Almanzora
Encyclopedia
Almanzora is a small city in the province
of Almería
, Andalusia
, Spain
. Its name, derives from the Arabic
al-Mansura (المنصورة), "place of victory", and has been passed on from the city to which is shared with a river
and to the surrounding Comarca of Almanzora.
The area has been settled at least since Roman times
. In 1436, during the Reconquista
, an expedition of Murcians
conquered the city from Muslim
rule. In 1753, the town was the administrative center of the Comarca of Almanzora, and in the 19th century Antonio Abellán y Peñuela was made Marquis of Almanzora.
As in many rural areas of Andalusia, there was much emigration during the 20th century. Since roughly the 1990s, there has been an influx of people from the United Kingdom
who have come for the sunny Almerían climate, as well as some return of earlier migrants.
The economy has traditionally been mainly agricultural, especially citrus fruits, with lemon
s as an important export crop. The area is also noted for its artisanal breads. Recent immigration from the UK has caused something of a construction boom. There is also a rise in rural tourism
(farm stays, etc.)
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Almería
Almería (province)
-History:The rich customs and Fiestas of the denizens retain links deep into the past, unto the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Phoenicians.During the taifa era, it was ruled by the Moor Banu al-Amiri from 1012 to 1038, briefly annexed by Valencia , then given by Zaragoza to the Banu Sumadih...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Its name, derives from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
al-Mansura (المنصورة), "place of victory", and has been passed on from the city to which is shared with a river
Almanzora (river)
The Almanzora River or River Almanzora is a river in the province of Almería, Andalusia, Spain. It is roughly in length. For millennia, it has provided a route between the Mediterranean Sea and the interior of Andalusia....
and to the surrounding Comarca of Almanzora.
The area has been settled at least since Roman times
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. In 1436, during the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, an expedition of Murcians
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
conquered the city from Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rule. In 1753, the town was the administrative center of the Comarca of Almanzora, and in the 19th century Antonio Abellán y Peñuela was made Marquis of Almanzora.
As in many rural areas of Andalusia, there was much emigration during the 20th century. Since roughly the 1990s, there has been an influx of people from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who have come for the sunny Almerían climate, as well as some return of earlier migrants.
The economy has traditionally been mainly agricultural, especially citrus fruits, with lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s as an important export crop. The area is also noted for its artisanal breads. Recent immigration from the UK has caused something of a construction boom. There is also a rise in rural tourism
Rural tourism
Rural tourism focuses on participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Any village can be a tourist attraction, and many villagers are very hospitable. Agriculture is becoming highly mechanized and therefore requires less manual labor...
(farm stays, etc.)
Places of interest
- Palace of Almanzora, dating from the time of the marquisate. A neoclassicalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building designed by Ventura RodríguezVentura RodríguezVentura Rodríguez Tizón was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.-Major works:...
, declared part of the Patrimonio Histórico Andaluz. - El Púlpito windmill, a flour mill disused since the 19th century, used from milling wheat grown near the banks of the Almanzora River. The building was originally a military watchtower, one of a series in the river valley, dating back to the Muslim-ruled Kingdom of Granada, intended to defend against the invaders of the Reconquista.
- Albox-Almanzora railway station. The best-preserved of the stations of the former GuadixGuadixGuadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway...
-Almendricos rail line, closed in 1985. The station chief continued to live there until around the year 2000. It was then used as a band rehearsal space, and later was renovated and converted into a lounge for seniors, with a bar, the "Café-bar La Estación". - Mirador de la Cerrá, a viewpoint constructed by local youths.
- Rail bridge over the Rambla de Albox, a tributaryTributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to the Almanzora River - Las Minas, iron mines closed in the mid-20th century.
- La Cimbra, a remnant of an old irrigation system. An artificial spring near El Púlpito waters the only elmElmElms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
forests in the area. Such structures were more common in centuries past, with irrigation by similar techniques dating back even before Roman times.