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Palermo

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Palermo history

The Phoenician conquest marked the start of Palermo's long and eventful history, with Arab, Norman and Swabian dominations following. The Arabs contributed a great deal to the city's growth and left indelible traces of their civilisation, notably in the architecture and in the urban layout of the city. Centuries later, the Normans made Palermo the capital city of the Kingdom of Sicily, which achieved its height under Roger II, a ruler fond of beauty who encouraged the development of the Sicilian arts and economy.

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