Send Gift Baskets to Almeria, Spain

In the 9th century, Pechina (Bajjana) founded its independent state some kilometers to the north, independent of the Cordobese authority: Originally known as Al-Mariyya Bajjana, the current settlement of Almera emerged from this independent state. After 933, when Abd-ar-Rahman III ruled the city, Pechina and its maritime port experienced divergent fortunes, becoming the base for the Caliphal navy. Also, in 955, Abd-ar-Rahman III erected the walls inside the city. Its economy was nourished by a silk industry that consisted of hundreds of looms and fed itself from the mulberry trees planted in the region. As part of the Caliphal period, Almera also played an essential role in the slave trade.

The Almere became an independent taifa under Slavic kinglets after the Caliphate of Cordoba collapsed in the early 11th century. Initially ruled by the Arab Banu Sumadih, it soon became an independent taifa and fell under Almoravid’s control in 1091. Almoravid trade networks allowed the city’s economy to engage in international trade. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Almera reached a level of historical significance unparalleled in the rest of its history thanks to its development during the caliphal period. Copper and textiles were exported to Fez and Tlemcen, as were wool and indigo dye from the Maghreb.

In addition to being besieged by Granada and Valencia emirs, Almera faced a particularly fierce siege when Christians, summoned to the Second Crusade by Pope Eugene III, opposed the Muslim forces on a more familiar coast. The city suffered the breakup of its Middle Ages glory when Alfonso VII led an army of Catalans, Genoese, Pisans, and Franks against the rich city on 11 July 1147.