Fuengirola´s origins date back to Mediterranean civilizations
such as the Phoenicians and Romans, who settled at the foot
of the hill where today stands the Islamic castle Sohail.
Its coastal position, the same as numerous neighbouring
towns, attracted man since remote times. It is thought that
its founders were the Phoenicians, who baptized her with
the name Suel. With the arrival of the Romans, it acquired
great relevance, acquiring the category of city federated
to Rome, which allowed it to maintain its own legislation
and institutions.
The Arabs renamed it Sohail and it is not until the Eighteenth
Century when it receives the name of Fuengirola, derived
from the word girola, which designated the Genoes ships
dedicated to fishing, whose presence was very important
as a supply centre for those ships heading towards the Straits
of Gibraltar.
