The Moors’ Most Famous Sites in Spain: the History of Moorish Architecture in Al-andalus

Tucked away on the crest of the Al-Sabika Hill in Granada of Andalusia, Spain, just left of the babbling stream of the Darro River, sits a majestic structure overlooking the charming city and mystical meadows of La Vega. This palatial fortress and the fabled Alhambra are one and the same. To those that have seen it in its full glory, this was heaven on earth itself. Many were quick to fall under the spell of its breathtaking beauty, with its admirers lovingly dubbing it “a pearl set in emeralds.”At one point in time, this place had been decked out with a network of captivating castles, heavenly homes and gorgeous gardens, and a handsome military fortress envied by the city’s neighboring kingdoms. This was none other than Alhambra, once so enchanting that a countless number of those who visited the place in its heyday praised it as a true paradise on earth. Today, this historic complex has become the setting and inspiration for a host of books, music, movies, and other works of art and literature, such as Washington Irving’s Tales of Alhambra, and Marcel L’Herbier’s cinematic masterpiece, El Dorado. A main asteroid belt has even been named after the legendary place.The exquisite work of art continues to be beloved, so much so that a campaign in 2007 attracted an estimated 5,000 hopefuls to the site. There, the thousands laced their fingers together and formed a ring around the spectacular fortress stretching 1.5 miles long, in hopes of cementing the landmark’s place among the “New 7 Wonders of the World.” Astounding aesthetics aside, the rich tapestry of history that unfolded within the walls of the centuries-old palatial paradise is truly what makes Alhambra one of the classic, timeless gems in all of Europe.Even if one were to discount security and the Spanish royals who reside here seasonally, legend has it that the Alcázar is never truly uninhabited. Take a post-midnight stroll through the colonnades or the baths, and listen closely, insist mystics, and one will hear the spine-tingling sniffling, harrowing whimpers, and wretched weeping of the hapless souls who met their demise at the hands of Pedro the Cruel, Peter I of Castile, one of the many builders and tenants of this bewitching place. The vicious and volatile wrath of the cruel monarch knew no bounds, and his victims, no numbers. Some say these cries belong to the young maidens who were burnt at the stake for no other reason than rejecting Pedro’s romantic advances. Others say they come from the spirit of Eleanor of Guzman, the mistress of Pedro’s father, Alfonso XI of Castile, and one of Pedro’s first kills. Or perhaps they come from all of Pedro’s victims, cursed by their violent deaths to roam the Alcázar in perpetuity.The Calle Cardenal Herrero in Córdoba is an iconic cobbled street impossible to overlook, for it is home to the Andalusian city’s spectacular Mosque-Cathedral. Also known as “La Mezquita,” this one-of-a-kind Moorish and Christian place of worship reels in about 1.5 million visitors each year, most of whom find themselves spellbound by its hypnotic architectural features and the riveting history that has transpired and continues to within the beautifully weathered walls of the dual-church. That said, the Mezquita is far more than a mere tourist attraction – in recent years, the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba has become the crux of a complicated religious conflict resurrected by impassioned worshipers and patriotic locals who fear not only for the future of its legacy, but the preservation of its true history.