Mosque of Cristo de la Luz
Built in 999 in Toledo, this building is a rarity in that it is in much the same state as it was when it was originally built. It is one of the few mosques…
Al-Andalus: The Orient in the West
In 711 the Arabs (in the Iberian Peninsula, “Arab” and “Muslim” are synonyms) arrived in the western-most territory of Mediterranean Europe. Within a short time, after very few battles and some sieges that were nearly all solved through negotiations, the Arabs provoked the collapse of the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, and incorporated what has since then been known as al-Andalus, the political territory under Muslim Arab dominance, into dar al-Islam.
The Alhamra at Granada
James Cavanah Murphy spent the last 12 years of his life preparing notes and drawings for a publication on this Moorish architecture. The resulting book, The Arabian Antiquities of Spain, was only partially…
Illustrations of Islamic Architecture
The Alhambra Granada, Spain Built chiefly in the 13th and 14th centuries The Alhambra (from the Arabic, Al Hamra, meaning The Red) is an ancient mosque, palace and fortress complex built by the…
When the Moors (Muslims) Ruled Europe (complete documentary)
An insightful documentary into the glorious rule of the Moors in Spain Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she examines a long-buried chapter of European history–the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is…
When Spain was Islamic
Considering Spain was ruled for – in some parts – up to 800 years by the Moors, it’s no surprise that lasting remnants of Spain’s Islamic past are present in everything from gastronomy…
