Spain's Synergy of Christian & Muslim Art
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
By Giovanna Dell'Orto
SPAIN---For the third time in a week, I'm visiting the Alhambra, one of the most popular sites in the world's fourth most-visited country, and finally I have it all to myself. Nowhere in Europe is the complex coexistence between Islam and Christianity more etched in historical landscapes and current customs than here, in Spain's Andalusia. For nearly 800 years, caliphs ruled Andalusia. In 1492, the Catholic king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, put an end to the last Islamic stronghold in Europe. But what's unique about Andalusia is the trail of Islamic conquerors who arrived in the eighth century, and the Catholic monarchs who imposed their reconquista (reconquering) centuries later - vanquishing not just Islam but also eventually the Jews who had flourished under the Muslims' tolerant rule. [link]
By Giovanna Dell'Orto
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| Andalusia's synergy of Christian, Muslim art |
SPAIN---For the third time in a week, I'm visiting the Alhambra, one of the most popular sites in the world's fourth most-visited country, and finally I have it all to myself. Nowhere in Europe is the complex coexistence between Islam and Christianity more etched in historical landscapes and current customs than here, in Spain's Andalusia. For nearly 800 years, caliphs ruled Andalusia. In 1492, the Catholic king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, put an end to the last Islamic stronghold in Europe. But what's unique about Andalusia is the trail of Islamic conquerors who arrived in the eighth century, and the Catholic monarchs who imposed their reconquista (reconquering) centuries later - vanquishing not just Islam but also eventually the Jews who had flourished under the Muslims' tolerant rule. [link]
