In the Muslim era the citadels were They constituted the high areas of the medinas as fortified citadels that mainly housed the seat of political power and sometimes could also house mosques and homes. . In Almería, the the most important of all those built by the Arabs on the peninsula on the San Cristóbal hill, being visible from any part of the city. This infrastructure currently consists of two enclosures from the Muslim period and another from the Christian period, in addition to a castle that the Catholic Monarchs ordered to be built in the year 1489. The entire complex was declared Asset of Cultural Interest.
The construction of this watchtower or Al-Mariyyat -word from which the name of Almería is derived- began in the year 955 at the request of the powerful caliph of Al-Andalus, Abderramán III and concluded during the reign of Al-Jairán, first king of the Independent Taifa of Almería, famous in the city for the stretch of wall he ordered. rise and that still endures. In the first enclosure we find a huge esplanade that was used for troops and as a refuge in case of a siege, in the second /strong>, thepalatial city where the Court lived; rulers, guards and servants who had all the infrastructure of a medina, they had bathrooms, cisterns, shops and a mosque. The last enclosure of Christian origin was also used as a residential area and is composed of two defensive towers and a Tower of Homenage. Unfortunately, in the year 1522 a great earthquake occurred that destroyed most of the buildings of the citadel, but still today, We can visit the walls, the watchtowers, and the bases of the buildings that made up the complex.
From January to March and from September to December from Tuesday to Saturday from 9 :00 to 18:00 and Sundays and holidays always from 9:00 to 15:00. From April to June from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. From July to September from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Other nearby places of interest are the Hermitage of San Antón and the Wall of Jairán.