Gulf of Almeria

The Gulf of Almería opens on the southeastern coast of Iberia between Punta Elena and Cabo de Gata. At its head lies Almería, a port that prospered under Muslim rule through trade in silk, oil and other goods. Ships from its harbour connected the city with North Africa and ports farther east, while mountains rise behind the coastal plain. Even after its earlier decline, the port maintained links with Aragon and the Italian republics.

Almería submitted to the Catholic Monarchs in 1489. Coastal insecurity weakened its commerce, and the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 sent many of its merchants towards North Africa. A severe earthquake devastated the city in 1522; the cathedral rebuilt afterwards acquired a fortress-like form, reflecting the threat of corsair raids from the sea.