Palermo

 PALERMO ARABO-NORMANNA



Palermo is the capital of the autonomous region of Sicily. It is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located on the northern coast of the island.
The city was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians.

The basin was named the Conca d'Oro by the Arabs in the 9th century. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule and for more than two hundred years Palermo was the capital of a flourishing emirate.
Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily, ran by the Normans. In the same period Sicilian parliament was created; It is considered the oldest parliament in the world. The first king was Roger II.
The Cathedral of Palermo, the Cathedral of Monreale and the cathedral of Cefalù together with the Zisa Castle, the royal Palace, St. John of the Hermits Church etc., can be traced back to this period.
Today, all these structures are part of "The UNESCO World Heritage".

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1487

The interior of Monreale's Cathedral



And now have a look at this video which shows the main monuments belongin to this period.