THE NAME"Solomon ibn Gabirol (Hebrew: Shelomo ben Yehuda ibn Gabirol; Arabic: Abu Ayyub Suleiman ibn Yahya ibn Jabirul), also known as Solomon ben Judah and traditionally known by his Latinized name Avicebron, was an Andalusian poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neoplatonic bent. He was born in Málaga about 1021 and is believed to have died around 1058 in Valencia.
Little is known of Gabirol's life. His parents died while he was a child. At seventeen years of age he became the friend and protégé of Jekuthiel Hassan. Upon the assassination of the latter as the result of a political conspiracy, Gabirol composed an elegy of more than 200 verses. The death of Hai Gaon also called forth a similar poem. When barely twenty, Gabirol wrote Ana?, a versified Hebrew grammar, alphabetical and acrostic, consisting of 400 verses divided into ten parts. Of this grammar, ninety-five lines have been preserved by Solomon Par?on. In these Gabirol reproaches his townsmen with their neglect of the Hebrew language. Mivhar HaPeninim ("The Choice of Pearls"), an ethical work comprising sixty-four chapters, has been attributed to Gabirol since the 19th century, but this is doubtful.
Gabirol's residence in Zaragoza was embittered by strife. He thought of leaving Spain, but remained and wandered about. He gained another friend and patron in the person of Samuel ibn Naghrela, whose praises he sang. Later an estrangement arose between them, and Naghrela became for a time the butt of Gabirol's bitterest irony. All testimonies agree that Gabirol was comparatively young at the time of his death, which followed years of wandering. The year of his death was probably 1058 or 1059.
A legend concerning the manner of Gabirol's death is related by Ibn Ya?ya in "Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah." In this legend, a Muslim poet, jealous of Gabirol's poetic gifts, killed him, and buried him beneath the roots of a fig tree. The tree bore fruit abundantly; and the fruit was of extraordinary sweetness. This strange circumstance excited attention; a search was instituted, the remains of the murdered Gabirol were brought to light, and the murderer expiated his crime with his life."
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THE PLACE"The Visitor Reception Centre Ben Gabirol is located on a restored Moorish tower in the old Jewish quarter of the historic center of the Andalusian city of Malaga, Spain building.
This property is located at number 70 of Granada Street linking the Plaza de la Constitucion and Plaza de la Merced, very close to other interesting buildings such as the palace of the number 61, the Church of Santiago and the winery Pimpi.
This is a tower house built in the seventeenth century with Mudejar brick elements that preserves the remains of mural paint mural. Its floor area is 130 sq.m..
In 2008 he completed his restoration by the City of Malaga and directed by architect Iñaki Pérez de la Fuente, being isolated from adjacent buildings and reinforced the structure to prevent its collapse. The building is used as a reception center for visitors and tourist information center."
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