Almería

Almería (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}UK: /ˌælməˈriːə/,[3] US also /ˌɑːl-/,[4][5] Spanish: [almeˈɾi.a] ⓘ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955.[6] The city grew wealthy during the Islamic era, becoming a world city throughout the 11th and 12th centuries.[7] It enjoyed an active port that traded silk, oil, and raisins.[8] Being adjacent to a small semi-desert, Almería has an exceptionally dry climate by European standards. The name "Almería" comes from the city's former Arabic name, Madīnat al-Mariyya, meaning "city of the watchtower".[9] As the settlement was originally the port or coastal suburb of Pechina, it was initially known as Mariyyat al-Bajjāna (Bajjāna being the Arabic name for Pechina).[10]