Atarazanas Market

The Atarazanas central market, in Malaga

The Atarazanas central market is one of the most lively places of Malaga, a covered market of the nineteenth century raised on former Moorish shipyards. The Malaga audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this historic building with a superb stained-glass window, where you discover the great Andalusian gastronomic tradition, from fresh fish to tapas.

From the Moorish shipyards to the covered market

Although situated in the heart of Malaga, this marvel of animation is often absent from the visit routes; ours puts it in the spotlight. Like so many buildings of the town, the Atarazanas market hides a fascinating but little-known history, that demands going back in time. As surprising as it seems, Malaga was formerly a town open onto the sea, whose waters reached this location: in the fourteenth century, under Moorish domination, there were several shipyards called atarazanas, a word designating a place where ships are built and repaired. Built between 1876 and 1879 on one of these former arsenals, the central market keeps from that era a superb vestige: a great marble portal in a horseshoe arch, last witness of the Nasrid architecture of the site. The building, of iron and glass in the taste of the great market halls of the nineteenth century, was restored in 1979 and classified Property of Cultural Interest. At one of its ends, an immense colourful stained-glass window represents emblematic monuments of the town and bathes the stalls in a fine light. Inside, the market is organised by types of products: meats, vegetables, and above all fish and seafood, the great local speciality, without forgetting the counters of tapas and fried pescaíto. A place of life and flavours, it offers an authentic dive into the daily life of the people of Malaga. A historic hall and a temple of gastronomy, the Atarazanas market is a fine stop of the discovery of Malaga.

What to see

Here you discover the covered market built between 1876 and 1879 on former Moorish shipyards, of which it keeps a superb marble portal in a horseshoe arch; an iron and glass building restored in 1979 and classified Property of Cultural Interest, adorned with a great colourful stained-glass window, it offers stalls of fish, seafood, meats and vegetables, as well as counters of tapas. The Atarazanas market is a gastronomic temple of Malaga. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Atarazanas central market lies in the heart of Malaga, reachable on foot. It is generally open from Monday to Saturday in the morning and closed on Sunday, the hours being able to vary. It is the ideal place to discover the fresh products and the tapas; it is best to come in the morning and to enquire before coming.

What is the history of the Atarazanas market of Malaga?

It was built between 1876 and 1879 on former Moorish shipyards of the fourteenth century, the atarazanas, of which it keeps a superb marble portal in a horseshoe arch; an iron and glass building restored in 1979 and classified Property of Cultural Interest, adorned with a great colourful stained-glass window, it is today the great covered and gastronomic market of the town.

Where is the Atarazanas market in Malaga?

In the heart of Malaga, in Andalusia, in Spain.