The alcazaba (from the Arabic al-qasaba) of Balish (Vélez-Málaga) is the most emblematic enclosure, the origin of the city and the seat of its power. Its construction is linked to the foundation of the city in the Andalusian period, in the 9th century, and reached its greatest splendour during the Nasrid period (13th, 14th and 15th centuries). The governor had his palace inside it and it had towers, pavilions for various uses, a mosque, official quarters, a kitchen, a cistern and other rooms. The walls that surrounded the medina (today's quarter of La Villa) led out from it.