Former village of Bezmiliana ended at the Avenida del Mediterráneo in Rincón de la Victoria

Many were curious about the excavations that were under way on a plot of land near the Rincón de la Victoria health centre on Avenida del Mediterráneo last year. The work was associated with the protected area of the cultural heritage site 'ZA4 Castillo de Bezmiliana' around the old Muslim medina in the town east of Malaga.

Andalucía's regional government authorised and supervised the intervention, as it was a "sensitive" site. Just a short distance away, under the current town hall, remains of what was once a necropolis were found, as Juan Bautista Salado - director of the Nerja Museum and the person responsible for the museum project of the Roman villa of Antiopa - said. The excavation was expected to be useful, either to uncover archaeological remains or to more precisely define the boundaries of the old Arab town. The outcome contributed to the latter: after a thorough sweep of the site, it was confirmed that Bezmiliana did not extend that far.

The archaeologist in charge of this intervention was Eusebio José Alegre Paricio.

The only remains uncovered on the site were from the old tobacco shop and the house that once stood at what is now 113 Avenida del Mediterráneo.

It is now clear that Bezmiliana ended at the road that connects the municipality, from La Cala del Moral to Torre de Benalgalbón, parallel to the coastline. After this archaeological intervention, we will have to wait many years for another opportunity to carry out an archaeological dig in the Bezmiliana area, like the one that was presented with the development of the Muñoz residential building. As Eusebio José Alegre Paricio said, there are very few places where such interventions can be carried out, due to the urban development of Rincón de la Victoria.

The enclave of Bezmiliana, which has been under the Junta's protection since 2009, serves to trace its transformation from the Muslim era and through the later Christian period.

These details about Rincon's past came to light after the searches carried out between the Avenida de la Candelaria, at the junction with the Camino Viejo de Vélez and El Castillón. These specific areas must be preserved through the application of archaeological precautions, before any nearby ground developments are executed.