Malaga's Alcazaba fortress has one wall at risk of collapsing, urgent report warns

The state of conservation of the Alcazaba of Malaga remains poor, as authorities still wait to carry out a major repair programme that the city council has tried to push forward for eight years.

So far, the regional ministry of culture has raised objections that have delayed the work. Two years ago, the authorities carried out limited improvements to the fortress and Gibralfaro Castle for just 84,000 euros, but most of the necessary repairs remain outstanding to stop further deterioration.

A report from the regional culture ministry highlights the damage. The provincial heritage commission has now authorised the municipal planning department to dismantle part of a section of the northern wall of the Alcazaba. This will allow archaeologists to continue studies to define a wider repair project for the area, which has been in preparation for two years.

Malaga council asked the regional government for permission to partially remove the top section of the wall so it could continue preliminary work for the conservation project. The report states that the walls show a "serious state of deterioration", with material falling away at the base and clear signs of major structural movement.

To prevent collapse, workers have fenced off the wall with timber and metal supports. They have also fenced off the area to protect the public. Archaeologists have removed soil from behind the walls to reduce pressure that could cause further movement. The municipal urban planning department now wants to dismantle a small section measuring 143 by 89 centimetres to continue the investigation.

The documentation explains that builders partly rebuilt these sections after the Civil War and repaired them again in the late 1970s. The structures do not align properly, suggesting that a buttress tower may once have stood there.

The wall in this area shows a significant crack. The urban planning department says "demolition is necessary to understand how the structure was originally built" and to decide how to restore it.

In March, urban planning councillor Carmen Casero and culture councillor Mariana Pineda announced that the regional government had approved a series of 14 repairs to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle that would cost 712,338 euros. However, they made the contracting of these projects contingent upon receiving funding from the central government through the two per cent cultural programme the Ministry of Housing had launched. The city council will cover the remaining costs.

Urban planning has completed a detailed 3D scan of the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro Castle and La Coracha (the connecting walled passage). The city council will use this tool to request further authorisations from the regional government to upgrade both fortresses.