Exploring Spain’s Moorish Heritage

As a devoted fan of both Spain and history, I loved a recent trip exploring the Moorish heritage of the Iberian Peninsula. My husband and I toured three cities that showcase the dazzling architectural and cultural legacies of the Moors: Cordoba, Granada and Seville, all located in southern Spain and easily accessible by train from Madrid.

The Muslim forces known as the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and founded a civilization that lasted for seven centuries. At a time when much of Europe was mired in the stagnation and chaos caused by the fall of the Roman Empire, the Moors created a sophisticated civilization known for its scientific, architectural and literary riches.

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To explore the Moorish legacy, we began our tour in Cordoba, which served as the capital of the Islamic kingdom of Al-Andalus (from which comes the region’s current name of Andalusia). For centuries the city rivaled Constantinople and Baghdad in splendor and influence.

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Today its most iconic landmark is the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, a stunning example of Moorish architecture that also illustrates the complicated religious history of the city. Originally built as a mosque in the 8th century, a Catholic cathedral was constructed within its walls after Cordoba was captured by Christian forces.

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Thankfully, the mosque’s exquisite architecture and ornamentation were left largely intact. Popularly called the Mezquita (the Spanish word for mosque), it is filled with a forest-like arrangement of hundreds of columns topped by red-and-white striped arches. As we walked through the huge space, the constantly shifting visual perspectives created a mystical, almost otherworldly, effect.

After leaving the Mezquita we explored the rest of the city’s historic center, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its labyrinthine streets contain many centuries of history, including a Roman-era bridge that spans the Guadalquivir River and a Jewish Quarter that retains the traditional layout of a medieval city.

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Next we traveled by train to Granada, a city that served as the last outpost of the Moors before they were driven out of the Iberian peninsula by Christian forces in 1492. Grenada’s crowning glory is the Alhambra, a fortress and palace complex that’s perched on a hill overlooking the city. Built in the 13th century by the Nasrid dynasty, its name means “red castle” in Arabic because of the color of its walls. As one of the finest examples of Islamic design and architecture in Europe, its airy interior is filled with ornate carvings, intricate mosaics and design motifs in flowing Arabic script.

We lingered longest in the Courtyard of the Lions, which was once reserved for the private enjoyment of the sultan and his family. Its central fountain has an alabaster basin supported by 12 marble lions with water spouting from their mouths. Then we wandered through the palace’s manicured gardens, appreciating how the trees and lush greenery moderated the heat of the day.

Later we walked through the Albayzín neighborhood, which is located on a hill across from the Alhambra. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its winding streets are filled with legacies of the city’s Moorish past, including houses arranged around inner courtyards, a style common in North Africa. We also enjoyed its bustling artisan markets, which sell brightly patterned ceramics and textiles, embossed leatherwork, Arabic calligraphy, and silver and gold filigree jewelry.

We ended our Moorish tour in Seville, a city that shows how Islamic architecture and ornamentation continued to influence Spain even after the fall of the Moorish empire. Muslims living under Christian rule created a style of architecture known as Mudejar, which is visible throughout the city in elements such as lobed and horseshoe-shaped arches, interior courtyards, and geometric ornamentation of wood, metalwork and ceramic tiles.

A prime example of Mudejar architecture is the Royal Alcazar, which was originally a 10th-century Moorish palace. Though it was expanded by Christian rulers after the reconquest of Spain, much of its design remains true to its Moorish roots. In addition to being open for tours, it also serves as one of the residences of the Spanish royal family.

Nearby is the Giralda, a tall structure that once served as the minaret of the city’s central mosque. When that building was replaced by the Seville Cathedral, the minaret was repurposed as a bell tower. Its Moorish origins are reflected in the fact it has interior ramps leading to its top, rather than stairs, because the men who gave the call to prayer five times a day rode donkeys instead of making the laborious climb themselves. My husband and I climbed to the top of the 340-foot tower on foot, where the views were worth the effort.

Throughout the three cities, we enjoyed Moorish-influenced meals. The Moors revolutionized Spanish agriculture by improving irrigation techniques and introducing ingredients from their homelands such as saffron, almonds, rice, eggplant and artichokes. Perhaps their greatest culinary gift was the expanded cultivation of olive trees. Today Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world.

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Dishes that we enjoyed included saffron-infused paella (Spain’s classic meat-and-rice dish), the slow-cooked stew called olla podrida, and a sweet-savory lamb tagine with apricots. Moorish heritage also lives on in the region’s plentiful use of honey, nuts and spices in desserts, from the sweet pastries known as alfajores to turrón, a nougat-like sweet made from almonds.

As we made plans to return home, we were sorry to have been able to sample only a small part of Moorish heritage in Spain. Looking back, our favorite experience was a dinner at El Balcon de San Nicolas, a restaurant that overlooks Granada’s Alhambra. As the sunset lit up its magnificent walls, we savored the food and the view, grateful for all we’d learned about the remarkable civilization that has helped shaped the Spain we love.