Almería, chief town of the province of that name in southern Spain, was already an important Mediterranean port in Roman times (Portus Magnus), and was known to the Arabs as Al-Mariyya (''mirror of the sea''). It lies in the Gulf of Almería, which is enclosed on the west by the Sierra de Gádor (1,443m/4,734ft), on the northeast by the Sierra Alhamilla (1,359m/4,459ft) and on the southeast by Sierra de Gata (513m/1,683ft) and the cape of the same name. Above the town are two picturesque castles. The port handles a considerable export trade in fresh grapes, southern fruits and esparto grass, as well as iron ore and other minerals from mines in the hinterland. This trim town of whitewashed houses nestling amid subtropical vegetation is one of the leading centers on the stretch of coast, so popular with holidaymakers, whose bountiful climate (with an average of 320 days of sun in the year) has earned it the name of Costa del Sol, the Sunshine Coast.
On the far side of the Paseo de Almería, in Calle Javier Sanz, is the Archeological Museum, with four rooms displaying prehistoric material from the caves in the surrounding area and Iberian, Greek, Roman and Moorish antiquities.
Address: Museo Arqueológico, E-04001 Almería, Spain
Calle Lope de Vega leads to the Plaza Vieja, with the Almería Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), which preserves a banner presented to the town by the Catholic Monarchs.
In Almería, north of Santo Domingo, on the Glorieta de Sartorius, is the church of San Pedro, founded in 1494 on the site of a mosque. The present church, which dates from 1795, has frescoes by Fray Juan García in the dome.
The central feature of Almería, which is reminiscent of an eastern city with its Moorish-style houses, is the Puerta de Purchena, from which Calle de las Tiendas runs southwest to the 16th century church of Santiago el Viejo, with a 55m/180ft high Romanesque tower. The church, which was destroyed during the Civil War, is now a national monument.
Between the Cathedral in Almería and the Paseo de Almería, in the Plaza de la Virgen, is the 17th century Santuario de Santo Domingo (restored), with a fine Baroque altar and an image of the Virgen del Mar, patroness of the town, which is said to have been found on the beach at Torre García in 1502.
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