:: this was posted by thabet at 17:38

Sunday, August 10, 2003

 

Andalucia: past glories revisted

Alhamdullilah, I returned safely last week after a few days in the South of Spain, specifically, Andalucia.

Asim talked of 'reminiscting' on past glories - well my visit to Andalucia took in the two most famous symbols of past glories of this western part of Muslim civilisation, so perhaps I was guilty of this!

I have touched on a few highlights of my trip.

Granada was said to be founded by the Romans in the trails across the Iberian peninsula. Much later, Christians used it is a a base for spreading their faith across the region. But it gets its real fame after the Arab conquest.

Granada's main attraction, is without doubt, the Alhambra. The name 'Alhambra' is meant to be derived from the Arabic 'Kelet al Hambrah', 'the red castle', which was meant to signify the red bricks which were used to build the complex. The current complex was started by the Muslim Nasirids, and added to after the Catholic conquest of the last Muslim foothold in Western Europe, though it is claimed that earlier kings had built a fortress on the hills of Albaicin, the old Arab quarter.

The Alhambra was originally built to house the Nasarid kings. Al-Ahmar, the founder of the dynasty, started work on the old fortress. Eventually, the Alhambra would encompass the fortress (the Alcazaba), the palaces (the Alcazar), and the a small city (the 'Medina'). There is also a garden, the Generalife, on the site. The Nasirid palaces are certainly worth the entrance fee alone. Sadly, one only gets half-an-hour inside this part of the complex. It is easy to imagine Qur'anic descriptions of 'running water' in heaven, everytime you see a fountain in this complex. There are a few large entrances to visit, but the most well-known are the 'Gate of Justice' and the 'Gate of Wine'.

The Charles V Palace, or the 'Christian Alhambra', is a massive building standing in the middle of the site. It is distinctly European in its design, even to this untrained eye. It certainly is an eye-catcher when you enter it. The building is a square, but the middle is taken up by a large circular courtyard with no roof. One can climb to the second-storey and peer down into the middle of the massive courtyard. Sadlt, it was never finished.

The Gardens are best taken in at the end of the day, when you need to unwind. You get a good view of the side of the complex as it peers over the city.

The other main attraction is the Albaicin, the old Arab quarter. Largely neglected, until it became a tourist attraction, it is full of small, winding, very steep, streets and alleyways. Special bus run up to Albaicin, but I found the walk a delight. The best view in Albaicin was from the Plaza de San Nicolas, a church which was a mosque (referred to as Mirador de San Nicolas), and is meant to have the tallest minaret in Granada. You get a beautiful view of the newer parts of the city to your right, and jewel of the city, Alhambra. But it is at night, when the lights come one, that the trip up to the point is worth it. Make sure you have your camera with you! At this point, and opposite the church, you will find the new mosque, inaugurated only a few weeks ago. This too gives splendid views, perhaps better than the previous location, because it is not as busy. The gardens of the mosque are a real delight, and you could easily imagine a Muslim trying to esacape the intense sunlight into the cool of the mosque interior. Apparently, the new mosque has been built in the style of a 'classic' Hispano-Arab style.

Finally, the other main attraction to Granada is the large cathedral, near to which the tombs of the Catholic monarchs can be found. In order to reach the Cathedral, one must pass through the old Arab market places, specifically, the old Arab corn exchange and the Alcaicaria, the silk exchange. It is at the entrance into the Cathedral, on finds the Royal Chapel, which houses the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs. The cathedral was described to me by one person as a 'brick'. It lives up to that reputation.

One final note on Granada, I would recommend travelling to other hilltop in Granada, Sacromonte. Here you will find Spanish Andalucia, largely free from the more 'tourist' look given to the rest of the city. Here too, one will find the flamenco song and dance shows (the zambras). The views from this part of Granada are stunning. Up in Sacromonte, you can also see the abbey, hermitage and the cave dwellings.

The place worth visiting in Cordoba is undoubtedly the Mezquita-Catedral, or the Moqsue-Cathedral. This was completed during the height of Muslim rule in Spain, under Abdur Rahman III. This was the period when Hispano-Arab intellectualism and civilisation outstripped even the Muslim glories of Baghdad. The Mosque was built on the site of a Visgoth Church, which was torn down after the Muslim conquest (this was 'standard' practice for all 'religious' empires). Before the Church, it had been a pagan temple.

I had seen it in pictures and on the television, but seeing it close hand reveals its true glory. The arches lining the inside of the Mosque are a splendour, and one can just about see how it would have seemed to the Muslim praying, with the sunlight filtering through the open naves which exist all around, and falling upon the one praying or in contemplation of God. Apparently this view was said to have resembled a tree. The mystic, it is said, fled to the centre shadows of the mosque in his jounrey up the "spiritual ascent" to God. The mihrab is what attracts a lot of people. It is a restoration of the original mosaic and Arabic inscriptions (the Ninety-Nine Names of God), which was painted over after the Reconquesta. Outside, the 'Coutyard of Orange Trees' still exists. This is where ablution was carried before the Muslim prayer.

The Grand Mosque at Cordoba was converted into a Cathedral after the Catholic conquest (this was something of a trend for the conquering Catholic monarchy). Unfortunately (and ths is said from an 'aesthetic' point of view than a 'religious' one), the arches around the mosque were closed off when the Mosque was converted into a Cathedral. Various dedications were built to the Catholic saints, and the alter was placed in the middle. Later these were added too or enlarged.

Though eventually a lot of these mosque-churches were demolished, the Grand Mosque in Cordoba remained. Such was the beauty and importance of the Mosque, that the locals refused to tear it down to make way for a cathedral, so goes the story. Indeed one story says that locals used to say they were perfoming mass at the mosque, rather than at the catehdral. And there is probably some truth in this. Every local I spoke to referred to it as the Mezquita (the 'moqsue').

As we were entering the mosque, the security guard checking our tickets, informed us that it was not possible for Muslims to pray inside the hall of the mosque-cathedral. Apparently, some Muslims had tried to pray in the hall, back in March of last year, but had been removed with some force. Personally, the idea of praying in the hall had not occurred to me. I was under the impression it stopped being a mosque, and started belonging to the Catholic Church, the day an alter was placed in the middle of the hall. Prayer can be conducted in one of the mosques in Cordoba, though finding a quiet place is just as easy.

Inside the old city, we found Juderia, the old Jewish quarter. Its small winding roads are now filled with shops selling all the usual tourist items and gifts. Just beyond this, I found the statue of the most famous Andalucian, at least in the Muslim world, Ibn Rushd, better known as Averroes. Sadly, he looked like a rather lonely figure, placed way out of the way so it seemed. His facial expression and his posture, sitting down, leaning forward ever so slightly, with book in hand, showed the signs of a thinking man. I did look up at his statue and what he must have thought of today.

The last town we visited was Jaen (pronounced Gha-yeen). This was an old Roman town, but its importance was increased when it was captured by the Arab armies. They changed its name to Geen, meaning 'the caravan route'. This town, situated at the foot of the high hills and mountains was a stopping point for the caravan routes, since the various roads crossing southern Spain, all met here. At the top of the moutain, is the old Moorish castle, now a parador. We visited the main cathedrals and churches of Jaen. The most splendid was the La Santa Capilla de San Andres.

But the best part of Jaen, without a doubt, is the beautiful countryside, with its rows of olive groves, which seem to roll on forever in this hilly land. The bus journey, roughly an hour-and-a-half, was the best I have had! The local delicacy here is the sweet potatoe and pumpkin. If you enjoy trying out the local food, you should try this.

Travel tips
We flew into Malaga airport and then took the bus to Granada bus station, located just on the edge of town. You can fly direct to Granada, but it is more expensive, and involves changing at either Barcelona or Madrid. I liked the bus jounrney, as it took you through the hilly and mountainous terrain of Andalucia. I got plenty of snaps of the wonderful scenery. I found it fairly cheap, at about €8.50. In fact, all routes in between cities and towns within Andalucia are best served by buses, which run every hour from each town. Alsina Gralles is the bus service operator in the region.

Taxis were very cheap in Granada (I am talking as a Londoner here, so travel seemed cheaper to me!). I paid approximately €4.00 for each trip between my hotel, located on the Acera del Darro (the west of the city, 10-15 minutes from the Alhambra) to the bus station on the eastern edge of the city. The taxi drivers were honest too, and would give you directions (in Spanish or broken English) if the trip was a few minutes walk.

The tempratures during the day can peak to 40 degrees C. the day we visited Cordoba, it was 43 degrees C. Thankfully, it is not the kind of oppressive humid heat you get in somwhere like Barcelona, or even sometimes in London in our summers. It is advisable to wear some sunblock, especially if you're out waking in the sun during the period from noon till the end of the siesta (don't forget almost everything closes down between about 2 pm and about 5 pm). I would advise for you to get up early, and then take a rest between at least 2 til 4 pm, and then carry on your visits.

I would highly recommend booking tickets in advance for the Alhambra in advance. You will have to pay a service charge of about €0.88 for each ticket - but it is better than standing in a queue for an hour in the heat.

Albaicin is best visited by foot. There is a special bus service which takes you to all the major tourist places, but I found wandering through the tiny streets much better. Come prepared with a bottle (or two) of water though! It can be tiring work climbing those steep streets!

For food and drink, you will find that most restaurants serve ham, fish and fresh vegetables. Of course the former is a not allowed for Muslims, so stikcing to the fish is better. If you're weary of that, just stick to the McDonalds in town, or the Pizza Hut. I did find a halal restaurant run by a Morrocan family. According to Muslims I met, this is the only one in town. Food in restaurants is at an average price, verging on the expensive. This is to be expected - for this is a tourist city. My advice would be to find a supermarket (get a taxi if you need to) and do a little shopping there. Water can go from €0.70 to €3.00. And you need plenty of water here!

We visited Cordoba by using the excellent bus service. We took the first bus out of Granada, and paid about €10.00. Tickets can be booked in advance from Granada bus station. The cost of visiting the inside of the Mezquita-Catedral is €6.40, but it is free to visit the rest of the courtyard and walls. Jaen was also taken by bus, costing a little under €7.