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| Andalucia |
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| jadoogar |
| 06/12/05 at 21:39:21 |
| Andalucia I have always had the desire to see the area associated with the golden age of Islam. Not one, not two but Muslims ruled the Southern part of Spain, Andalusia (Undulus) for nearly 8 centuries. Some of the greatest scholars came from that time. So my friend and I packed our bags to see the great Andalucia. Our flight was from JFK to Madrid through Frankfurt. We went straight to the train station in Madrid. It was a huge station. The same station that couple months later was rocked by train bomb blasts. It still sends shivers down my back. Our first real destination was Seville (Seviyya). Ave train took 2 ½ hour to get to Seville from Madrid. This distance normally takes 8 hrs by buses. Compared to that Ave, any US train looks like the one from third world.. (we quickly changes our minds about US trains though once we saw the trains in Morocco). Seville is one live city. The highlight of the city is la Girlada Catedral which is an old mosque built between 1184 and 1198 and turned into a huge Cathedral. The minaret is still there but has been catholicized. Climbing up that minaret on foot is an interesting experience. Its changing color with light gives it a very unique look. Of course there are still some aspect of Muslim architecture left but the coldness I felt in the Cathedral told me that the Muslim spirit was totally gone from Seville. It was a beautiful city to visit nonetheless. Torre del Orro (tower of gold) is another unique building built by the Muslims as a watch tower on the river. Some of the catholic architecture is quite beautiful as well and despite my lack of religious closeness to it, I was still able to appreciate it. But I couldn’t help to think what this city would have been like 500 yrs ago. We went to Tarifa from Seville. We utilized Tarifa as our gateway to Morocco. Tarifa is a small hip town and is basically known for its wind surfing. I think the name Tarifa has something to do with Tariq Bin Ziad. Our return to Spain was through Algeciras. Our main goal in Algeciras was to find the right bus to take us to Granada (Gharnata). When we arrived in Granada, it was the end of our 28 hours of straight journey from the middle of Sahara dessert in Morocco. We were dead tired. For some reason riding on camels, vans, trains ferries, busses and taxis is hard on your body. The next day was our day to see Alhambra or so we thought. We had definitely underestimated the popularity of Alhambra (Al qilat Al-Hamra – red fortress). After continues struggle for few hours, we were only able to get the tickets for next day. So we made the plan to go to Albyzin for now and then go to Alhambra at night. Albyzon is an interesting place. This is the old Muslim quarter where the muslims were forced to live after what the Catholics call “reconquesta”. Basically think of concentration camps. You can still see the names of the streets after Muslim names. The best part of Albyzin is the beautiful view of Alhambra. It is across the hill from it and the view is spectacular. The view surely looked great but I wondered what the Muslims of that time felt like. They could see the palaces they used to rule this land for 800 years but live as slaves now. Going to Albyzin gave me a sad feeling. It was hard to describe. I wonder if that’s how we all feel now anyway. We look at our past glories but yet fell helpless about current time. I wonder if we can learn from the Muslims of Albyzin or maybe from the Muslims of Alhambra. Its hard for me to imagine how can one lose the land after 800 yrs of rule. But then, they were not exactly surrounded by friends either. We made a quick trip back to Albyzin for the Maghrib prayer. The only working mosque is in Albyzin built by the grant from Saudi government. The view of Alhambra at sunset with some clouds was magical (attached picture). The backdrop of Sierra Nevada Mountains make the scenery even more magnificent. You look at the fortress of Alhambra and wonder what’s “cooking” inside it. The imam arrived in his Mercedes and I wasn’t quite sure what to think of that. But then I convinced myself not to make any judgments. Alhambra at night was peaceful. Only a small portion of the palace of the Nacaris is open for the night. It was beautifully lit. What we saw at night was only a glimpse of what we were about to see in the morning. So next day we finally get to see the whole Alhambra. This is the stuff of the fairy tails. It is located on a hill that gives a panoramic view of Granada. You are in for a treat. It takes at least 8 hours to see the whole place. There are three main section of Alhambra, the Alcazaba (fortress), the Palacio Nazarie (Nasarids Pahace) and Palacio de Carlos V in addition to the Generalife (Gardens of Alhambra). Inside the marvelously decorated Nasarids Palace and the beautiful gardens, water is used as an art form. Even around the exterior of Alhambra, the sound of water gushing and the greenery sets you apart from the bustling city. The beauty of art work of Nasarids Palace is beyond any description. The palace and the gardens of Alhambra were truly designed having a picture of heaven in mind. “Wala Ghalib-u-Il’Allah” is the verse dominating the walls of the palace along with other verses and poetry praising Allah. Attention to details is an understatement. Gardens of 12 lions is outside the Harems rooms sourrounded by 124 slender marble columns, creating a magical experience. Unfortunately the spell can be easily broken by 6000 visitors that visit Alhambra each day. As I was sitting by the pond, just capturing the moment in my eyes, a group of loud and winey American teenagers group came by and destroyed any imagination I had created. Oh well… I guess I couldn’t have my cake and I eat it too. Generalife – the garden of architect- is a soothing composition of terraces, patios, fountains, trimmed hedges, tall trees and flowers of every hue. The use of water, again, is very artistic but done with great efficiency and with excellent engineering. It’s the best use of gravity. How to make that water run all over without the use of pumps is amazing to watch. But more soothing is to just hear it flow. In the Patio de Sultana you will find a 700 year old Cyprus tree trunk associated with some royal sex scandal… lifestyle of riches I guess.. I guess someone barked the wrong tree and died… Alcazaba and Palacio de Carlos are less amazing in comparison. Climbing the guard tower of Alcazaba will definitely give you the best view of Granada though. Our next stop was Cordoba (Qartaba). The biggest attraction of the city is the Mezquita – The Mosque of Cordoba. This is the height of Moors Islamic architecture. After seeing it used as a cathedral, I could imagine why Allama Iqbal wept when he came to the mosque and what inspired him to write that beautiful poetry about Masjid-e-Qartaba. Despite all the converted Catholicism, the mosque is still beautiful but requires a bit of imagination to get the spiritual experience. This mosque has some truly beautiful features among them are the famous rows of two-tier arches in mesmerizing stripes of red brick an white stone, and the more elaborate arches and domes around the Mihrab. The Mihrab is stunningly beautiful with Quranic scriptures still left to be seen. The view of the mosque from across the river is also amazing. When you look at it from over the bridge, it looks like a hurt lion caught in chains but still looking you in the eyes telling you, “you better check your chains again because once I get loose, you will be no where to be found”. I hope that lion can find its freedom one day. Once we got back to Madrid, we were too exhausted and overdosed with history. Madrid had nothing to offer us besides a good avenue for final shopping and hence we shopped till we literally dropped. Next day I was off to Chicago |
| http://www.jannah.org/board/attachments/DSC03728.jpg |
| DSC03728.jpg |
| salam |
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| jadoogar |
| 06/12/05 at 21:44:19 |
| I mentioned andalucia in morocco.. so here it is.. |
| travel bug |
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| lala |
| 06/13/05 at 00:13:15 |
| [slm] totally 'sweet' pictures there. makes me want to hop on a next flight out to somewhere..a coworker of mine just left for spain on thursday!! |
| thx |
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| jadoogar |
| 06/13/05 at 16:55:35 |
| thx lala.. andalucia is definetly an awesome place to visit. I'll share more pictures once I put them on shutterfly or one of those other websites. currently the are on imagestation and thats where i order my prints from but it requires other ppl to sign up to see the pictures.. i dont think anyone would want that hassel. |
| salaam |
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| se7en |
| 06/14/05 at 10:53:53 |
as salaamu alaykum, [quote] Albyzon is an interesting place. This is the old Muslim quarter where the muslims were forced to live after what the Catholics call “reconquesta”. Basically think of concentration camps. You can still see the names of the streets after Muslim names. The best part of Albyzin is the beautiful view of Alhambra. It is across the hill from it and the view is spectacular. The view surely looked great but I wondered what the Muslims of that time felt like. They could see the palaces they used to rule this land for 800 years but live as slaves now. Going to Albyzin gave me a sad feeling. It was hard to describe. I wonder if that’s how we all feel now anyway. We look at our past glories but yet fell helpless about current time. I wonder if we can learn from the Muslims of Albyzin or maybe from the Muslims of Alhambra. Its hard for me to imagine how can one lose the land after 800 yrs of rule. But then, they were not exactly surrounded by friends either. [/quote] [quote] Our next stop was Cordoba (Qartaba). The biggest attraction of the city is the Mezquita – The Mosque of Cordoba. This is the height of Moors Islamic architecture. After seeing it used as a cathedral, I could imagine why Allama Iqbal wept when he came to the mosque and what inspired him to write that beautiful poetry about Masjid-e-Qartaba. Despite all the converted Catholicism, the mosque is still beautiful but requires a bit of imagination to get the spiritual experience. This mosque has some truly beautiful features among them are the famous rows of two-tier arches in mesmerizing stripes of red brick an white stone, and the more elaborate arches and domes around the Mihrab. The Mihrab is stunningly beautiful with Quranic scriptures still left to be seen. The view of the mosque from across the river is also amazing. When you look at it from over the bridge, it looks like a hurt lion caught in chains but still looking you in the eyes telling you, “you better check your chains again because once I get loose, you will be no where to be found”. I hope that lion can find its freedom one day. [/quote] Jazak Allahu khayran for your reflections... wasalaamu alaykum |
| Re: Andalucia |
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| jadoogar |
| 06/20/05 at 23:23:32 |
| thx sister se7en! here's the view of albyzin from alhambra.. |
| http://www.jannah.org/board/attachments/DSC03869.jpg |
| DSC03869.jpg |
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