Costa de Almeria – A historical backdrop
Almeria has a long history as it has nurtured civilizations over the ages. It doubles up as a province as well as a city, the latter sports a massive fort, Alcazaba which stands testimony to the city’s heyday .Los Millares was the first city to take shape, and it did so during the Metal Ages and the Catholic Period. The excavation of a number of Paleolithic sites in the area and the cave paintings from the Neolithic Age bear stand testimony to this.
The Argar culture flourished in the eastern part of the province during the Bronze Age. There is evidence of Phoenician settlements in the Baria and Abedera region of Almeria. They maintained contact with the Greeks and proclaimed themselves as Carthaginian when the Punic civilization started spreading across the South East of Spain. The reign of the Carthaginians came to an end during the clash with the Romans and subsequently new settlers started arriving. Remnants of the Roman fish-salting industry can still be seen peppered around Adra and Almeria. The industry seems to have flourished here with the main product being Garum, a concoction of fish sauce and herbs, which was a delicacy during its time.
Influx of Islam
After years of Roman dominion, the Vandals, Visigoths and Byzantines took control of Almeria. However, it’s the Islamic civilization which has left the biggest cultural influence in the region. The beginning of the eight century saw the arrival of Yemen-born Arabs in large numbers. They introduced many landscape changing farming techniques. In the year 955, Abderraman III ordered the building of the Alcazaba, which to this day is the second largest Islamic fortress after the Alhambra. His intention was to counter the threat posed by Fatimi Caliphate in Tunisia. This was the defining moment, as until then, Almeria was simply regarded as a port area of Pechina. Vital commercial links connecting the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa were established. Almeria soon became the chief port of the Caliphate of Cordoba.
The Crusades
Once the Caliphate of Cordoba crumbled, Almeria was taken over by the Taifa Kingdom ruled by King Jiaran. The Taifa Kingdom saw its finest days under the rule of Almotacin, famed for his poetic compositions. The remnants of his palace can be seen within the second enclosure of the Alcazaba. Almeria’s wealth got a massive boost with the initiation of silk exports in the 11th century. The industrial activity was not curbed even after with the demise of the Taifan Kingdom at the hands of the Almohads. This made it an irresistible target for Christian kingdoms who conquered it in 1147. The city was finally captured back by the Muslims but it never regained its former glory. Almeria remained a quiet city until the flourishing mining and grape industries made it prosperous once again in the late 19th century. The birth of railroads led to thousands emigrating to the US and Algeria. The Civil War scathed deep scars into the land, the most prominent incident being the bombing of the city by the Nazi Navy.