Puerta de Atarazanas (Nasrid shipyard gate)

The Puerta de Atarazanas is a Nasrid horseshoe-arched gate on Calle Atarazanas in the Centro Histórico of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. It is the sole surviving element of the medieval atarazana, from the Arabic dar al-sina'a, meaning house of manufacture, a shipyard and arsenal built in the 14th century under the Nasrid rulers of Granada. At the time Málaga was the leading port of the kingdom, exporting dried fruit, silk and ceramics, and the shipyard served the fleet. After the Christian conquest of 1487 the building was used as a warehouse, hospital, barracks and arms store, and it gradually deteriorated. In the 19th century most of the structure was demolished, and in 1876 the surviving gate was preserved and incorporated into the new Mercado Central de Atarazanas, an iron-and-glass market built between 1876 and 1879. The gate is made of white marble in the form of a horseshoe arch, decorated with a shield and the Nasrid motto La Galiba, meaning there is no victor but God, as seen at the Alhambra. The market building behind the gate is a notable example of 19th-century iron architecture, with a restored stained-glass window by Gonzalo Martín Rosales on the south wall depicting scenes from the history of Málaga. Inside, stalls sell fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, and tapas bars operate at the edges. Preservation is good, since the gate was restored and protected as a national monument. The site works as both a heritage monument and an active market, with little formal interpretation, so visitors learn mostly from street panels and local guides. Admission is free, and the gate can be seen from the street, though the market is open on weekday mornings.