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The Palazzo dei Normanni (Palace of the Normans) is the oldest royal residence in Europe, sitting on the highest point of Palermo's ancient core. Originally built in the 9th century as an Arab emir's fortress, it was expanded by the Norman kings into a sumptuous palace and today serves as the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly.
The site was first fortified by the Phoenicians. The Arabs built a qasr (castle) here in the 9th century, and the Norman ruler Roger II transformed it into a royal palace around 1130. The Spanish viceroys added the southern façade in the 16th century.