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Almeria
Almería is the capital of the province of Almería, Spain. It is
located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea and all its
area is an important Mediterranean resort. It also has the only
official desert area in Europe.
History
The name "Almería" is believed to stem from Al-Mariyat: "The Mirror
of the Sea", in Arabic.
The city was founded by Abd ar-Rahman III of Cordoba, in 955, as a
principal harbor in his extensive domain to strengthen his
Mediterranean defenses.
Its Moorish castle, Alcazaba, is the second largest among the Muslim
fortresses of Andalusia after the Alhambra.
In this period, the port city of Almería reached its historical
peak, continuing, after the fragmentation of the Caliphate of
Cordoba, under powerful local Muslim taifa emirs like Jairan, the
first independent Emir of Almería and Cartagena and Almotacin the
poet emir, both fearless warriors but also patrons of the arts. A
silk industry, based upon plantings of mulberry trees in the hot dry
landscape supported Almería in the 11th century and made its
strategic harbour an even more valuable prize. Contested by the
emirs of Granada and Valencia, Almería suffered many sieges, and one
especially fierce when Christians, called to the Second Crusade by
Pope Eugene III, were also encouraged to fall upon the Muslim
infidel on a more familiar coast.
On that occasion Alfonso VII, at the head of mixed forces of
Catalans, Genoese, Pisans and Franks led a crusade against the rich
city, and Almería was occupied in October 1147. Within a decade it
had passed to the control of the puritanical Almoravid emirs, and
though its glorious culture was diminished, not until the late 15th
century did it fall permanently into Christian hands, surrendered to
the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, December 26, 1489.
The 16th century was for Almería a century of natural and human
catastrophes, for there were at least four earthquakes— of which the
one in 1522 was especially violent— devastating the city. The people
who had remained Muslim were expelled from Almería after the War of
Las Alpujarras in 1568 and scattered across Spain. Landings and
attacks by Berber pirates were also frequent in that century, and
continued until the early 18th century. In that time, huge iron
mines were discovered and French and British companies came to
settle in the area, bringing renewed prosperity and bringing Almería
back to a relative importance within Spain.
During the Spanish Civil War the city was shelled by the German
navy. It and Málaga were the last cities to surrender to Francisco
Franco and the fascists. In the second half of the 20th century,
Almería witnessed spectacular economic growth due to tourism and its
intensive agriculture, with plants grown year-round in massive 'invernaderos'
- plastic-covered intensive farms.
After Franco's death and the approval of the new Spanish
Constitution, the people of southern Spain were called into
referendum to approve an autonomous status for the region. The
province of Almeria voted in favour of it and join the newly created
autonomous region of Andalusia.
People and culture
Famous natives of Almería include Nicolás Salmerón, who in 1873 was
the third president of the First Spanish Republic, and several
musicians, like the popular folk singer Manolo Escobar, reputed
Flamenco guitar player José Tomás "Tomatito" and Grammy Award winner
David Bisbal, record-breaker album seller in America and Spain.
Although administratively annexed to the Autonomus Community of
Andalucia, in Southern Spain, the people of the province have always
shown a clear desire for regional autonomy shown in different
referendums. The island effect produced by the geographical
situation has made customs, accents and history very different from
the rest of the Autonomous Region of Andalucia. Almería hosted the
Mediterranean Games in 2005.
Economy
Almería has an international airport, named Almería International
Airport.
Almería has the largest naturist beach in Europe (also surrounded by
naturist accommodations) called El Playazo despite current attempts
to reduce the naturist extent of it. A great part of Almería's
economy is based on agriculture, which is located mainly in the west
part of the region. There we can find a sea of plastics, which are
in fact green houses which produce tons of fruit and vegetables,
more than 70% of the product is exported to the rest of Europe.
Geography
Almería is the driest region in Europe as well as one of the warmest
with an average annual temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Due to its
arid landscape, numerous spaghetti westerns were filmed in Almería.
According to Christopher Frayling, the author of 'Once Upon A Time
in Italy': The Films of Sergio Leone,' some of the sets are still
there. [1] These sets are located in the desert of Tabernas. The
town and region were also used by David Lean in Lawrence of Arabia
(1962), John Milius in The Wind and the Lion (1975), and others. One
of Almería's most famous natural spots is the Cabo de Gata-Níjar
Natural Park. This park is of volcanic origin, and is the largest
and most ecologically significant marine-terrestrial space in the
European Western Mediterranean Sea. With one of the most beautiful
and ecologically rich coasts of the western Mediterranean and an
area of 380 square kilometres it is one of Spain’s natural jewels.
The Cabo de Gata Natural Park runs through the municipal areas of
Níjar, Almería and Carboneras. Its villages, previously dedicated to
fishing, have become tourism spots for those interested in nature.
One of the greatest drawcards of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park is
its beaches. You will find solitary coves, long beaches, naturist
beaches and coves, or maybe a solitary corner accessible only by sea
or by means of a wonderful excursion. Almeria administratively
controls the Isla de Alboran North of the Morrocan
Crystal Cave
In 2000, a team of geologists found a cave filled with giant gypsum
crystals in an abandoned silver mine near Almería. The cavity, which
measures 1.8x1.7 meters, would be the largest geode ever found. The
entrance of the cave has been blocked by five tons of rocks, and is
under police protection (to prevent looters from entering).
According to geological models, the cave was formed during the
Messinian salinity crisis 6 million years ago, when the
Mediterranean sea evaporated and left thick layers of salt sediments
(evaporites). The cave is currently not accessible to tourists.
