The important Phoenician tomb on the Costa del Sol that is free to visit

Just a short walk from Algarrobo Costa beach on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol, on the road that connects the town with the A-7 motorway, lies one of the great landmarks left by the Phoenicians in this area of the Mediterranean. The Trayamar necropolis was discovered almost six decades ago on a private estate, but can be visited free of charge.

This historical site, which is one of the most important of its type in the entire Mediterranean Basin and is an asset of cultural interest (BIC) can normally be visited in the mornings (from 9am to 1pm), from Monday to Saturday. Visitors just need to call the number advertised at the entrance to the estate.

A single tomb can be found which is considered particularly important because it was built according to the oriental architectural model. In fact, the ashes of the local elite were buried there during the 7th and 9th centuries BC.

The most widely held hypothesis is that the cremated bodies (some were not) belonged to wealthy merchants of the village. Today this tomb, like others in the same municipality, is a world reference point for the study of Phoenician colonisation and its subsequent development until the Roman period.

At this site today you can see the underground chambers, but not the jewels and pieces of the mortuary trousseau, as these are on display in the Museum of Malaga in the city's Palacio de la Aduana. There they can be seen together with a scale reconstruction of the tomb itself and what is known as the 'Trayamar medallion', which is the most emblematic piece of all.

It is a piece of jewellery that was next to the bones of one of these burials, known as a hypogeum. The medallion shows a scene and a format similar to those found in other parts of the Mediterranean, such as Carthage, Malta, Sardinia, Ibiza and Mazagón (Murcia).

The Trayamar necropolis is actually one of three archaeological sites in the same municipality, the aforementioned Morro de Mezquitilla and Chorreras. All three have been investigated in detail in an attempt to reconstruct the relationship that the Phoenicians had with this part of the Axarquía.

The Morro de Mezquitilla, which has a surface area of just over sixty thousand square metres, is considered to be one of the oldest Phoenician enclaves on the Spanish mainland. The Chorreras site was a settlement that lasted much less time, but as it is well-preserved it is useful to understand how Phoenicians went about urban planning.