Andalusia: Islamic Spain

Al- Andalus: The Spirit of Southern Spain

The Alcaza (Seville)

• Muslim friendly:4/5
• Halal: 3/5
• Mosques: 2/5
• Female friendly: 5/5
• Recommendation: 5/5
• Go again: YES

Despite its huge popularity with beach goers, Southern Spain or Andalusia (in the Muslim world) is one of my favourite destination in Europe which I recommend to everyone I meet on my travel path.

Its great weather, easy accessibility (many budget airlines leaving daily from the UK) and its Islamic history & architecture makes this region a must see for many Muslim travelers. One advice -travel off peak and you’ll be fine…

Spain has a long Islamic history dating back to the 8th century (711 – around 1490) and its influence is still visible today. From the geometric tiles, Paella (it was Arabs that introduced rice to the Iberians), orange trees to the magnificent architecture of the great palaces -you could be anywhere in North Africa!

• Seville where I started off my journey (one of the oldest cities in Europe) hosts the Alcáza, the most beautiful Palace I’ve ever seen created by the Moors around the 9th Century. Seville has aged gracefully, and many travelers flock here to see the city’s historic charms. This is a must in Islamic Spain, 2-4 days is sufficient to do/see the main attractions or prolong your stay to see it in your own pace.

The Grande Mosque of Córdoba/ Mezquita

• Cordoba’s a short train ride from Seville, you can go there for a day trip as some travelers staying around here will find the town quite mundane. The big attraction here is the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita (was mosque, currently Catherdral) is worth a visit.

• Malaga‘s a lovely place to visit by the sea with its infinite blue sky most year round (now think off-peak without ‘young’ beachy tourists). The winter months here (when I traveled) draws an older crowd, but rest assured -not a bad thing at all!) You can spend a few nights to a week here exploring the town, trekking to the castle to walks on the beach!
• Granada’s Al-Hambra (grand palace and fortress) left me speechless! Words and pictures will not do this place justice, so I will leave it to you to find out, it’s a must see in Andalusia!

  

  The Al-Hambra Palace from a distance (Granada)

So you’re probably wondering, what happened to the Muslims of Spain or are there any there now? What about the food, mosques etc…Well, without going into too much detail about politics and history, there are very few Muslims currently living in Spain, and the small number are recent economic migrants so no, 0 ancient Muslims left. This is reflected in the lack of working mosques, though there are few places serving halal food. We know halal tourism is on the rise, so in couple of yrs -Andalusia there may be more perks for Muslims travelling there.