Almeria

Although, (as usual,) there are sites that trace their origins to prehistoric times, the first reliable news about the Almeria date back to 955 AD , when Calipha Abd-al-Rahmin III (pictured) entrusted a group of Yemenis with monitoring the coast in order to prevent the landing of the Normans.
He had built a watchtower on top of the hill named the town Al-Mari’yah; meaning watchtower in Arabic. The photo shows the Arab houses still used today.
The Christian's forgot about the Norman invaders luckily, for today the prosperity of the area relies on their descendants flying over to bask in the sun. Almeria is famous for having the driest climate in Europe and the WHO (World Health Organisation) recommend it as the healthiest: an average of 320 sunny days annually, 3,000 hours of sunshine, 26 days’ rain. Uniquely in Europe, Almeria has never registered a sub-zero temperature, with the lowest ever recorded at 0.2 degrees C in Feb 1935.
Agriculture is also of huge economic importance, thanks to huge plastic greenhouses.Läs mer