Roman Theatre

Málaga, Spain

El Teatro Romano is the oldest survived monument in Málaga City; it is situated at the foot of the famous Alcazaba fortress. The theatre was built in the first century BC, under Emperor Augustus, and was used until the third century AD. Subsequently it was left to ruin for centuries, until the Moors settled in Andalucía. In 756-780AD the amphitheatre was used as a quarry by the Moorish settlers , to excavate the stone used to build the Alcazaba fortress - you can see some Roman columns and capitals in the fortress. Over time it became buried under dirt and rubble, and remained hidden there for almost five centuries.

The theatre was rediscovered in 1951, when the construction of Casa de Cultura uncovered the first archaeological clues. The construction of the gardens was abandoned, and instead excavations began. In 1995 a polemic decision was made to demolish the Casa de la Cultura, which stood over a third of the site. Once the site had been fully excavated, a large scale restoration project began, which proved more difficult than anticipated, as many of the missing pieces are now part of the foundations of the neighbouring Alcazaba.

On 15 September 2011, 27 years after reconstruction began, El Teatro Romano reopened to the public, and held its first stage performances for millenia, with performances from Andrés Mérida, Daniel Casares, and Carlos Álvarez, reading from Juvenal Soto and the poetry of Pablo Picasso and Manuel Alcántara. The amphitheatre is now open throughout the year for visitors, and in summer, it will be used for open-air performances. It seats 220 spectators.

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Founded: 100-0 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Spain

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Bernadette Mahoney (16 months ago)
Definitely worth a visit, and Sundays it's free. Plenty of cool seating on a hot day. Some very nice architecture spanning many centuries. Nice cafe and public facilities.
Tomás r. (17 months ago)
Incredibly beautiful partially at night,it is like a time travel. They have managed to decorate it and light it in a way - very light- that suits perfectly the theatre, the square, the street beside and the restaurants. It is really lovely, a must visit if you go to Málaga
Chloe Weinheimer (17 months ago)
I love anything Greek or Roman so this was a hit for me. It is free to enter. You can walk amongst the ruins which is amazing. It is small with nothing but a small museum on the side. It won't take more than 30 minutes if you read every sign (which are in English and Spanish) and take photos.
Angeliki Anag (2 years ago)
I have visited this place many times while walking by as it is located right into the heart of the city centre, in square Alcazabilla. It always surprises me with the value that it adds to the city centre, and the feeling you get! Sometimes it is open and free to enter and sit in the theatre.
Sumita Joshi (2 years ago)
If possible visit the place both in the day and the night time. It has a different feel at night with the lights. We did a tour and walked through the teatro but even if you don't do the tour you don't miss much.
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