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Apr 10-13, 2003

Examples of Arab Legacy in Spain

Some Highlights in Andalusia

Manfred P.

Keywords: Spain, Andalucía, Andalusia, Córdoba, Cordoba, Granada, Sierra Nevada, La Calahorra, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

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Arab and Spanish culture are inseparable through its past. Nearly all of Spain was once occupied by Arabs. From the south all the way to the Pyrenees was under Arab control. This control lasted roughly speaking 600 years. The influence of this long reign reached all aspects of life from the language and cuisine to architecture and life style. Only slowly, step-by-step, in a religious war lasting centuries the Arabs or Moors were defeated, expelled or integrated into the Christian society. The Christian advance started in the north with the first large victory of Pelayo in Covadonga in 811. From north to south, city-by-city, province-by-province, the Christians regained Spain. It took the Christians centuries, exactly 681 years, to advance from the north to the south and to re- conquer the last Moorish bastion: Granada. Granada fell into Christian hands in 1492, the same year Columbus reached America.

After the defeat the Moors were offered to stay in Spain under the condition that they converted to Christianity. The new baptized Arabs were called Moriscos. During the period of the Moriscos, Moorish architecture continued to be used. It was a cheap and fast form to construct large buildings like churches, castles or fortresses. This architecture carries the same name: Morisco. Many buildings of the 16th century are in Morisco style, clearly showing the strong Arab influence and heritage.

In later centuries the rule of the Spanish crown got more radical in religious issues. At that time even the Moriscos that before cohabitated with the Spanish were expelled and forced to leave Spain. The Morisco architecture became unacceptable as well and died out. Still the legacy carries on. It is impossible to travel through the south of Spain and not run across Moorish or Morisco architecture, words, or life style.

Córdoba

Just listening to the sound of the name Cordoba the first associations form in my head: Andalusian accent of Spanish, Moorish history, heat waves, and traditional female dresses and head adornments. At least on the heat wave I was wrong. It was still too early in the year. April. The heat won't come till July.

While the heat luckily had not yet arrived, the tourists already have. But still they were in manageable numbers and only in the heart of the old town of Cordoba. Above all it was English school classes that filled the narrow cobblestone streets of the old town.

The history of Córdoba goes back far more than the Moorish period. The Romans built a bridge here, 200 B.C. This bridge was used throughout the centuries and a restored version is still in use today to carry traffic in a single lane into the center of the city.

A Moorish fortification wall surrounds the old town. The roman bridge leads to an entry gate formed by a roman triumph arch. Alongside the bridge is a series of four old mills powered by the river and created by the Arabs during the Moorish times (some 700 years back). A stone throw from the bridge is the palace of the Catholic Kings. After the Arabs were expelled they took over the palaces of the Arab caliphs and made them their own. Queen Isabel had sensitive ears and the sound of the watermill close to her sleeping quarters bothered her, so she ordered it to be shut down. The garden of the palace is like I imagine it must have been under the caliphs' time: full of flowers, sweet smelling herbs, fruit trees, palm trees, water fountains, and decorative water irrigation channels. All of this is surrounded by the sound of birds.

The main attraction of Cordoba is the mosque, turned into cathedral. It is unique in its conversion. A gigantic mosque in its typical architectural layout with its surrounding walls, the courtyard and the wide spread prayer chambers was converted into a catholic cathedral by the Catholic Kings after the defeat of the religious wars. The minaret of the muezzin was replaced with a bell tower. In the center of the mosque the roof was taken out and a cathedral was placed. As you step into the mosque/cathedral you first enter the area that used to be the mosque and still has preserved its Arab style from its construction in 785. A mesh of arches painted in red-brown and white surrounds you. It is dark and you feel the atmosphere of the mosque. As you walk closer to the center you come to the newer part. "Newer" is relative because it is also already dates back to 1236. It is the only kind of building converted this way with both architectures present, well preserved and well integrated.

The second most popular thing to do is to wander aimlessly the little streets of the old town and enjoy the courtyards that are sometimes beautifully decorated with flowers. Also impressive to me was a portion of the new part of town. A gigantic, open boulevard leads straight to the new train station, home of the AVE, a super fast express train connecting Cordoba with Madrid. The boulevard is wide, with lawns, water fountains running all along it and modern offices enclosing it to the north and south. It's a contrast to the narrow, cornered streets in the center.

Route of the Caliphs

A great road for cruising and sight seeing connects Córdoba and Granada. It is a country road with little traffic. Here you can see and enjoy the stereotypical Andalusia: A wide open landscape; low, soft rolling hills; the hills are covered in a never ending series of olive trees; and the villages on top of the hills are visible from many miles away. As you get closer you can make out the white houses on the hilltop and in the center, on the highest point, a Moorish castle and right next to it a Catholic church. A typical example is the village Espejo. As you drive up and down the hills you cross many of these typical villages with their typical Arab fortification towers. Hence the name: Route of the Caliphs.

Granada

Granada is another one of these well-known cities forever linked to its Arab history. It was also the last bastion of the Islam before the Moors were finally kicked out of Spain in 1492. More than 500 years ago the Christians had problems entering the city (because it was well defended by the Arabs). Today I had problems entering the city because - as always - the traffic in the narrow streets is terrible and the parking even worse.

Who doesn't know or hasn't heard about Granada? Home of the Alhambra, Moorish palace and fortification. The caliphs with their harems and large families lived and ruled here for centuries with all the luxury imaginable: steam baths, painted ceilings, gardens, and fountains. Art, sciences and literature flourished throughout their reign. The famous lion fountain of the Alhambra with twelve lions in a circle is a typical motif for postcards.

The Alhambra is the kind of fortress and palace you imagine when you read the fairy tales of "The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights". Some people might tell you that the "Tales from a Thousand and One Nights" were written or translated here in the Alhambra. Don't believe it. It is a false rumor. The legendary fairy tales of 1001 Nights date back more than 2000 years and their first origin is in the Far East. In the 5th century some tales of the 1001 Nights were told in India. In the 7th century the tales were translated into Persian and received the title of "1001 Nights". In the 9th century the tales were translated into Arabic and become popular in Baghdad. In the 14th and 15th centuries these tales did their rounds in Egypt. The first fairly complete translation into a western language -- French to be precise -- was done in the 18th century. In comparison, the main portions of the Alhambra were built in 1238-1492. These were also the heyday of Arab rule in Granada. Hence, the Arab emporers might have been reading stories like "Aladdin's Lamp" or "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" from 1001 Nights to their children, but the 1001 Nights were not written in the Alhambra even though it would be an appropriate setting for such an enterprise. What was written in the Alhambra is "Tales of the Alhambra". The New Yorker Washington Irving wrote it in his native English on-site during his stay in the Alhambra in 1829. The book "Tales of the Alhambra" was then first published in 1832. It is more a travel account, a 2-century-old travelogue so to speak, than a fairy tale book. "Tales of the Alhambra" was written for an adult audience to give insights into Spain, the geography, architecture and the culture. As a sideline, the book refers to and tells a handful of Moorish legends. It is written in a romantic style, and given that it is nearly 200 years old its English is a bit antiquated. One can argue that his style is too overloaded with adjectives and hence some find it too wordy and boring. I personally liked it though. Especially the part of the Moorish legends I found interesting. His architectural accounts were less fascinating to me: Seeing is believing.

On the hill opposite of the Alhambra are the old Arab living quarters, the Albaicin. The Albaicin dates back to before the Middle Ages and hasn't changed much since then. It still acts as living quarters, mostly for artists and middle-class people. The Albaicin is a hill with streets too narrow for cars, with the surface made of stones, like cobblestones but with stones a lot smaller. And since it is a hill, the streets go zigzag up and down in irregular patterns. The houses are mostly split into small apartments, with the emphasis on small. 50 square meters is most likely the average size.

Yet another hill facing the Alhambra is called Sacromonte, the "Holy Hill". I am not sure what is holy about it. Centuries ago a well known high ranking church official like a bishop or similar was imprisoned on this hill. Maybe the name stems from this event. The hill consists of rather soft rock and caves have been carved into the hillside through centuries. Just like centuries ago people still live in these caves today. This is one of the neighborhoods of the gypsies. The caves come in all levels of living standards, from poor to luxury. From small, dirty and without running water to tiled walls, with satellite TV and windows towards the outside rock. They say that these caves have the best natural air conditioning; that they stay relatively warm inside in the winter and during summer when everyone is sweating in the extreme summer heat they are refreshingly cool. On top of the Sacromonte is the church of San Miguel Alto, one of the nice places to watch the sunset in Granada.

My reason for coming to Granada, however, wasn't sight seeing. A friend of mine with family here had selected Granada for his wedding. So, we came to Granada to celebrate his wedding. I had the pleasure to stay with my girlfriend's sister who lives in the Albaicin with direct view of the Alhambra from her windows. At night we enjoyed the Alhambra dipped in red light. After sleeping lazily until 10 a.m. we indulged in a simple breakfast on the tiny balcony. The sun shined in our faces and the Alhambra formed the visual backdrop to the breakfast.

The wedding took place in the church of the patron of Granada: San Cecilio. After the religious ceremony the celebration continued with a culinary feast. I especially liked the aperitifs. Traditional Granada appetizers were served. Like everything else in this city the food too is influenced by the long stay of the Arabs. My two favorite bites where the following delicatessens: To prepare the first one take a date, open it in half, remove the stone, fill the center with Philadelphia cream cheese and stick an almond into it. Easy to prepare and delicious. The second one is a sweet meat pie. It is prepared like traditional Austrian apple pie. Fine and thin dough is filled in multiple layers with sweetly spiced meat stuffing. Then, like the apple strudel white powdered sugar is added on top. From the outside it looks just like sweet pie but the taste buds are surprised with a meaty taste. I am not sure if the original recipe calls for a touch of apples but I would suggest adding some apples to the meat filling anyway. As you see our stomachs were well taken care off.

Our eyes were equally well taken care off. The restaurant had the finest views in three directions. On one side we were close to the Alhambra, on the opposite side we enjoyed the views of the Albaicin from bottom to top and in between we saw the Sacromonte. The official name of the restaurant was "Carmen de los Chapiteles" but I liked its second name better: La Casa del Moro Rico ("House of the Rich Moor"). It is more to the point. It clearly was the house of a rich Arab. Rich, because the house was opulent with a large garden with fountains, a terrace as well as an indoor courtyard. Arab or Moor, because it was all built in Moorish style.

Sierra Nevada

High mountains dominate Granada to the east. The Sierra Nevada appears majestic and its snow-covered peaks are a stark contrast to the heat in the city of Granada. At 3482m (some 10,000ft) these are some of the highest mountains of Spain. The Olympic Games took place here and while we were at the wedding other people were up there skiing. My van slowly worked its way up the mountain passes. While you can see the peaks and the snow from the city, each hour driving the peaks appeared even closer, more dominant. Soon winter skiing resorts dotted the landscape. Just like anywhere else in Andalusia Moorish-style castles form part of the villages. This creates a unique and strange combination. When we think about Arabic fortresses we think about the desert, about places like Morocco, Tunisia or Saudi Arabia, but we never think about Arabic fortresses and snow in the same setting. Here are photo opportunities with Moorish- style fortresses in front of a snow-covered mountain backdrop. A sample village like this that I visited is La Calahorra with its castle from the 16th century.

Córdoba and Granada are the two cities most influences by the Moors. They are the most visited ones and the ones with the most beautiful Moorish palaces. But the Arab influence is written all over the south including other cities like Seville and Jaén.

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