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The city of Almeria is located at
the foot of a mountain range which is crowned by the magnificent Alcazaba, an Arab fortress built by the Caliph of
Cordoba, AbderRahman III with three huge walled enclosures
(in the second of which are remains of a mosque, converted to a chapel by the
Catholic kings).
In times of war, the Alcazaba could
hold an army of more than 20,000 men. From here, there is a good view of the
city's famed cave quarter, "Barrio de la Chanca"
and of the strange fortified Cathedral with its gothic style construction and
renaissance facade.
Dating from the 16th century, it was built during an era when
the southern Mediterranean was terrorised by the raids of Barbarossa
and other Turkish and North African pirate forces, its corner towers once
held canons. Situated in the centre is the great altar with its wealth of
priceless art work including a tabernacle dating from the 18th century,
designed by Ventura Rodriguez, paintings by Alonso Canoń;
a typical Andalusian altar piece made by Araoz and the statue of St. Indaletius,
the patron saint of Almeria, sculpted by Saizillo.
Almeria’s gastronomic specialities
include "Gurullos"
(stew with pasta), "Trigo" (stew with grains of wheat, pork, beans and
herbs), "Gachas"
(hot and spicy clam stew) and "Escabeche e Sardines" (fresh sardines
in hot sauce). As well as cultivating tourism over the past decade, Almeria
has also cultivated innumerable plastic covered greenhouses and now produces
the bulk of the province's fruit and vegetables, much of it for export.
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