs of Concha or the valley of Puerto
Rico.
On the western half of the municipality the rugged relief of
the sierra gives way to hill formations, which although craggy, are smoother. In this area
is the spot situated over the Elviria urbanization, where there is an important mass of
cork-oaks and dense thickets which add a special attraction to the complex. Descending
these hills and the sierras, the Marbella territory is practically all urban and has a
notable singularity. The urbanizations have taken over the ground and spots which have not
been built on either belong to the more than 10 golf courses in the municipal district, or
are small sewage areas in which some kind of urbanistic protection is trying to avoid a
total disappearance of elements such as the pine groves of Chapas and the dunes of
Cabopino.
In spite of this strong occupation, the landscape is still
attractive, as most of the urbanistic actions present a notable quality, as much for the
design of the constructions, as above all for the abundance of ornamental vegetation. This
is more noticeable on the coastal line, where in spite of the nearness of many
constructions to the sea, their presence is very discrete due to the concealment offered
by the vegetation.
And finally, although it may seem strange, there are also
areas in Marbella with olive groves and fruit trees which are a reminder of what this
municipality used to be, not long ago. As a witness to that time there are small
reservoirs (Nuevo del Angel, Viejo del Angel, and Medranas), which were built to irrigate
the lands of San Pedro de Alcantara.
This territory, so changed in the last decades, knew of
man’s presence at an early time. Paleolithic and neolithic remains have been found in
various places, such as the site of Coto Correa (in the area of las Chapas) and the Pecho
Redondo cave.
It also seems that the Carthaginians also passed this way,
judging by signs found next to the mouth of the Verde river. But it was the presence of
the Romans who left more marks, like in the Verde river mouth where remains of a city have
been found which was probably built in the 1st century, and in which some mosaics have
been found. Near San Pedro de Alcantara, there is one of the most important Roman sites in
the Costa del Sol: the Roman colony called Cilniana, which seems to have been destroyed by
an earthquake in the 4th century. Some investigators seem to think that this city was the
Salduba mentioned by Pomponio Mela. Here there have appeared mosaics of great beauty and
artistic quality, belonging to houses, palaces and public buildings. Near the beach, there
are also Roman baths which have been named Las Bovedas (vaults) for the dominating form of
their architecture.
Another important site in the area of San Pedro de Alcántara
is the paleo-christian basilisc of Vega del Mar, built in the 3rd century and which was
used by the visigodes as a necropolis. During the Arab rule, the western nucleus of
Marbella, which was known by the Romans as Barbésula, went on to be called Barbella, and
its lands, which were in the hands of the benimerines in the 13th century, would later
form part of the Granada kingdom until the Christian conquest of the city in 1485. From
this era, there are two defense towers in the old part of town, and the castle walls, of
mozarabic descendency.
Places to visit
Marbella’s touristic fame has left its monumental
richness in second place, and usually surprises visitors when they come across it. At
about 5 kilometres from the city, on the margins of the Verde river, are the previously
mentioned remains of a 1st century B.C. Roman villa, where ceramics, marble and metal
objects have been found and which are in the Municipal Museum.
In the town centre there are the remains of an Arab castle,
although the surrounding buildings hide it. There are also various interesting monuments
from the 16th century: the church of the Incarnation, from 1505; the magistrate in Mudejar
style; the late Gothic hopital of San Juan de Dios or the baroque hospital Bazán. The old
part of town, which tends to be ignored if you cross the city by car, has practically the
same base as it had in the 16th century.
History and Landscape
Shopping
Gastronomy
Festivities and traditions