Almeria City The Alcazaba
The provincial capital and port of Almeria is dominated by the cliff-ringed Alcazaba (citadel).
The Caliph of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman III ordered its construction in 955. It consists of three huge, walled enclosures.
The first included houses and baths although today it is occupied by lovely gardens.
Being the largest of the three enclosures, it was designed as a military camp and an area of protection for the population in times of siege.
To the east stands the Salienté Bastion which served as a lookout point towards the town and the sea.
The Vela Wall to the north of the enclosure is an eleventh century wall which formed part of a great complex of walls.
Above the wall is the Campana de Vela, a bell which sounded the alarm to soldiers to take their battle stations.
The second enclosure contained the palace which accommodated the Moorish Kings when in residence.
The Los Alfijes building is probably the best preserved of this group. Remains of cisterns, troop baths, a typical Muslim house and the old mosque converted into chapel by the Catholic Kings are outstanding.
In the third and highest enclosure we find the remains of a castle, triangular in form, with three semi-circular towers built by the Catholic monarchs.
Arranged around the main courtyard are the keep, the Noria del Viento tower and the Polvora tower.
The Cathedral
Located in the heart of the old quarter is the first Almeriense temple with a fortress look about it.
Begun in 1524 on the site of the great mosque it was designed in the Gothic style by Diego de Siloé.
There are battlements and embrasures for defence purposes and the corner towers once held canons.
The cathedral is entered through the Puerta Principal. Although a sober interior, just behind the alter stalls is a stunning 18th century alter.
There is a Renaissance cloister that was once the old parade ground of the fortress.
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