Almería is a Mediterranean city located in southeastern Spain. The city was founded in the year 955 by the Moorish Abd al-Rahman III as a new major port city in his kingdom. Abd al-Rahman III established the city’s alcazaba with the name al-Mariyah, which became the Spanish Almería. In 1489, the Catholic kings recaptured the city, which was made a bishop’s seat just three years later. Almería lived through a hard time in the 16th century, when the city was hit by four major earthquakes, and especially the one in 1522 caused great destruction. It was a period with many Berber pirates as well, and they regularly attacked from the seaside until the 18th century. In the 1700s, large deposits of iron were discovered in the area, and it boosted the city with prosperity and expansion.

Today, Almería is a city where you can take some lovely walks in both the old town and in the newer quarters, which stretch along the city’s harbor and the Mediterranean coast. Plaza de la Catedral is a good place to start. The palm-lined square is a beautiful urban space where you can see Almería’s great cathedral, which was built in the period 1524-1562. The architectural style is mainly a mixture of late Gothic and Renaissance, and the cathedral has a typical fortress feel because Almería was often attacked by pirates in the 16th century. In the city, you can also visit the Almería Archaeological Museum, where you can see several finds from the region. Here is a collection of finds from Los Millares and one about the Bronze Age culture of El Argar.

The modern and beautifully landscaped street, Calle Belén, which is lined with palm trees and trees, connects the city center with the port. At the port, the street ends in Plaza de las Velas, and from here there is access to the parks Parque Nicolás Salmerón and Parque de las Almadrabillas. Here is also one of Almería’s distinctive sights, El Cable Inglés, an iron railway structure built in 1904 to transport ore from mines around Granada to cargo ships in Almería’s port. Another special sight are the underground tunnels that were used as shelters during the Spanish Civil War, Refugios subterráneos de Almería. The shelters were several kilometers long in total, and they were built in 1937. The rooms were used during the great bombardment that hit cities on 31 May of the same year.

At the top of Almería is Abd al-Rahman III’s alcazaba, the city’s historic fortress. When Almería gained the status of a city in 955, the construction of the large defensive structure began after a short time. And the alcazaba was like a fortified wall with e.g. houses, squares and a mosque behind the thick walls. The Alcazaba was also the seat of government for the rule of the city and the surrounding sea. The fortress was built by the Moors, and it was continuously extended, also under the subsequent Spanish kings and queens. Therefore, there are several sections of the alcazaba, each of which dates from its time and had its purpose. The fortress is located high above the city and is interesting to visit. You also have an excellent view of the entire city from here.