Carmona is a town of southwestern Spain, in the province of Seville; it lies 33 km north-east of Seville. Carmona is built on a ridge overlooking the central plain of Andalusia; to the north is the Sierra Morena, with the peak of San Cristobal to the south. The city is known for its thriving trade in wine, olive oil, grain and cattle, and holds an annual fair in April. It is ascribed both to the comarca of Campiña de Carmona and the comarca of Los Alcores. Geography Location Carmona is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It lies at about 249 metres above sea level, on a NE–SO ridge at the northeastern end of Los Alcores tableland, dominating over the meadows of the river, a left-bank tributary of the Guadalquivir. Climate Carmona has a Mediterranean climate with a sunny spring and typically some rain in that season. In October, the average temperature ranges from a minimum of 13 °C to a maximum of 26 °C. The city experiences a moderate level of annual precipitation and has pleasant winter temperatures. History Carmona was originally a Tartessian-Turdetani settlement. With the arrival of Phoenician traders from Tyre, Carmona was transformed into a city, known by them as "𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍", or, "QRT-ḤMN", meaning "City of Hammon". Centuries later, it became a Roman stronghold of Hispania Baetica. It was known as Carmo in the time of Julius Caesar (100–44 BC). The city was made even more impregnable during the long occupation of the Moors, who erected walls around it, and built fountains and palaces within. Following the demise of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the early 11th century, Carmona (Qarmūna) was seized by Hammudid Berbers, and then by the also Berber Birzalid clan, becoming the head of the taifa of Carmona, a petty kingdom, which was conquered by the Abbadid taifa of Seville by 1067. An Almoravid stronghold after the Almoravid conquest of the taifa of Seville, it only subdued to the Almohads after a settlement. It was briefly occupied by Ibn Hamusk, before returning to the Almohads in 1161. In 1247, Ferdinand III of Castile captured the town, and bestowed on it the Latin motto ("As the Morning-star shines in the Dawn, so shines Carmona in Andalusia"). During the Late Middle Ages, the town preserved a Muslim-majority population ruled by a Christian minority. The citadel of Carmona, now in ruins, was formerly