| Two Almenara towers on the
coastline date back to the 15th century, originally built to guard the
coast and its population from the frequent incursions of Barbary pirates
in the days following the reconquista of the region by Henry IV of Castile.
In contemporary times, along
with the rest of the Costa del Sol area it has become an important tourist
destination. The municipality has been subject to an unprecedented urban
expansion in recent years with many new buildings and homes built, sometimes
causing environmental degradation.
The origin of the name is
unknown; the most common suggestion is that it derives from the Arabic
ibn al-medina, or "children of the mines", referring to nearby deposits
of iron and ochre. Alternatively, Madena may be the name of a person or
family.
Geography
The municipality has three
main urban areas:
Benalmádena Pueblo,
the original village, which lies about three kilometres inland at an elevation
of approximately 200 m above mean sea level. Its core consists of a typical
white-fronted Andalusian village, although much recent building in modern
architectural styles has somewhat detracted from its character.
Benalmádena Costa,
an urban agglomeration on the coast. Here there are discos, hotels, beaches,
shopping centers and an extensively-equipped marina. Tourist attractions
include SeaLife aquarium and Selwo Marina, a theme park with dolphins,
penguins and seals among other species. The Parque Paloma is a more recent
addition to the attractions, a landscaped park containing a large lake
and animals running wild. The town of Benalmádena also has an archaeological
museum with locally-derived artefacts dating back to the bronze age.
Arroyo de la Miel, originally
a separate village, is in the interior between the other two areas. It
has become the main residential area, and is also the most commercially
active. Buildings are tighlty packed and tend to be apartment blocks. It
also has several attractions such as the Tivoli World amusement park, and
a teleferico (cable car running to the summit of the 769-metre Calamorro
mountain, which provides panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada, Gibraltar
and on clear days, the Moroccan coastline. Arroyo de la Miel translates
as "River of Honey" in English.
Other attractions
The township of Benalmádena
also has the largest example of a Buddhist Enlightenment Stupa in the Western
world, which was constructed in 2003.
Information
courtesy Wikipedia
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