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Like the other municipalities in the Costa del Sol, Fuengirola saw periods of settlement by Phoenician, Roman, and Arab civilizations.
The first settlers of the area were the Phoenicians, who arrived in the period from the 7th to 8th centuries, BC. The Phoenicians brought farming techniques and raised cattle on the slopes of the foothills. Later, the Romans occupied the area and gave the town the name of Suel. The town was identified by the Roman historian Pomponius Mela, and was recorded to be a fortified town around the 1st century AD. It was probably around this time when a castle was constructed in the Fuengirola vicinity.
Later works by other Roman historians indicated that ancient Fuengirola was on the road connecting Málaga to Cadiz, and works by Italian geographers seemed to agree with this fact.
Up until today, no large scale excavations have been done to the area, but several very important archaeological discoveries have surfaced in recent times. Probably the most significant of these is an inscription on the pedestal of a statue found near the castle, bearing text that mentions Suel as truly being a Roman “municipium.” Another relic found close to the castle was a funeral urn with markings containing the word “Suelitana.”
The castle is the biggest and main relic from the Roman period, and there were other finds dating back to the Roman era. In 1961, Roman baths were unearthed. The remains of a Roman villa were also found, and two sculptures, one of which became the well known “Venus of Fuengirola,” a prominent exhibition in the local museum today. In 1984, another discovery was made -- a set of stone architectural pieces was found. This was probably one of the many stone materials quarried from Mijas in the Roman era. The components were used to construct the present day temple entrance at the Marine Parade at Los Boliches.
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According to historians, all traces of the old Suel disappeared at the beginning of the Middle Ages. It is speculated that the city was destroyed by a giant tidal wave, but others also suggest that Mediterranean pirates came and destroyed the city. Another possibility is the raiding Visigoths, ravaging the city and leaving it in ruin.
Centuries later, during the Arab occupation of the area, the name of the settlement changed from Suel to Suhayl, an Arabic name. It became the name of the castle and the surrounding area during this time. Suhayl, under control of the Arabs, grew to be a fairly large settlement and encompassed a large area of farm land and other villages.
In the early Middle Ages, the town was destroyed by a fire that raged for days, with the inhabitants fleeing to nearby Mijas. The town was left in ruins. Then, in 1485, during the Crusades, the area was retaken but any sort of settlement did not last long, as there was constant threat from North Africa, and concerns such as fiscal policies of the local government. At this point it was not even possible to purchase land in the Fuengirola region. So, in 1511, the area was marked as uninhabited; only the castle and a single watchtower had anybody living in them. The Fuengirola area was officially acquired by Mijas.
Come the 17th century, a new settlement developed in the original Fuengirola area. By this time, the threat of invasion from Turkish and Moroccan buccaneers had largely disappeared. In the early 18th century, an inn was opened near the coast, offering lodging to travelers, merchants, and sailors. The area surrounding the inn grew into a small village, as huts were built and people began moving in.
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In May 1841, Fuengirola was officially detached from Mijas and once again existed as an autonomous region. By then, its burgeoning community was largely composed of farmers and seafaring folk. Trade with passing merchant ships was thriving and for over a century, fishing and agriculture remained the town’s main livelihood.
Fast forward to the 1960s, this was when Fuengirola entered a new era in its history as a leading tourist center.
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