Fuengirola
Flag Seal
Location of Fuengirola in Málaga province
Fuengirola Location in Andalusia
Coordinates: 36°32′30″N 4°37′30″W / 36.54167°N 4.62500°W / 36.54167; -4.62500
Sovereign state	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Málaga
Government
• Mayor	Ana Mula (PP)
Area
• Total	10.2 km2 (3.9 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	75,396
• Density	7,400/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Fuengiroleños
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Website	Official website

Fuengirola (Spanish: [fweŋxiˈɾola]), in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a city on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the province and integrated into the region of the Costa del Sol and the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Occidental.^[2]

It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km (5 miles) of beaches and a medieval Moorish fortress. In common with much of this coast, it has been the subject of considerable urban development.

The area has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, with annual average temperatures of 18 °C (65 °F) and average summer temperatures of over 30 °C (86 °F).

History

The town has its origins in Phoenician, Roman, and Moorish civilisations.

The foothills of the mountain range behind the town to the south are the site of Sohail Castle, which contains remains of an early Phoenician settlement, later occupied by the Romans, which became a town known in antiquity as Suel. Suel was identified by the Roman historian Pomponius Mela as one of the towns of the coast, and was cited by Pliny in the 1st century AD as a fortified town or oppidum. A later historian, Ptolemy, identified it during the 2nd century as being located in the region of the bastulo-penos or Phoenicians.

The inscription on the pedestal of a statue found near the castle mentions Suel as being a Roman "municipium". A funeral urn found in the same area has an inscription containing the word "Suelitana". Roman baths were discovered in 1961 and, close by, the remains of a Roman villa containing two sculptures, one of which is known as the "Venus of Fuengirola", exhibited in the town's museum. A series of architectural components, probably transported from the Mijas quarry during the Roman era, were discovered in Los Boliches in 1984; these have now been mounted to form a temple entrance, and are on the promenade at Los Boliches.

Sohail Castle

The castle was built by Abd-ar-Rahman III in the mid-10th century. The city of Suel ceased to be mentioned at the beginning of the Middle Ages. After several centuries, the name of the settlement changed from Suel to Suhayl, which became the name of the castle and surroundings during the Moorish era. Suhayl became a fairly large settlement, which included farmland and small villages. Most of the surrounding area seems to have been used as pasture for the Moorish rulers' camels. Writer and scholar Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah bin Ahmed (known as Al-Allama Abdul Qasim Al-suhayli) Al-Suhayli ("the man from Suhayl") lived there from 1130 to 1203, and later became known as one of the seven saints of Marrakesh, where he was buried.

In the early Middle Ages the town was set on fire and its inhabitants fled to Mijas. Suhayl became a mound of ruins, and even its name was changed to the Romanised Font-Jirola, after the spring arising at the foot of the castle, according to historian Alonso de Palencia.

In 1485, when only the fortress remained, the settlement, along with the rest of the Kingdom of Granada, fell into the hands of the Christian Monarchs in the final phase of the Reconquista (reconquest). An attempt to repopulate the site with 30 people failed, and in 1511 it was registered as uninhabited, apart from the fortress and a watchtower. Land originally set aside for Fuengirola was reallocated to Mijas.

In the 17th century, once the threat from Turkish and Moroccan pirates had disappeared, a new urban settlement developed; at the beginning of the 18th century, an inn was opened near the beach, offering accommodation to travellers, muleteers and seafarers. A few huts were built nearby, forming a small village.

The Battle of Fuengirola took place in the area during the Peninsular War, on October 15, 1810, when approximately 200 Polish soldiers of the Duchy of Warsaw defeated a mixed British-Spanish force numbering some 3,000 soldiers under Lord Blayney.

In May 1841, Fuengirola was administratively detached from Mijas; at the time its inhabitants were mainly engaged in fishing, agriculture and trading with ships that dropped anchor in the bay. For over a century, fishing and agriculture remained the main activities.

Modern Fuengirola

In the 1960s Fuengirola started to become a leading tourist centre, eventually having the expected facilities for eating, sleeping, and entertainment. The town has broad beaches along a promenade extending east and west from the town, that includes smaller adjacent villages.

Of the approximately 82,226 (2022)^[3] permanent inhabitants registered in the municipality, 25% come from other countries, mainly European (England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Sweden and Denmark among others), and also from Morocco and Argentina. In the summer especially, the town plays host to throngs of visitors both Spanish and foreign, but in particular British. The English-speaking community in particular is large enough to support a fully developed programme of activities and local groups.

There is a zoo, known as Bioparc Fuengirola since 2010, which was modernized in 2001 to feature "tropical-forest" dwellings. The zoo specializes in captive breeding for endangered species, chimpanzee-group research and tropical-forest education. It has a series of natural habitats for different species.^[4]

Fuengirola has a number of historical sites and open parks. The old port is still used by the local Spanish fisherman. The Moorish castle of Suhayl, or Suhail, remained an abandoned ruin until renovations began in 1995. In 2000 the interior of the castle was completely renovated and the Suhail castle began to host festivals and concerts throughout the summer. Additional landscaping was completed in 2002.

The town is largely urban in character, with many high-rise blocks of flats near the seafront and elsewhere. There are some narrow streets with many low-rise villas. Considerable commercial and housing development is underway further inland.

Fuengirola harbour

Main sights

• Sohail Castle (Moorish castle)
• Harbour
• Fuengirola Bullring
• Bioparc Fuengirola (zoo)
• Fuengirola museum
• Roman ruins
• TSD (Mijas)

Transportation

Cities on the coast are accessible by bus from Fuengirola, including Málaga, Estepona, Torremolinos, Marbella, Bendalmadena and Gibraltar. The area is also served by the A7 motorway; the closest airport is Málaga-Costa Del Sol.

Culture

Shopping

Miramar, a shopping and leisure complex, which opened in early 2004 (and was restyled in 2013) and is situated on the west side of Fuengirola, with direct access to the A-7 motorway. It has an area of 119,000 m2, making it one of the Costa del Sol's largest retail areas and is home to national and international retailers, in the fields of fashion, accessories, decoration and services as well as a 12-screen multi-cinema complex and many cafes and restaurants.^[7]

Suburbs

• Los Boliches (in full: Santa Fé de los Boliches)
• Torreblanca
• Carvajal
• El Boquetillo
• Los Pacos

Twin towns

• New Iberia, United States

References

External links

• Official website (in Spanish, but with a Foreign Residents section partly in English)
• Battle of Fuengirola 1810
• Folk festivals and events at Fuengirola
• VisitaFuengirola.com
• Fuengirola travel guide from Wikivoyage