The Phoenician legacy on the eastern Costa del Sol, a hidden gem in Malaga province

Just 2,500 years ago the coast of Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol stretched as far as what is today known as the Almayate rock, forming a large inlet at the mouth of the River Vélez, which was navigable. It created an ideal environment for the Phoenicians to settle and trade. From the eighth century BC onwards, these peoples originally from the eastern cities of Byblos and Tyre began to settle in the area, building towns, necropolises and villages.

From this rich historical past, which gave rise to other great cities such as Cadiz (Gadir) or Malaga (which the Phoenicians called Malaka), a dozen archaeological sites are preserved in the area around the lower course of the River Vélez and in the neighbouring municipality of Algarrobo, which were first discovered in 1964 by the German Archaeological Institute of Madrid (IAAM) , under the direction of Professor Schubart.

Sixty years later, these important archaeological remains remain largely forgotten, "and thank goodness most of them are buried, otherwise they would have been plundered", according to historian Pilar Pezzi, who is president of the Amigos de la Cultura society in Vélez-Málaga (SAC).

They are, therefore, a real jewel hidden in the heart of the Axarquía. For the past 25 years, this group has been working on the challenge of "once and for all" enhancing the value of this impressive heritage. "We are talking about the most important and best preserved Phoenician remains in the entire eastern Mediterranean," says José Ramos, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cadiz, who as a student participated in several of the excavation campaigns.

Schubart was followed by other experts such as Professor Osvaldo Arteaga and, more recently, Dirze Marzoli. The problem faced by these defenders of heritage is that the sites, although declared assets of cultural interest (BIC), are mostly on privately-owned land, which is why the SAC wants Vélez-Málaga town hall and the Junta de Andalucía to expropriate them in order to guarantee their conservation.

For several years now, the SAC has been organising guided tours of this area, after several years of complaints from local residents about their neglect. Restoration work has recently been carried out at Los Toscanos near Almayate, which was founded around 740-30 B.C. At its height it had a population of more than 2,000 inhabitants.

Los Toscanos was abandoned around 550 BC and its population moved to the other side of the River Vélez, on the Cerro del Mar, creating a new urban nucleus that was known in classical sources as Maenobe or Maenoba, among other terminologies. The space has also recently been improved with new signs added to inform visitors.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first excavations at the Phoenician site, the first of a series of conferences took place on Friday 24 January at the Museum of Velez-Malaga (MVVEL). The councillor for culture and historical heritage, Alicia Ramírez, and the director of the museum, Emilio Martín Córdoba, described the site one of the "most emblematic historical and artistic heritage environments on the Iberian Peninsula".

The event was organised by the Vélez-Málaga town hall along with the University of Malaga (UMA) and the provincial Diputación de Málaga. Two guided presentations were given by Dr. Paul Scheding, director of the IAAM, on the excavations carried out on the coast of the town over the last 60 years and Dr. José Luis López Castro, from the University of Almería (UAL), spoke about the impact of the IAAM's research on Spanish archaeology.