Almeria tourism information - Almeria places of interest - Almeria beaches - Spain

Almeria is a city of light open to the Mediterranean, whose recent growth has not
taken anything away trom the local colour of its older quarters nor trom that flavour of
nearby Atrica which sets it apart trom other Andalusian towns. In these lands, which were the home to powerful civilisations during prehistory, such as those of El Algar or Los Millares, the Arabs leit their mark and even today, the reddish Alcazaba Fortress, one of the largest of its kind on the peninsula, dominates the urban landscape. In the centuries following its construction, begun at the end of the tirst millennium, it is said that it could house an army of 20,000 men and their munitions. Today we can still see the three walled enclosures with towers, such as La Vela or El Homenaje. but wars and earthquakes have deprived us of their interior palaces and mosques. The other great monument of Almeda is its Cathedral. Its fortress-like structure make's it impressive from the outside, but its interior is Renaissancce, with a beautiful Plateresque chancel and large Baroque altar pieces. It is in keeping with the modd of the great cathedrals of the eastern provinces of Andalusia: Granada, Jaen and Malaga.