Salting factory

In the room located to the north of the archaeological site there are 6 Roman rafts belonging to a fish salting factory that was in operation since the century AD. C. until . At this time Almería was not properly a city, nor even a nucleus of entity.

The documented remains are related to the salting industries typical of coastal places, very common throughout the southern peninsula and northern Africa. These industries constituted one of the fundamental pillars of the economy and trade of these maritime enclaves. Let's think that salting the fish was essential for its conservation and the best way to transport it to inland places.

There are many types of Roman salting factories, with different sizes and structures, but they all have in common the existence of this type of pool, which was where both the salting of fish and the famous garum "Garo (sauce)" paste were made..

When the fish arrived at the factory, it was cleaned and cut into pieces. Once chopped, it was placed, alternating several layers of fish and salt. It was left to macerate in the sun for approximately 20 days and once the process was complete, it was placed in amphorae and stored for transport.

Another product that was made in the salting factories (in this case in smaller pools) was garum, a highly valued paste or sauce that was made with the guts and waste of the fish. Sometimes wine, vinegar, honey and other ingredients were added. It was used as a condiment for all types of dishes, accompanying meats, soups, etc. It was also famous for its medicinal properties: it was used to whet the appetite, as a wound healer and other curative uses. The garum was reserved for the wealthiest classes due to its price, since its production process was slower and a smaller amount of product was obtained.

Almería in medieval Islamic times

The central room of the archaeological enclave is occupied by the remains of the medieval Islamic wall that closed the city of Al-Mariyya on its southern front.

Almería emerged as the port of the city of Bayyana, which in the century was a very important town, located about 8 kilometers from the coast, in the place where the town of Pechina "Pechina (Almería)" is currently located. Bayyana's economy was based on agriculture, the manufacture of silk fabrics and the slave trade. All these commercial activities had to have a maritime outlet, in this case Almería, which in that century was only a port enclave.

During the century it will be the headquarters of the caliphate fleet. From here all the naval expeditions that were carried out to North Africa and towards the Atlantic left to stop the advance of the Norman ships. In the middle of that century, specifically in the year 955, due to the importance of this enclave, it suffered an attack by a Fatimid squadron, which destroyed the shipyards and a large part of the naval infrastructure it had. This fact led Caliph Abd al-Rahman III to make the decision to provide it with walls, which it lacked until now, while granting it the category of medina "Medina (neighborhood)"), that is, a city. The wall that is preserved in the enclave dates from this moment, which continued to be used throughout the medieval period.

Al-Mariyya will grow in importance, eventually eclipsing the city of Bayyana, which will gradually become depopulated. Almería becomes an important commercial enclave that over the centuries will experience its moment of maximum splendor. It maintained commercial relations with all parts of the Mediterranean: it mainly exported fabrics, which were known throughout the world, funerary steles carved in Macael marble, slaves, etc. It was known as the Gate of the Mediterranean.

Its commercial importance will make large commercial emporiums in the Mediterranean focus their attention on it, since it represented competition for them. In 1147 it will be taken by Alfonso VII of Castile, supported by Genoese and Pisans, and will be in Christian hands for ten years of plunder and destruction. In 1157 the Almohads conquered the city, carrying out numerous reconstructions with which they tried to return the city to its past splendor. During the years in which it will be part of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, it will continue to be a port enclave but it will never again have the importance it had in the Taifa and Almoravid times. In 1489 it will be definitively conquered by the Catholic Monarchs.

The wall section preserved in the Puerta de Almería Archaeological Enclave belongs to the wall belt that closed the city to the south, that is, the front that faced the sea. The construction of this wall dates back to the middle of the 19th century, but due to its location it will be in use throughout the Islamic era, remaining until the 19th century, when it will be demolished to open the city to the sea. In the preserved section there are the remains of a door that opened between two quadrangular towers that protected the entrance. This Gate, which is only preserved at the foundation level, measured 6 m and, given its proximity to the place where the ships were built, some authors have interpreted that it could be the gate to the dockyards.

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Puerta de Almería Archaeological Enclave.

• - Official website.

• - Historic center of Almería.

• - 'Puerta de Almería' receives almost 10,000 visits in its first year, article published in Ideal on July 29, 2007.

• - Puerta de Almería, an interpretation center with a lot of history behind it, article published in Diario de Almería on April 23, 2009.

• - Puerta de Almería practically falls into oblivion after two years of closed doors, article published in Ideal on August 14, 2012.

archeology

The first room offers a brief, very illustrative audiovisual about the process of forming an archaeological site and its subsequent excavation.

An archaeological site begins to form from the moment an inhabited space is abandoned. With the passage of time, the strata that cover the structures and objects derived from human activity are created. Each stratum or sediment is equivalent to the page of a book that can be read in reverse order, from the end to the beginning, to reconstruct the events of history.

Salting factory

In the room located to the north of the archaeological site there are 6 Roman rafts belonging to a fish salting factory that was in operation since the century AD. C. until . At this time Almería was not properly a city, nor even a nucleus of entity.

The documented remains are related to the salting industries typical of coastal places, very common throughout the southern peninsula and northern Africa. These industries constituted one of the fundamental pillars of the economy and trade of these maritime enclaves. Let's think that salting the fish was essential for its conservation and the best way to transport it to inland places.

There are many types of Roman salting factories, with different sizes and structures, but they all have in common the existence of this type of pool, which was where both the salting of fish and the famous garum "Garo (sauce)" paste were made..

When the fish arrived at the factory, it was cleaned and cut into pieces. Once chopped, it was placed, alternating several layers of fish and salt. It was left to macerate in the sun for approximately 20 days and once the process was complete, it was placed in amphorae and stored for transport.

Another product that was made in the salting factories (in this case in smaller pools) was garum, a highly valued paste or sauce that was made with the guts and waste of the fish. Sometimes wine, vinegar, honey and other ingredients were added. It was used as a condiment for all types of dishes, accompanying meats, soups, etc. It was also famous for its medicinal properties: it was used to whet the appetite, as a wound healer and other curative uses. The garum was reserved for the wealthiest classes due to its price, since its production process was slower and a smaller amount of product was obtained.

Almería in medieval Islamic times

The central room of the archaeological enclave is occupied by the remains of the medieval Islamic wall that closed the city of Al-Mariyya on its southern front.

Almería emerged as the port of the city of Bayyana, which in the century was a very important town, located about 8 kilometers from the coast, in the place where the town of Pechina "Pechina (Almería)" is currently located. Bayyana's economy was based on agriculture, the manufacture of silk fabrics and the slave trade. All these commercial activities had to have a maritime outlet, in this case Almería, which in that century was only a port enclave.

During the century it will be the headquarters of the caliphate fleet. From here all the naval expeditions that were carried out to North Africa and towards the Atlantic left to stop the advance of the Norman ships. In the middle of that century, specifically in the year 955, due to the importance of this enclave, it suffered an attack by a Fatimid squadron, which destroyed the shipyards and a large part of the naval infrastructure it had. This fact led Caliph Abd al-Rahman III to make the decision to provide it with walls, which it lacked until now, while granting it the category of medina "Medina (neighborhood)"), that is, a city. The wall that is preserved in the enclave dates from this moment, which continued to be used throughout the medieval period.

Al-Mariyya will grow in importance, eventually eclipsing the city of Bayyana, which will gradually become depopulated. Almería becomes an important commercial enclave that over the centuries will experience its moment of maximum splendor. It maintained commercial relations with all parts of the Mediterranean: it mainly exported fabrics, which were known throughout the world, funerary steles carved in Macael marble, slaves, etc. It was known as the Gate of the Mediterranean.

Its commercial importance will make large commercial emporiums in the Mediterranean focus their attention on it, since it represented competition for them. In 1147 it will be taken by Alfonso VII of Castile, supported by Genoese and Pisans, and will be in Christian hands for ten years of plunder and destruction. In 1157 the Almohads conquered the city, carrying out numerous reconstructions with which they tried to return the city to its past splendor. During the years in which it will be part of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, it will continue to be a port enclave but it will never again have the importance it had in the Taifa and Almoravid times. In 1489 it will be definitively conquered by the Catholic Monarchs.

The wall section preserved in the Puerta de Almería Archaeological Enclave belongs to the wall belt that closed the city to the south, that is, the front that faced the sea. The construction of this wall dates back to the middle of the 19th century, but due to its location it will be in use throughout the Islamic era, remaining until the 19th century, when it will be demolished to open the city to the sea. In the preserved section there are the remains of a door that opened between two quadrangular towers that protected the entrance. This Gate, which is only preserved at the foundation level, measured 6 m and, given its proximity to the place where the ships were built, some authors have interpreted that it could be the gate to the dockyards.

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Puerta de Almería Archaeological Enclave.

• - Official website.

• - Historic center of Almería.

• - 'Puerta de Almería' receives almost 10,000 visits in its first year, article published in Ideal on July 29, 2007.

• - Puerta de Almería, an interpretation center with a lot of history behind it, article published in Diario de Almería on April 23, 2009.

• - Puerta de Almería practically falls into oblivion after two years of closed doors, article published in Ideal on August 14, 2012.