Stone pathway with brick steps leads to a dark arched doorway, framed by brick walls and lush green trees and shrubs.
Man with blue uniform carrying two large trash bags walks through a stone courtyard framed by archways, with greenery and a lemon tree nearby.
Old stone archway and brick walls lining a cobblestone path leading into a dark tunnel.
Small circular pool of rippled water at center, set in dark textured pavement, flanked by narrow metal channel leading to a green reflective pool.
Sunlit brick arches and tiled floor seen through a dark arched opening, with stacked brick columns casting shadows on the pavement.
Rectangular courtyard pool with pale green water, bordered by a checkerboard tile edge and trimmed hedges beside a white wall.
Curved brick and stone stairwell with a circular stone pattern, surrounded by red brick walls and small palm leaves in the foreground.
Stone courtyard with a weathered circular fountain in the foreground, brick terraces with potted plants, and trimmed hedges in the background.
Cobblestone and brick paving with a curved stone step, irregularly arranged stones, and wet, glossy surfaces in earthy tones.

The Alacazaba, Malaga

Posted Dec 10, 2024

The Alcaz­a­ba in Mala­ga is a mil­i­tary palace dat­ing back to the 11th cen­tu­ry when the south­ern part of Spain was under Moor­ish rule. 

The Alcazar in Seville and the Alham­bra in Grana­da are larg­er and more spec­tac­u­lar, but impos­si­ble to expe­ri­ence in soli­tude due to ever-present throngs of tourists (of which I am admit­ted­ly one). 

I got up a bit ear­ly on a Tues­day morn­ing and had the place large­ly to myself, oth­er than a few main­te­nance staff start­ing their day. It felt pret­ty magical.