Almeria

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Almeria

Almeria , named al-Mariyat, the "mirror of the sea", by the Moors. Described as one of the least visited, yet better known, parts of Andalucía. But by no means should be forgotten. As the tourists prefer the Costa del Sol it leaves this corner beautifully unspoilt.

The capital city of this province, as with all the provinces, shares the same name as the province. The coastline of the province of Almería is known as the Costa de Almería. Almería is surrounded by mountains, the Sierra Nevada to the west and the desert-like Sierra Alhamilla to the northeast.

Almería also has a rich history. Founded by the Phoenicians, it underwent a series of invasions and became one of the prime ports of the peninsula during the Omeyan emirate of Córdoba. After the fall of the Caliph of Córboba and its moment of glory as an independent emirate, it fell to the Almohades in 1091. It was conquered in 1147 by Alfonso VII, the it fell once again to the Arabs shortly afterwards. It was finally surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs in 1489 during their invincible campaign for the unification of the country under the sign of the cross.

The city itself is modern and sprawling but with some pleasant old areas and a spectacular Alcazaba (Moorish Palace) dating back to the 10th century and founded by the Caliph of Córdoba, Abderraman III, when Almería was an important port serving the Moorish stronghold of Granada. It was later enlarged by Almanzor and then by Hayran, the first independant Emir of Almería. The fortified walls of the old citadel have been remarkably well preserved and features such as the keep and the towers of La Justicia and Los Espejos remain intact. In the second compound are the crumbling remains of the old mosque, later used as a church.

High on the hill, the inner section was reinforced by the Catholic Kings and is guarded by three towers. Espectacular to visit at sunset as the views from the gunpowder tower over the city and gypsy quarter are spectacular.

Almerías cathedral has the unusual appearance of a fortress, having been deliberately reinforced because of the constant attacks on the city by Barbary pirates around 1524, when it was built. The Renaissance and Gothic facade has four towers made from huge blocks of stone which once held cannons. Inside are paintings and sculpture by 16th-18th century artists.

As I mentioned before that Almería was probably the better known of all the provinces even thought it is the least visited, here is why. Beyond Motril, an industrial town near to Almería capital, the green fields fade into barren deserts and unique mountain scenery which may seem familiar and remind one of the set of a spaghetti western. To the surprise of many, it is and the film sets are open to the public. Bearing a remarkable resemblance to the deserts of Arizona and the Middle East, Almería was first discovered by director Sir David Lean in 1962, who shot Lawrence of Arabia here. We have all seen the film A Fistful of Dollars, which was shot on location in Almería. With this film we saw the birth of the spaghetti western, so called because they were typically filmed in Spain by an Italian producer. For a Few Dollar More and The Good the Bad and the Ugly were also filmed here. Sean Connery, who has a house in Marbella, starred in Shaloka with Brigitte Bardot, this film was shot here using gypsies from Granada as extras. One of the last westerns shot here was Once Upon a Time in the West, starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale. After the spaghetti western had had its day, around the mid 70s the owners of the sets decided to open them up as a public tourist attraction, now we can all enjoy a ride "western style", order two shots of Red Eye at the saloon bar and enjoy a stage shoot out.