3rd Excursion Trip: Andalucia (Sept. 27-30)
domingo, 1 de octubre de 2017
Hello everyone,
This past week I had the opportunity to explore Andalucia, Spain during Wednesday, September 27th through Saturday, September 30th. For those of you that do not understand Andalucia, it is a province located in the south of Spain. It is by far my favorite part of Spain and a lot has to do with the people, the culture and the accent of the Spanish language. This trip was our 3rd excursion trip as a group from the University of Alcala de Henares.
The province of Andalucia contains a fusion of Arabic and Catholic influences due to its history. During the year 711 through 1492, the Arab/Muslim people occupied Spain and controlled a major part of the peninsula for about 7 centuries. 7 centuries of time is enough to change a culture, religion and also create a different kind of race of people. With previous knowledge on the history about Andalucia, it is clear and breathtaking to view all of the history that special province in Spain holds. There is not a place in the whole wide world that can express such a flaring mix of Arab and Christian culture.
The order of the trip was organized to first visit Cordoba, then stop at the hotel Wednesday night in Sevilla. The next day, Thursday, Sevilla was the plan and the following day, Friday morning, we had to leave Sevilla to Granada. In Granada we had the rest of that afternoon to explore and Saturday morning. That was the whole set up of the trip.
We were able to get a tour guide to show us around the Mezquita de Cordoba. The woman herself was from Cordoba and she explained the set up of the Mezquita and what exactly happened in there when it was active. I learned that the Mosque of Cordoba is actually the third largest mosque in the world behind the Mosque of Casablanca which is the second largest and obviously the one in Mecca. It shows you the importance of Cordoba being the host of the third largest mosque in the world and the influence it had in that Arabic society that once occupied Spain. Pretty much what a typical Muslim would do was wash themselves in open patio right before they entered inside the Mosque. Just outside the open patio is a tower called the "Alminar" o "minarete" and someone stands up in there to call everyone in for prayer. Inside the Mosque there is the "haram" which is open space and the Muslim worshipers place mats on the floor and begin their prayers. At the far end of the mosque, opposite direction of where you exit is located the "Quibla" which is a special wall pointed towards Mecca for prayers. Inside the "Quibla" is the "mihrab" which is the most sacred part of the mosque.
Moving on to Sevilla, I was able to enter into the Cathedral of Sevilla. In the Cathedral of Sevilla lies the body of the very own Christopher Colombus. Colombus has different burial places since he died. The first one was Valladolid, where he died and that is where I have been too. Later, he was transferred to the Dominican Republic, Cuba and then back to Spain. His last place is Sevilla. His coffin is held by four statues which represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain which were Castilla, Leon, Navarra and Aragon.
I also had the opportunity to view the Alcazar de Sevilla. Alcazar is an Arab word which means in Spanish "castillo" which also means castle in English; just a fun fact for you guys. With that said, the province of Spain comes from the Arab word "Al-Andalus." Al-Andalus was the name of the major part of the peninsula that was occupied by the Arabs/Muslims.
Moving on to Granada, Granada is very important to Spanish history. During the Reconquista in the Iberian peninsula, many Muslims were kicked out of parts of Spain or fled to Granada which was the last part in the south of Spain that contained a heavy Muslim population. In the city of Granada, an Arab kind named Mohamed-Ben-Nazar was behind the construction of the Al-Hambra. Written all over the Al-Hambra are an Arab phrase that says "Only Ala is the victorious." The Al-Hambra had people living there for more than 2 centuries, first the Arab kings and then later King Ferdinand and Isabel. The Al-Hambra is known to be one of the seven marvelous works of the world.
The Alhambra is so unique by its architecture and organization. First off, it has so many "albercas" which in Spanish means "reflecting pools or ponds." The pillars in parts of the palace make it look so peaceful and like a kingdom of heaven. Inside parts of the Alhambra there is such a great intake of natural lighting that comes from the outside and when observing the outside it appears as if the inside will be dark. Compared to Spanish Castles, the Alhambra is well organized and built with vision. The Spanish were so impressed with the palace after they defeated the Arabs completely in 1492. Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand wanted to be buried in the Alhambra when they died but it did not happen due to political issues. One of the last things about the Alhambra is its gardens. They have one of greatest gardens in the world that I have seen with my own eyes. It reminded me a little bit of Hearst Castle but so much greater.
As the trip was over, I was very sad to leave Andalucia. There is something to that province that I love so much. One of my dreams in life is to see one of the Semana Santa parades in Sevilla and also marry a girl from Andalucia. We will see how that goes with time. Just from the historical point of view on this legendary trip to Andalucia, I learned a lot about the Muslim people. It was an honor to step foot in some of the Muslim remains that still stand here with us in Spain. I just know that we both love and respect God which is good. I can see that they are all about prayer and so are we Christians. Besides that, enjoy the pictures and I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post.
Love,
Sal Galvan
We were able to get a tour guide to show us around the Mezquita de Cordoba. The woman herself was from Cordoba and she explained the set up of the Mezquita and what exactly happened in there when it was active. I learned that the Mosque of Cordoba is actually the third largest mosque in the world behind the Mosque of Casablanca which is the second largest and obviously the one in Mecca. It shows you the importance of Cordoba being the host of the third largest mosque in the world and the influence it had in that Arabic society that once occupied Spain. Pretty much what a typical Muslim would do was wash themselves in open patio right before they entered inside the Mosque. Just outside the open patio is a tower called the "Alminar" o "minarete" and someone stands up in there to call everyone in for prayer. Inside the Mosque there is the "haram" which is open space and the Muslim worshipers place mats on the floor and begin their prayers. At the far end of the mosque, opposite direction of where you exit is located the "Quibla" which is a special wall pointed towards Mecca for prayers. Inside the "Quibla" is the "mihrab" which is the most sacred part of the mosque.
Moving on to Sevilla, I was able to enter into the Cathedral of Sevilla. In the Cathedral of Sevilla lies the body of the very own Christopher Colombus. Colombus has different burial places since he died. The first one was Valladolid, where he died and that is where I have been too. Later, he was transferred to the Dominican Republic, Cuba and then back to Spain. His last place is Sevilla. His coffin is held by four statues which represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain which were Castilla, Leon, Navarra and Aragon.
I also had the opportunity to view the Alcazar de Sevilla. Alcazar is an Arab word which means in Spanish "castillo" which also means castle in English; just a fun fact for you guys. With that said, the province of Spain comes from the Arab word "Al-Andalus." Al-Andalus was the name of the major part of the peninsula that was occupied by the Arabs/Muslims.
Moving on to Granada, Granada is very important to Spanish history. During the Reconquista in the Iberian peninsula, many Muslims were kicked out of parts of Spain or fled to Granada which was the last part in the south of Spain that contained a heavy Muslim population. In the city of Granada, an Arab kind named Mohamed-Ben-Nazar was behind the construction of the Al-Hambra. Written all over the Al-Hambra are an Arab phrase that says "Only Ala is the victorious." The Al-Hambra had people living there for more than 2 centuries, first the Arab kings and then later King Ferdinand and Isabel. The Al-Hambra is known to be one of the seven marvelous works of the world.
The Alhambra is so unique by its architecture and organization. First off, it has so many "albercas" which in Spanish means "reflecting pools or ponds." The pillars in parts of the palace make it look so peaceful and like a kingdom of heaven. Inside parts of the Alhambra there is such a great intake of natural lighting that comes from the outside and when observing the outside it appears as if the inside will be dark. Compared to Spanish Castles, the Alhambra is well organized and built with vision. The Spanish were so impressed with the palace after they defeated the Arabs completely in 1492. Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand wanted to be buried in the Alhambra when they died but it did not happen due to political issues. One of the last things about the Alhambra is its gardens. They have one of greatest gardens in the world that I have seen with my own eyes. It reminded me a little bit of Hearst Castle but so much greater.
As the trip was over, I was very sad to leave Andalucia. There is something to that province that I love so much. One of my dreams in life is to see one of the Semana Santa parades in Sevilla and also marry a girl from Andalucia. We will see how that goes with time. Just from the historical point of view on this legendary trip to Andalucia, I learned a lot about the Muslim people. It was an honor to step foot in some of the Muslim remains that still stand here with us in Spain. I just know that we both love and respect God which is good. I can see that they are all about prayer and so are we Christians. Besides that, enjoy the pictures and I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post.
Love,
Sal Galvan
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| The picture of the Roman bridge and below are pictures taken in Cordoba |
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| This picture and the rest below are pictures taken in Sevilla |
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| This picture and the rest below are pictures taken in Granada |
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