For my Interregnum buddies…
I've promised dear
MattyG a detailed description of my trip to Al-Andalus – and I'm a man of my word, if albeit one who is somewhat late in paying his commitments.
It has been my dream since I was a young boy to visit Andalusia. I don’t know why really, perhaps due to my mother's influence. She had taught me the Muawashas and Andalusi Zagal from memory, and before I slept, she would recite a tale from Andalusian literature. She even told me that some of my ancestors had arrived in Spain during the Taifa period (circa 1080 and upwards) - and went by the name of 'El-Mayrcoros', settling near Alicante, south of Valencia. Somewhere in the 12th century they moved south to Murcia and permanently established themselves there, working as mercenary soldiers and farmers – and growing quite rich under the reigns of King Ibn Hud and his son al-Wathiq of Murcia( around 1190s-1266). The situation endured until the Christian invasion under King James who conquered Murcia in 1266, and stripped them, as well as other families, of their lands and fortunes. Their last reference seems to be in 1274, when their fort near the Luadijar Mountains surrendered to the Christians. A few converted, and others decided to leave than live under Christian rule. I assume some took leave to Granada and North Africa, specifically Tunis, where some of my clan is presently residing. So one can understand the connection I feel for that distant land – one where my forefathers had lived on, fought for, and died for…
Fortune had smiled upon me when my School had decided to award me for my academic and artistic contributions throughout my senior year with a trip to Spain, to visit and work in the workshop of Ibrahim Lopez, a famous Artist of the impressionist School. I left for al-Andalus in the early of September (I assumed that by that time there would be very little tourists; how wrong I was!). I had to take a transit plane since there were no direct flights to Malaga. The plane took off from Jeddah to Casablanca (A beautiful if impoverished city). Funny story here - I had to stay in the city for some 8 hours before the flight to Malaga, so my father and I (He was accompanying me, but he stayed in Granada Medical Park for most of the trip, so it was technically just me
) went to a hotel arranged by the Moroc Airline agency. I wish we didn’t – the moment we stepped off the bus, we entered a miniature hell. The reception was packed, and the staff in the hotel informed us that the rooms were clearing up and that we would have to wait for 15 minutes – it took an hour. They gave us a room, 325 I think, but the elevators didn’t work, so we had to go up 3 floors. It was a tiny sardine room, and neither the lights nor the AC worked at all. The bathroom's door was jammed, and seemingly, the former guests left my old man and I a small gift in one of the drawers – a woman's G-string
. I ordered for some food (against my better judgment) and napped for a while. Two hours passed and I called them again and asked about my order. They told me I was lying and that I didn’t order anything at all!! We decided to return to the Airport and say goodbye to 'Zenith' – the name of the Hotel!
Anyway, we took off from Casablanca in a small plane, accompanied mostly by Spanish tourists, and transited via Tangiers to Malaga International airport. I was glued to the porthole beside me, admiring the pillars of Hercules and the emerging Andalusi coastline. I remember thinking about the numerous armies that crossed scorching Africa into Iberia through these perilous waters - Tariq bin Ziyad, Yusuf bin Tashfin, Mohammed al-Merini. It must have been a scary feeling - to lead men to the unknown paradise, with no chance of return. But I was mostly excited for at last visiting Al-Andalus. We landed in Malaga at 11 pm, and were received by Mr. Lopez, who drove us from the International Airport to Granada, a 2-3 hour drive. We spent the time getting to know each other whilst I desperately tried to make sense of the landscape, but it was simply too difficult, the cloak of the night had made it impossible. I imagined that somewhere in the mountains or hills there were the ghosts of the Moors. My teacher told me an interesting tidbit, the Spaniards believe that Boabdil and his army are hiding under a subterranean cave and that their spirits come out once a year to survey the defenses of Granada in hope of attacking the city when the garrison put it’s guard down. Unfortunately, it was not that time of the year yet when the ghosts of the past come out to scout…
I knew we got to Granada when I saw the Alhambra from afar. I was thinking to myself “That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen”. Mr. Lopez dropped us off at the hotel, and told me he would meet me later tomorrow at 7 am. We checked in to our rooms, and went to sleep, though I woke up suddenly at 5 am, prayed, wore my clothes, and went out to the street. A dangerous thing I must admit, but I wanted to experience how it must have felt for the Moors to go to the morning prayers - and the Vega (The Vega was the farmlands surrounding Granada in Nasrid times, the area we were in, the downtown, is supposedly built on it) was freezing! I decided to retreat to the café and brush up on the history of al-Andalus.
At 7, my mentor arrived and released me upon Granada(This would be my routine for the next 3 weeks, and most of the time I would explore the city on my own). I couldn’t blame the Arabs for loving this city to such an extent as naming her the ‘Damascus of Al-Andalus’. Nested in the Sierra Nevada, a purple chain of mountains crowned with white snow, the city is surrounded by a fertile Vega of beautiful green from pine to palm, quenched by a receding Darro river. Although very much a European city, it was imbued with a rich and eclectic Arabic past, that can be felt everywhere (For example, most of the residential buildings in the city are white washed which is very similar to North African cities, and most of the roofs and columns are infused with mosaic and ceramics - an Andalusi specialty!). The Churches were all unanimously, once Mosques. The sides of the walls reveal ancient Arch Gates blocked by artificial bricks, and scattered on the inner walls and behind the plaster are Arabic phrases and verses from the Quran. The slender Church towers hide the once proud and colorful minarets and the old unused Wudu fountains (The water basins for the religious duty of washing up before prayer) tend to give away the now Catholic bastion’s real origins (St. Nicholas, Santa Maria, St. James come to mind…). We visited the Bab Ar Ramlla, the old Market plaza in Muslim times and where the Gate of the city once stood (The Gate was moved to the Generalife in the 19th century due to the city’s expansion) - hence the name ‘Gate of the Sand’. It is surrounded by some interesting structures and districts, most importantly the lodge of the Grand Inquisitor Cisneros (I’ll get back to this bastard
), the Grand Cathedral (The Former Masjid al-Jama of Yusuf), the Madrassa, the Zaccatin and the Qaysariyya Market district.
After the Christian conquest of the city, the authorities appointed Hernado de Talavera as Archbishop. His methods were peaceful in converting Muslims, but he was, in the eyes of the Church, too slow and yielding too little in saved souls. He was replaced by the fanatical Cisneros, who used every method known to convert the Moors, specifically torture and the destruction of anything remotely connected with Islam(Eventually leading to the Moorish uprising in the early 1500s). He chose the Bab Ar-Ramla as the site for his Inquisition, and built his headquarters at it’s side. He collected all the Arabic books in the city and burned them completely in the Plaza (An event mourned by the Muslims presently in Granada every 23rd of February), and constantly sent ‘heathens’ to the stake to be burned there. The Grand Mosque of Yusuf, where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried, was turned into a Cathedral, and was expanded through the eras of Ferdinand, Charles, Ferdinand II and Carlos the V constantly until cracks began to appear because of it’s gigantic weight and an earthquake in the 17th century. The Moorish population was completely converted in appearance, though only a small few genuinely, and until the Moorish exodus in 1609, Granada continued to be a Muslim city (with the exception of the Galicians and other northerners brought to settle in Granada).
The Al-Qayssariya is the Market district in Granada, that is still inhabited by Moors!(Well, their descendents at least
). It still enjoys some commonalities with Arabic Markets in being still divided into craft-specific alleys (Alri‘da [Clothes], Alma‘kal[Food], Alboronzia[Metalworks]), the most famous being the Zaccatin. This alleyway, which literally translates into “Those that collapse” was the old Herbal and Apothecary oriented district, and to a certain extent still is (If one considers a Pharmacia run by an Algerian immigrant a Moorish store!).
We also went to a place called by the Spaniards “Coal Storage”(I seem to have forgotten the pronunciation). In Nasrid times it was a Hotel, presumably, the oldest in existence in all of Europe, and currently a Museum. Mediocre, but still interesting. We also visited all the scattered ’Andalusi’ ruins around the city, from the renovated Bath House or ’Hammam’ in Carrera de Darro (Intresting note: The Inquisition pulled down all the Baths in Granada after the Moorish uprising and considered anyone who washed constantly a Morisco, and thus, liable for persecution), to the Albaicin, the UNISCO protected Moorish district that still preserves a glimpse of al-Andalus. It is basically a unit of sprawling connected neighborhoods going in circular motion atop two hills. It’s a very beautiful place, with much of the ancient Arabic and Berber architecture unmolested(There were a few renovated homes still preserved in the Andalusi style by their owners, we visited one of them). During the heyday of Granada, this district was in support of Boabdil and was embargoed by the rest of the city(It survived through aid from Castile via Santa Fe) . It was also the first quarter of the city to be emptied of it’s inhabitants after the uprising (Rightly so, it’s position gave the garrison a headache during the initial rioting or so say the records). We also followed the crumbling walls of the city and identified the 5 Gates that once stood around the city (They reminded me of the Saadi Gates in Fas).
Oh yeah, we also visited the Muslim Graveyard in Granada built by General Franco for his Moorish infantry - we paid homage to Mohammed Asad, the Austrian Muslim philosopher (Loved his books!).
We occasionally went to the Generalife (Or Janat al-Kharif as they were known in Nasrid times meaning “The Paradise of Autumn”. The Kings of Granada would spend the Autumn season in a small Villa outside of the Alhambra, as to enjoy the full bloom more fully) to paint. The Generalife is basically all the Gardens outside and within the Alhambra, and it is indeed a ’Janah’. Every type of flower from Egypt to Iberia is grown here, so no matter what the season - there is a rose in bloom! I also tasted some pomegranates (the symbol of Ghernata!) .The Andalusians had also created an intricate water system where extremely cold and refreshing water is transported from the Alpujjaras to the Alhambra and it’s Gardens. What was even more amazing is that the handels of the stone stairs in the Generalife are also transporting fresh ice water from the Aplujjaras - Genuis I tell you!
Here:
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The Alhambra was a forbidden fruit for me, for at least the first week of the trip. The volume of tourists forced us to make reservations for tickets in the local Bank. Putting aside the Texan tourists “A wondur Steve how many women the Sul-tan banged in this here Alihambra” and the Japanese tourists emptying out their Kodaks with seemingly worthless pictures of rocks and stones, I felt instantaneously at home with the Alhambra. I had studied it’s design since I was like 11 years old, and easily identified with the structures. The Alhambra was at first a garrison/barracks for Granada, and under successive Nasrid Sultans was expanded into the sprawling Palace Citadel we see today. There are mainly 4 important sections - The Barracks, the Medina (Destroyed but the ruins are being excavated), the Palace(Divided into Outer Courtyards, Inner Courtyards, and the Ambassador/Throne Halls) and the recent addition to the Alhambra, Carlos V’s ugly cubic shaped Structure. Funny info about Carlos V, he was one of the only Spanish Kings to show a great deal of respect to Moorish architecture and punished the Priests in Cordoba for ruining the Mezquita de Cordoba(Well talk about that later). However, he was tacky enough to build a Germanic styled building right in the center of the Alhambra. He wanted to make Granada his capital as he was very captivated by it’s beauty, but an earthquake unnerved him and he returned to Madrid.
It’s difficult really to explain the Alhambra - it is almost a heavenly structure with a red romantic hue. The Gates for example(The Gate of Justice, where Islamic law was meted out after the verdict, and the Gate of the Vine, where the guests of the King generally intoxicated themselves) are awe inspiring and ingenious all on their own. For example, the Gate of Justice, which is very famous for the Key and Hand symbols drawn on it (The Hand representing the five obligations in Islam, and the Key symbolizing the path to Heaven) is built in a slumped way. It is Also more of a small building than a gate, and the inside walls contain a lot of pedestals. This was mainly done to slow down attackers(considering the heavy amour the Christians wore) and made it impossible for Battering Rams to read the second Gate. The slump also gave the defenders a better advantage and the pedestals allowed archers to position themselves in strategic places.
Anyway, the Jewel of the Alhambra is the Palace itself. Everywhere you go, you are met by brilliant stucco, calligraphy and designs with botanical shapes and Quranic phrases, as well as the Nasrid Slogan “There is no God but God”. The Architecture of the Alhambra is more or less based on Mathematical principles, of which the Moors excelled in. For example, the Hall of the Ambassadors is proportional in size to the Kabah, and the Star stucco by the dome is Mathematically sound in it’s shape and successive levels. The Alhambra contains residences for the King, the Vizier, the Ambassadors, the Nobles and also provides lodging for a small community. It contains 5 baths, a Mosque and Graveyard( Empty really, since Boabdil transported most of the Nasrid corpses to Morocco), as well as the throne room or Hall of the Ambassadors. The Hall is very interesting since it is topped by a dome of seven layers representing the seven heavens. The whole room is basically a representation of God and the place of man in the universe, where the King is dwarfed by God’s glory. The Palace is sprawling with many rooms and courtyards, but the most famous is of course the Court of the Lions (Unfortunately, the ones we saw were the replicas as the real statues were being renovated). I also liked to the room of the 10 Kings, where the paintings of the 10 Nasrid Kings of Granada are painted on the ceiling wall - beautiful and somewhat of an anomaly in Islamic art. The Alhambra also contains many, MANY secret passages, doorways and traps. There is for example, a long tunnel connecting the Alhambra with a nearby hill in the Generalife(To smuggle food in times of siege or to escape perhaps?). Also, the design and arrangement in some rooms allows people to speak into the columns in one side of the room, to be heard only by the person standing next to the opposing column, without anyone in-between able to hear anything! I was skeptical at first, but after experimenting it, it turned out to be true!
I also saw where Ferdinand and Isabella held court in the Alhambra and received Columbus. Interesting to say is that although the Castilians have made some additions using their somewhat Spartan designs, they have overall not touched the palace or it’s environs. Oh yeah, we also went to the ‘Broken Tower’. Which was blown up when the French Garrison was ordered to retreat from Granada during the Napoleonic wars.
I end my description of the Alhambra with the lyrics of Al-Muzaraq, a native of the city :
“Oh Bride of Spain! wrapped in your red gown of marble, dance and cry with ecstasy, you have been wed to the heavens!”
My teacher also drove me to Cordoba. The drive was some 3 hours, but it wasn’t boring as we passed a lot of sites, including Santa Fe (The Holy City built by Ferdinand and Isabella prior to their conquest of Granada - to act as a supply outpost for their army) , Elvira (A Moorish town destroyed by an earthquake. The Director was a friend of Mr. Lopez so we were allowed access.
) and several famous towns like Jaen (Or Jayyan in the Arabic tongue) which saw some very heavy fighting during the Reconquesta. The countryside is very beautiful in Spain, and besides the Olive trees and plantations, it is the ruins are amazing. Among the rolling hills are old towers and small forts built by the Moors (We stopped by one, and here’s an interesting tidbit: The Moors used a ingenious way of warning the other forts on an approaching enemy and that was through the use of mirrors. They would light a fire and use the beam reflected via the mirror to warn the farther outposts! Smart eh? ), as well as fortified Mills and of course, ruined Spanish Houses dating back to the civil war.
Cordoba is a different city from Granada. It lacks the Andalusi aura her sister Granada enjoys - perhaps because it’s fall came far earlier and experienced a great deal of ’Iberinization’ considering it’s status as the city of the old Caliphate (The Moors lived in this Roman city for over 5 centuries) - Sigh. It was a mediocre European city of 300 thousand people…not exactly homage to her past as a metropolis of over a million souls.
We visited the main attraction sites - the Moorish Water Mill (From Ummayed times), the Rusafa (Closed - Some Important Big shot has ruined my chance to visit the Palace of Abdul Rahman) I did however, may my respects to the Palm trees which Abdul Rahman the first had personally planted in Cordoba!
“In Rusafa I came upon a palm here in the Western lands a sight so rare I said
You stand alone like me so far from home you miss the children and our loved ones there you have not grown tall in native soil. Like you I must breath this alien air“
Once we completed that, we directly went to the most important structure in the city - El-Mezquita de Cordoba, the Mosque of Cordoba!. The Cathedral still maintains its old Mosque structure, with an inner courtyard with 3 working Wudu fountains, as well as a towering Minaret. The Mosque was the largest in the Muslim world during the pinnacle of Muslim Hispanic culture, and it’s peculiar design is a mix of Gothic, Arabic and classical Andalusia architecture. It was a Cathedral in Visigoth times, but was bought by the Muslims under Abdul Rahman and was converted to a Grand Mosque. The courtyard floor is made of protruding circular rocks (Similar to the courtyard floors in Tunis and Algiers) and still has the Kibla pedestal still in the middle (It’s basically a small stone edifice pointing at Mecca). We met an interesting character here - Madam Gerardie, the wife of the French Muslim Philosopher. She’s an old woman really(What surprised me more was that she was wearing the Hijab - she’s Muslim yes, but the elderly aren’t expected to wear it) and was surrounded by a group of Imams, Scholars and bright souls (Retainers perhaps?)- We had a great conversation about the phases of construction the Mosque saw and were invited for tea in her House, which we accepted.
We paid for our tickets and entered the Mosque and it was amazing and quite LARGE. One can only imagine the many crowds that filled her halls in times of Prayer. It was euphoric to think that I was walking in the very same halls that Ibn Rushd (Averos) and most of the old Caliphs had walked in…so many wonderful characters of Andalusi history! It made me dizzy just thinking about it. The Church had tried to distort the Mosque’s character, but they only ruined it and luckily Carlos V put an end to their aggression against art by saying “What barbarian did this?”. Most of the verses and Islamic designs have been spared but unfortunately, the Inquisition has done something far worse - they have buried a lot of Church elders in the Mosque, especially under the Mihrab. They have also turned some of the inner rooms into Noble Prayer rooms, and the Middle of the Church contains a somewhat small altar with the statue of St. James (Brother of Christ?) riding a horse and trampling Moorish heads! I didn’t like this travesty and left.
We then went to Medina Al-Zahra, which is like 5 miles outside of Cordoba. It was the old Medina of the Umayyad Kings (I think Abdul Rahman III built it) and acted as a forbidden palace and administrative center for the empire. It was burned to the ground during a Berber riot in Cordoba. I felt more at home here. It was very beautiful, perhaps even more lovely than the Alhambra if it was restored to it’s former glory. We saw the old Mosque, the Servant’s quarters, the Main Gates (Where I’m rubbing my nose) , the Baths, the Guest rooms, the large Gardens and most importantly the throne room where the Great Caliphs of Bani Ummaya held court!(My picture with Mr. Lopez).I began to recite poetry from Ibn Hazim and Al-Rindi for some weird reason, my teacher(who dosent speak Spanish) just looked at me like I was some lunatic :rofl:
My pic...
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We also visited Seville - though much larger than Cordoba and more lively, it has lost that Moorish spirit that Granada enjoys. We visited the Geralda and the former Grand Mosque (Now a Cathderal, yesh, those Inquisators were a busy lot!
) as well as the Almohad Palace, where an intresting Castillian King emerged - King Pedro the Cruel, who ruled somewhere in the 13th century and even named himself "Sultan", holding residence in that very Palace. Very bloody man but lived in a Moorish manner and somewhat despised Christianity - strange character indeed. We also had the chance of attending the Ibn Khaldun Exhibition! (AWSOME
). They were showing off a large amount of antiques from around the Mediterranian and Mongolia (The theme was basicaly the 13th century). I loved the Merinid Banner that was captured from the battle of Salado (I was somewhat sad that I couldnt stuff that 20 meter long flag in my backpack
).
I also went to a Flamingo Cave and watched the Gypsie dances - Lol made a fool of my self when the seniorita grabbed my hand and forced me to dance like a lunatic - broke a glass in the process as well.
Ahhhh theres so much to talk about and so many little adventures, but I hope this has brought a somewhat clear picture of that great trip!
Some of the stuff I returned with...
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Nasrid Quran page - was given to be my the Imam of the Taqwa Mosque. I think it's the chapter of Mary...notice the red hue in the calligraphy, thats only made in Granada!
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Ummayed pottery piece in the top
From left to right : First Line : Berber talisman a century old, Almohad coins minted in Fez, Ummayed Caliphate coin.
Second Line : Almoravid coin, Ummayed coin from Al-Haqam II's reign, Taifa coin minted in Toledo (My most prized possesion in the collection!)
Third line : Granada dinar Nasrid, Ummayed 'Emirate' (Very old circa 8th century?), and a Valencian Ummayed coin.
PS : Sorry for not being able to upload all the pics (I HAVE A LOT, from the Alhambra to the Mosque of Cordoba and other nicnaks) - but the sites arent working properlly for me, so I depended on my pal G to upload some of them -only the small ones Im afraid - but Thanks G!
