Ibn Battuta and the Almohad Walls of Marbella
Mention Marbella and what automatically comes to mind are gaudy images of Saudi princes, building-sized yachts, Ferraris, and the sweet smell of… corruption. This is the poster child of the infamous concrete Spanish coast where, according to who you believe, more than 30,000 buildings lack the proper permits. Golf courses grow where it rarely rains, stag parties ply the “entertainment clubs” and billboards in English for breast augmentations populate the roadsides. The biggest surprise? It’s actually rather nice! The center is still the maze of winding lanes that the great traveler Ibn Battutah walked back in 1350. Pedestrian streets so narrow that not even the fastest Lamborghini could fit in and if that isn’t enough, a bet on sunny short-sleeve weather in December is a more sure-fire win than blackjack at the casinos.
#beach #history #resort #coast #getaway #medieval #muslim #port #mediterranean #sun #oldcity #concrete #touristtrap #islamicarchitecture #onthebeatenpath #corruption #citywalls #walls #islamic #juxtaposition #brits #britishinvasion #ibnbattutah
Originally published on Trazzler
