Metro work next to El Corte Inglés unearths new secrets of Muslim Malaga

Ignacio Lillo

Malaga

Monday, 25 November 2024, 17:38

Underground metro work in Armengual de la Mota, opposite El Corte Inglés, has unearthed new secrets of Malaga city's Muslim past. The thick concrete foundations of the Skol brewery, which was there in the 19th century, break up the trace of newly discovered stone walls that appear a little further down, and which could provide more information about the history of Muslim Malaga.

The rains of the last 'Dana' storm fell at the worst possible time, just when the excavation had been exposed, and was flooded by water and mud, however, it acted as a kind of "storm tank", which prevented greater damage to surrounding streets. The bottom of the site is like beach sand, resulting in the water infiltrating in a few hours, on its way to an aquifer.

Once it was cleaned, in just a few days thanks to the work of a team of almost 20 people, the remains started to emerge. Alongside the remains of a courtyard, which was normally in the centre of the dwelling, with a well for the household water supply, an archaeologist pointed out a red-painted floor that is typical of the Caliphate period. This phase of the excavation uncovered the end of the Caliphate in Malaga and the beginning of the Taifa period, according to researchers.

Despite its precarious state, there have been some striking findings. Researchers pointed out that, in order to lay foundations on the sands, the people of Malaga in the 10th to 11th century were already improving the terrain, with engineering works to settle the surface with clay or by means of nailed rocks. The walls of the houses were built on top of these. It is a construction system that those settlers had learned well from their place of origin, in the deserts of North Africa.

However, this part of the city was soon abandoned, probably because of raids or attacks by Christians or other enemies. But, above all, because of the continuous overflowing of the Cuarto stream, which flowed through it and which, as has become evident during excavations, caused the collapse of some of the houses... something that sounds familiar these days after the floods of the recent 'Dana' storms. From the 13th century onwards, this part of the city fell into oblivion and was converted into fields and vegetable gardens for several centuries.

In some parts of the site, the historical study phase is already being completed. The remains are very deteriorated and, in the opinion of historians, there is nothing worth preserving in the future archaeological museum of the metro, which will be located very close by: in the tunnel of the Avenida de Andalucía, between the old post office building and the headquarters of the tax agency.

Nor have there yet been any signs of the Nasrid wall that may foreseeably appear between the corner of the Banco Santander and Starbucks cafe, at the junction of Hilera and Armengual. This is, for the moment, the only vestige which, depending on its degree of conservation, could have an effect on the rate of progress of the metro work, although for the moment its state of conservation is unknown and it is assumed that it will be extremely deteriorated.

Regional minister of public works Rocío Díaz said the Junta is working "with the utmost archaeological precautions" on the extension of the metro to the Nuevo Hospital. "It has been demonstrated that the work, in addition to improving transport, has contributed to the rescue of history, highlighting the value of the mark left by different civilisations," she said.

"For this, we have teams of archaeologists with great knowledge of the terrain, as they are the same ones who participated in the previous interventions," she added. Díaz also pointed out the collaboration and coordination with the regional delegation of culture, "which allows us to anticipate and combine archaeological research with the development of the works".

Although the excavated site in the first 60 metres of the future tunnel corresponds to the Attabanim suburb (as in the nearby Avenida de Andalucía), this part is in a deteriorated state of conservation due to the coexistence with the foundations of the industrial buildings which have been there from the end of the 19th century.