Malaga was originally settled by the Phoenicians as Malaka around the year 700 BC. After the Phoenicians the Greek and the Carthaginians also conquered the city but it was not until the arrival of the Romans around the year 200 BC, that the city developed and began to gain importance as part of the Roman Empire.
The Roman period finished with the arrival of the Visigoths and later the Moorish who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century. The Moorish period was also a time of development as Malaga became an important trade port.
During the time that the city was under Arabic control it was part of the Caliphate of Cordoba first, and later of the Caliphate of Granada. When the Reconquista (fight of the Christians to re-conquer the Iberian Peninsula) began, the cities in the South of Spain were the last ones to be re-conquered and Malaga was not won to the Moorish until the 15th century.
History repeated and like in other Spanish cities the Christians under the rule of King Fernando and Queen Isabel destroyed many Moorish buildings and began building Christian churches. Despite the Christian efforts to delete the Arabic influence in Malaga there are still remains from their constructions and the Arabic heritage is present in the streets, buildings and monuments of the city.
From the 17th century Malaga went under times of trouble with problems like earthquakes, floods and illnesses. Malaga started to recover 2 centuries later and developed into an important and wealthy region, getting the popularity as a tourist destination in the 20th century.
Malaga is nowadays one of the largest Spanish cities, a popular destination and is well connected with an important international airport and the 2nd largest harbour in the country.