History of Benalmádena

Timeline of the History of Benalmádena

Prehistoric

The first human settlement in Bemalmádena goes back to the Upper Palaeolithic period.
Many artifacts from that period have been found at the El Toro, Los Botijos and Las Zorreras caves.

Pre-Roman

The Phoenicians established themselves in this region between the eighth and sixth centuries B. C.

Roman Empire

The Romans established a salted fish trading post at Benal-Roma.
Roman ruins of villas can be seen in Torremuelle and Capellanía.

Visigoths

Not found.

Islamic Empire

The Arabs who provided the origin of the Benalmádena's name.
It seems to derive from the Arabic Ibn al-Madin, meaning “children of the mines” in reference to the ancient iron mines in this region.
Although this is not the only hypothesis regarding the origin of the name of the municipality, it is the one that is most widely accepted by students and historians.

Christian Era

When the Christian troops conquered Benalmádena, they also destroyed the village, and with it, its castle, which had offered a stubborn resistance to the Catholic Monarchs’ army.
In the late sixteenth century, it was repopulated by long-time Christians, who were not able to establish themselves in the region mainly because of the dangers they faced from the continuous attacks from the sea.
The watchtowers that still stand close to the sea date from that era.

Modern Times

When several paper factories began operating in Benalmádena during the eighteenth century, the region began to recover a stable population.
It increased years later due to vineyards cultivation, which disappeared in the early twentieth century as a result of the phylloxera (leaf louse) pest.
The phenomenon of tourism, which began in Benalmádena in the 1960’s, was a huge push for the economy.

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Costa del Sol / Benalmádena / History

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