Moors About the Alhambra

As we left the Alhambra and strolled downhill to see more of Granada, we were surprised to encounter a statue of American author Washington Irving, who is best known for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Our guide Martin revealed that Irving had traveled to Spain in 1826 to do research for a book about Christopher Columbus, which two years later was published as his first work under his real name rather than a pen name.

Washington Irving found so much fascinating material in what at the time were newly released documents about Spain at the time of Columbus that he began writing several books, including one about the Conquest of Granada.

That brought him from the Madrid Archives to the Alhambra, where he lived for three months.

Unlike those two non-fiction books, which more or less focused on facts in a subjectively romanticized way, "Tales of the Alhambra" wove fantasy with reality in a series of short stories of a bygone era.

The tales inspired by his sojourn brought renewed interest in the fortress by writers, artists and travelers, resulting in badly needed revitalization that may have saved the Alhambra for future generations.

The fortress had deteriorated badly in centuries of neglect following the abandonment of Emperor Charles V's Palace project after it ceased due to lack of funding and the Morisco Revolt of 1568.

Moriscos were the descendents of Moors who had been coerced to give up their Muslim faiths and convert to Catholicism beginning in 1499, much in the same ways Jews were forced seven years earlier.

One of the primary terms of the Moors' surrender of 1492 had been that Muslims would be allowed to remain in the Alhambra and continue their religious customs, so mandatory conversion was a clear betrayal.

Keep in mind that for well over 700 years, Moors had practiced Islam in what by that point they obviously considered their home country, so that had to be a tough pill to swallow.

As other parts of their domain fell like dominoes into Catholic hands in the closing years of their reign, Moors from other parts of Spain converged in their last stronghold, the unassailable Alhambra, where after a prolonged siege, their leader surrendered believing Muslims would be able to continue to practice their religion.

Many historians believe the Moors, who conquered Iberia in only seven years between 711 and 718 AD, ruled benevolently in the traditions of the ancient Romans and Alexander the Great, allowing conquered natives to keep their languages and traditions, although that doesn't mean they were treated as equals to Moors.

It should be noted that secular scholars of the last century have tended to paint Christians in a negative light while lauding pagans, Muslims and any indigenous peoples conquered by Europeans as being superhumanly enlightened and peace-loving, even if there is no truly objective source of proof for their assertions.  Apparently they are intent on overcompensating for the maxim that history is written by the victors.

These Northern Arabs from Mauretania (present day Morocco and Algeria) undoubtedly loved their home, as evidenced by the fact that they called it al-Andalus (Paradise) and abandoned their Northern Africa roots entirely.

The "Mauris"  were better educated and organized than the more primitive defenders of the region they conquered, which seems to be a truism of history, but over time, the Reconquista gradually reclaimed even the last bastions in what became known as Andalucia to the Catholics.

When Moors were subsequently coerced to change religions in defiance of the terms of their surrender, some Moors tried paying lip service in public to being Catholic while continuing to practice their religion in secret.

Suspecting this, the Catholics later instituted in-home searches to confiscate and destroy their religious accoutrement and stop all Islamic rites.

If nothing else, this episode makes clear how blessed we the people of the United States are to have freedom from unreasonable search and seizure as well as freedom of religion enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights.

Steep taxes were also imposed on Moriscos to finance construction of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's Palace within the Alhambra, the vaunted fortress constructed by their ancestors during the 13th and 14th Centuries.

It's really no surprise that they revolted.


Still, the influence of the Moors in architecture and culture lives on.

If you look closely at the keystone of archways in the Alhambra, you may see a hand with five fingers, which according to Martin serves as a reminder to Muslims of the five pillars of Islam: Shahada (Faith), Salah (Prayer), Zakāt (Charity), Sawm (Fasting) and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca).

As we walked from the Alhambra, we found a flamenco dancer performing for tips.  He was fantastic.  Moving along after watching awhile, Martin explained that this music so strongly associated with Spain was essentially that of gypsies from India who had traveled through Hungary and then down to Northern Africa before coming up into Spain, picking up varying rhythmic and tonal spices along the way.

When you listen closely, you will hear clear Arabic elements in those great Spanish guitar songs.

Our final major stop on our tour was Capilla Real de Granada (Royal Chapel of Granada).

The gorgeous Gothic mausoleum was commissioned by Ferdinand II and Isabella I as the final resting place for the monarchs and their children.  Royal art and treasure as well as gilded gates and altarpieces adorn this "heavenly" interior, but the main attractions are their tombs, atop which sculptures of the world-changing Queen and King lay in peaceful repose.  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.

Turned loose in a beautiful plaza for lunch, Julie and I settled into a sidewalk cafe to split a carafe of sangria and a tapas platter, something I had looked forward to doing in Spain.

Originally, tapas were little snacks on breads or crackers that doubled as covers for drinks, but these days, they're just snack-sized treats.

In this case, they included sausages, tomatoes, savory empanadas and paella.

None would do well perched as a "topper" for our glasses to keep flies out (fortunately, we didn't have any unwelcome pests), but they were all delicious.

The total tab for this afternoon happy hour was less than 15 Euro!

"The Surrender of Granada" by Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz