Alcazaba

This guide to the Alcazaba in Málaga starts with a puzzle: why none of the carved capitals above the Puerta de las Columnas match. It traces the fortress back to the Berber king Badis ben Habus, who began fortifying this hillside in the eleventh century and sent crews down to the Roman theatre at its foot to strip it for stone. You'll hear how the builders improvised with mismatched columns and an inverted capital to make secondhand architecture fit new walls and gateways. Look closely at the gate's seams as you listen for what gives the mismatch away.