About this place
The Mercado de Atarazanas is Málaga's main covered food market and one of its most characterful buildings. Its very name tells a story: atarazanas means shipyards in Arabic, and in Moorish times this spot lay on the water's edge, home to the dockyards where ships were built and repaired. All that survives of that era is the magnificent marble horseshoe arch that now forms the market's main entrance, a genuine piece of Nasrid architecture. Behind it, the current iron-framed market hall was built in the 1870s, and it is topped by a beautiful stained-glass window depicting landmarks of the city. Inside, the stalls overflow with the bounty of Andalusia and the sea, glistening fish and seafood, olives, fruit, cured hams and cheeses, and there are bars where you can taste it all. The sea, incidentally, now lies several hundred metres away, the shoreline having been pushed back over the centuries.
Key facts
- 1879 year — The present iron market hall was completed behind the surviving Moorish arch
- 14 century — The grand marble horseshoe gateway survives from the Nasrid-era shipyards
- 1 window — A large stained-glass window depicting Málaga's landmarks crowns the hall
📍 Calle Atarazanas, 29005, Málaga