Andalusia contains a unique mix of Roman, Islamic and Medieval history in its cities and towns, but it was its historical heritage as the old Muslim caliphate of Al-Andalus impressed us most.
Perhaps one day I will write in more detail about the small towns like Bujalance, Alcala de Guadaira and Monachil that we visited.
This piece was originally published in SIM Heartbeat, a staff newsletter.
Some History
In 711, a contingent of North African Berber tribesmen crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Spain on the invitation of a local king. Finding Spain much more fertile than their desert homeland, they embarked on a conquest of the peninsula, stopping only in southern France. For seven centuries until the surrender of Granada in 1492, the Moors (the Spanish term for North African Muslims) held sway in most of Spain. They ushered in what has been called the Golden Age of Islam, where Christians, Jews and Muslims co-existed somewhat peacefully.
Reconquered by the Christian kingdoms in the 16th century, only traces of Moorish culture remain, mainly in the cities of Cordoba, Seville and Granada.
Cordoba (Qurtubah)
First a Roman town, Cordoba was captured by the Moors in 711 and became the capital of the new caliphate in Al-Andalus. At its peak, it was a great political and cultural centre, possibly even the most populous city in Europe with 350,000 inhabitants. In the twilight of Moorish rule, the capital was shifted to Seville and Cordoba fell into Christian hands in 1236.
The main Moorish monument here is the Mezquita-Cathedral, a mosque-turned-cathedral known for its forest of columns topped with Moorish-style red and white stripes.
Cordoba’s Muslim history is also visible in its Juderia, the old Jewish-quarter. The neighbourhood features white-washed, tile-roofed houses once found all throughout Al-Andalus.
The Mezquita-Cathedral in Cordoba and its 865 columns of marble
Bujalance (Bury al-Hansh)
East of Cordoba lies a fortress town with a castle on a hill. Named Bury al-Hansh (‘castle of the snake’ in Arabic), it controlled access to Cordoba until its fall in the 15th century. Today the town is famous for its olive oil.
In the central courtyard of the Alcazba de Bujalance (Bujalance fortress), built by the Caliph Abderraman II in the 10th century
Seville (Ishibiliya)
Seville was also a Roman town, and when the Moors took the city, they Arabised its original Roman name (Hispalis or ‘lowland’ in Roman). After a short-lived period as the capital of Al-Andalus, Seville was conquered and thoroughly Christianised by Spanish King Fernando III in 1248, who converted all mosques into churches. Seville has another claim to fame: in 1492, the same year the last Moorish kingdom in Spain fell, Christopher Columbus set off from Seville for the Americas.
There are no old mosques or monuments in Seville. But two towers point to the city’s Muslim heritage. The first is the imposing Giralda Tower. Once the minaret of the great mosque of Seville, it was converted into a bell-tower of the current Seville Cathedral.
The second tower is the Torre del Oro (‘tower of gold’ in Spanish), a military watchtower built by the Moors to control access to Seville by the river. In bright light, the tower looks gold-coloured because of its mortar, lime and straw construction.
The Torro del Oro along Seville’s riverfront
Alcala de Guadaira (Al Qalat Ugadir)
Once an independent town but now just a suburb of Seville, Alcala de Guadaira was called the ‘fortress of the collective storehouse’ by the Moors because of its importance as the source of Seville’s bread. The Moors built a still-standing hilltop castle to watch over a series of flour mills by the river.
The Moorish castle at Alcala de Guadaira boasts a total of 11 towers
Granada (Karnatah)
Granada is the crown jewel of Moorish heritage in Spain. Called the ‘hill of strangers’ by the Moors for its low plain that was hard to defend from attacks, the city-state survived for 200 more years after the fall of Cordoba and Seville. The relative stability allowed its rulers to build the Alhambra, a sprawling palace-fortress, known for its exquisite designs. The city’s fall in 1492 marked the end of an era of Muslim rule in Spain.
An UNESCO World Heritage site, the Alhmabra (‘the red one’ in Arabic) is known for its intricate geometric designs, gardens and multiple fountains. Built as a self-contained city with the theme of ‘paradise on earth’, the site is a massive work of art that blends Islamic calligraphy, Arabesque columns and mathematical symmetries.
Like the Juderia in Cordoba, Granada has an old quarter of white houses and tiled roofs called the Albayzin (‘quarter of the people of Baeza’ in Arabic). Formerly a refugee ghetto for Muslims fleeing wars elsewhere, it became the city’s Muslim quarter until they were evicted from the city in the 1500s.
Carved stucco calligraphy on the walls of the Alhambra’s courts
Arabesque designs in the Hall of the Abencerrages at the Alhambra
The Albayzin – Granada’s old Muslim quarter – seen from a window in the Alhambra
Madrid (Al-Mayrit)
Spain’s current capital city was once a Moorish outpost that marked the border between Muslim and Christian kingdoms. Called Al-Mayrit (‘the water channel’ in Arabic) for its many streams, the city was one of the first to be captured by the Christians in 1085. For the next 400 years until their eviction from Spain, Muslims lived in Plaza Baja, the city’s old quarter. Remnants of the old Moorish city walls can still be seen near the National Cathedral.
Plaza Baja, one of Madrid’s oldest squares.
Seven centuries of Moorish rule in Spain has left the Spanish countryside dotted with ruins, with further monuments located in other cities like Valencia, Toledo and Zaragoza.
I’ve covered more about Cordoba, Seville and Granada in my piece on ‘Bastions of Islams’.