Video: Discover the Spanish Muslim Comunity in Andalusia
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta muslimtravel. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta muslimtravel. Mostrar todas las entradas
martes, 28 de octubre de 2014
lunes, 20 de octubre de 2014
Travel the Halal Way and discover the Royal Alcazars of Seville
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| You can visit this city in our tour Spain & Morocco of 10days / nights |
The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville", is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort. The palace is renown as one of the most beautiful in Spain. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and it was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.
The construction of the fort was ordered by Abd Al Ramn III, Caliph of Al-Andalus, in the year 913, which was changed into a fortified palace during the 11th century. In the 13th century, Seville now being in the hands of Castile, King Alfonso X ´the Wise´ extended it further.
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| 3D orientation map of the Alcazar palace, Seville - Andalusia, Spain. |
Pedro I, "the cruel" (1350 to 1369), made significant additions to the palace which is one of the most important examples of Mudejar architecture in Seville. The numerous rooms, patios and halls vary in architectural styles from the Islamic to Neoclassical. The beautiful gardens and fountains are specially worth visiting.
Also wanting to make their mark, the Alcázar was even further ´improved´ on by later kings; for example, the 16th century Emperor Charles V added elements in Gothic and Renaissance style to the palace.
Since the Alcázar has a century´s long history of expansions and renovations, one of the coolest things about it is it´s mixture of architectural styles. But the unavoidable highlight and an absolute must-see is the Mudejar Palace of Peter I (followed closely by the Gardens).
Interesting parts of the Alcazar
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| Horse shoe arches at the entrance of the ambassadors |
Arcos de Herradura (Horse Shoe arches): The Ambassadors Room is decorated with tiles and complex plaster work. It shows a beautiful example of the typical horse shoe arches.
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| El patio del yeso (plaster) |
El Patio del Yeso (The Plaster Patio): This beautiful, ornate garden full of flowers and streams maintains elements of the almohade architectural style of the Moors from the 12 century.
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| El patio de las doncellas (maidens) |
Salones de Carlos V (Rooms of Charles V): The rooms and chapel of Charles V are decorated with tapestries and coloured tiles from 16 Century.
El Patio de las Muñecas (The Patio of the Dolls): This patio with its bedrooms and adjacent corridors was the heart of the palace. It takes its name from the two tiny faces that decorate its arches.
The Gardens of the Alcazar Palace
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| Gardens of the Alcazar Palace |
These gardens, adorned with fountains and pavilions, provide shelter from the hustle and bustle of Seville.
Jardin Inglés (English gardens).
These gardens are modelled on those of the British Isles from
18 Century. The door to the Alcoba is of Islamic origin. The park was
built in 1909 and the main gardener of the Real Casa de Campo, Juan
Gras, was put in charge of planting the flowers. However, there are
doubts as to whether his radical style fits in with the surroundings.
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| The english gardens at the Alcazar palace |
Jardin de la Alcubilla (Garden of the Reservoir): This garden existed during the time of Charles V.
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| Jardin de la Alcubilla |
In 913 the Caliph of Al-Andalus (modern Andalusia) ordered the construction of a castle there, which was changed into a fortified palace during the 11th century. In the 13th century, Seville now being in the hands of Castile, King Alfonso X ´the Wise´ extended it further.
About a hundred years later, King Peter I
ordered the construction of one more palace on the site. Nowadays, this
gorgeous palace is considered to be one of the best remaining examples
of mudéjar architecture – a symbiosis of Christian and Moorish
techniques and architecture; the two cultures living side by side at the
time.
Also wanting to make their mark, the Alcázar was even further ´improved´ on by later kings; for example, the 16th century Emperor Charles V added elements in Gothic and Renaissance style to the palace.
Since
the Alcázar has a century´s long history of expansions and renovations,
one of the coolest things about it is it´s mixture of architectural
styles. But the unavoidable highlight and an absolute must-see is the
Mudejar Palace of Peter I (followed closely by the Gardens).
In 913 the Caliph of Al-Andalus (modern Andalusia) ordered the construction of a castle there, which was changed into a fortified palace during the 11th century. In the 13th century, Seville now being in the hands of Castile, King Alfonso X ´the Wise´ extended it further.
About a hundred years later, King Peter I
ordered the construction of one more palace on the site. Nowadays, this
gorgeous palace is considered to be one of the best remaining examples
of mudéjar architecture – a symbiosis of Christian and Moorish
techniques and architecture; the two cultures living side by side at the
time.
Also wanting to make their mark, the Alcázar was even further ´improved´ on by later kings; for example, the 16th century Emperor Charles V added elements in Gothic and Renaissance style to the palace.
Since
the Alcázar has a century´s long history of expansions and renovations,
one of the coolest things about it is it´s mixture of architectural
styles. But the unavoidable highlight and an absolute must-see is the
Mudejar Palace of Peter I (followed closely by the Gardens).
In 913 the Caliph of Al-Andalus (modern Andalusia) ordered the construction of a castle there, which was changed into a fortified palace during the 11th century. In the 13th century, Seville now being in the hands of Castile, King Alfonso X ´the Wise´ extended it further.
About a hundred years later, King Peter I
ordered the construction of one more palace on the site. Nowadays, this
gorgeous palace is considered to be one of the best remaining examples
of mudéjar architecture – a symbiosis of Christian and Moorish
techniques and architecture; the two cultures living side by side at the
time.
Also wanting to make their mark, the Alcázar was even further ´improved´ on by later kings; for example, the 16th century Emperor Charles V added elements in Gothic and Renaissance style to the palace.
Since
the Alcázar has a century´s long history of expansions and renovations,
one of the coolest things about it is it´s mixture of architectural
styles. But the unavoidable highlight and an absolute must-see is the
Mudejar Palace of Peter I (followed closely by the Gardens).
viernes, 17 de octubre de 2014
Ishbiliya إشبيلية, the muslim Seville
You can visit this city in our tour Spain & Morocco of 10days / nights
The Islamic kingdoms of medieval Spain are legendary for their artistic and architectural glories. They are also famous, although perhaps at times through rose-tinted spectacles, for centuries of co-existence between Muslims, Jews and Christians, and for the flowering of a rich culture which drew on the best of the Religions of the Book.
Nowadays, the best-known (and most visited) of the cities of these medieval kingdoms are Granada, home to the Alhambra palace, and Cordoba, site of the breathtaking Mezquita mosque with its forest of red and white arches.
But Seville, now a sprawling modern city, also deserves recognition for its Islamic-influenced cultural heritage.
Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis, and was known as Ishbiliya (Arabic:إشبيلية) after the Muslim conquest in 712.
During the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of Seville; later it was ruled by the Muslim Almoravids and the Almohads until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile under Ferdinand III in 1248
The Moorish urban influences continued and are present in contemporary Seville, for instance in the custom of decorating with herbaje and small fountains the courtyards of the houses. However, most buildings of the Moorish aesthetic actually belong to the Mudéjar style of Islamic art, developed under Christian rule and inspired by the Arabic style. Original Moorish buildings are the Patio del Yeso in the Alcázar, the city walls, and the main section of the Giralda, bell tower of the Seville Cathedral.[8]
Centuries of Islamic Architecture
The most prominent remnant of Seville's Islamic past is La Giralda, the towering minaret of a 12th century Almohad mosque, which became the city's Catholic cathedral after its conquest by Saint Ferdinand in 1248. At 320 feet high, La Giralda was once the tallest tower in the world. Modeled on the minaret of the Kutubiyya mosque in Marrakech, it has a sister in the Hassan Tower at an uncompleted mosque in Rabat.
The
modern-day cathedral was begun in the late 14th century, after the
Great Mosque was pulled down, but it still holds the tomb of Saint
Ferdinand. The tomb's inscriptions celebrate Ferdinand's achievements
not only in Castilian and the monastic language of medieval
Christianity, Latin, but also in Hebrew and Arabic. And Ferdinand's son,
Alfonso, tried to make Seville a centre for Arabic scholarship and
translation, losing out to the long-established academia of Toledo.
Floodlit at Night
La Giralda's golden stone glows softly, towering over the busy nightlife of the old quarter of Seville whose narrow streets remind visitors of their original character as the city's souk. In the square around the foot of the tower are citrus trees, bearing the Seville oranges famous the world over.
Just seconds' walk away – close enough for
first Muslim and then Christian kings to reach their place of worship
through a private tunnel – is the site which has been home to several
generations of royal palaces, of the Almohad dynasty and the later
Christian kings.
The present occupant of the site is the spectacular Alcazar palace; its name is a corruption of the Arabic al qasr. Its ornate plasterwork – which incorporates repeated Arabic scripts, including the phrase Wa la ghalib ill Allah – "There is no victor but Allah" - is a reflection of the splendors of the Alhambra in Granada, and its tile work also draws heavily on Muslim Andalucian designs. No casual visitor, wandering the Alcazar's courtyards, would be likely to guess that it was commissioned by a Christian monarch.
But the palace
– although built around structures which may date as far back as the
Umayyad period of the 10th and early 11th centuries, when their
Caliphate centered on Cordoba - was completed by workmen who had spent
several generations building Granada's Alhambra, and who were then lured
west by the Christian king Pedro the Cruel.
Ibn Khaldun, the great philosopher of history, whose distant ancestors hailed from Seville before they fled the Almoravid conquest of the city in the 11th century, visited Seville during his travels around Andalucia in 1364-5, when the ornate plasterwork of the Alcazar was only just dry. Pedro the Cruel tried to persuade him to stay, offering him his family's historical lands, as well as high office – but his interest in the one remaining Muslim kingdom in Spain, Granada, won out.
The Andalucian Melting-Pot
The Alcazar's cultural, artistic and religious mixture epitomizes the blurring of religious and cultural lines in Andalucia, where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and worked alongside each other and where Muslim and Christian armies often fought alongside one another against rival small kingdoms, or taifas.
One of the most famous figures of the period was El Cid (a corruption of the Arabic sayyid, 'lord'), described by writer Maria Rosa Menocal as “this Christian warrior with the Arabic name [who] was leading troops into battles between one Muslim and another,” who fought for the King of Seville in late 11th century battles against Granada. He became the hero of a great epic poem in medieval Spanish, and finally of a Hollywood movie.
Another was Samuel the Nagid, the Jewish vizier of Granada, who helped maintain his city's military strength under the Berber King Habbus al-Muzaffar in the 11th century, and who conquered Seville in 1039 for Habbus' son Badis.
For centuries this patchwork of Muslim and Christian kingdoms, with their shifting alliances, fostered a vibrant artistic life. It did not, perhaps, rival the scale of the Madinat as-Zahra in Cordoba, built by Abd ar-Rahman III at the height of the Caliphate and lost for a millennium after it was sacked in the civil war that brought down the Umayyads in Spain. But its creations do include the Alhambra in Granada, the Alcazares of Seville and of Segovia and Carmona, and the fashion for Mudejar craftsmanship lived on even after the Christian conquest of Spain was completed in 1492, with noble palaces commissioned in this style for decades to come.
According to Professor Maria Luise Fernandez, of Caracas University, the strength of Islamic artistic traditions even carried it to the Americas. Mudejar designs can, she says, be found in Spanish colonial architecture in cities such as Mexico City, Quito and Caracas, and in the 'azulejo' style of blue tilework – from al-zulaij, colloquial Arabic for ornamental tiles – which became associated with towns such as Puebla in Mexico.
Poet-Kings and Philosophers
But the glories of Seville's Muslim past are not only in its visual architecture.
In her book on the centuries of Muslim kingdoms which made up medieval Andalucia, Ornament of the World: how Muslims, Jews & Christians created a culture of tolerance in Medieval Spain, Menocal refers to 11th century Seville as “the poetry-mad Abbadid taifa of Seville.” The rivalry between Seville and the neighboring taifa of Toledo was, says Menocal, as much about the cities' cultural profile as their military strength.
“Military and cultural ambitions were purposefully intertwined and their Seville became the new haven for poetry in al-Andalus,” continues Menocal. “The Abbadid-sponsored academy of poets played all sorts of important roles in poetic history, attracting poets from inside and outside the peninsula and leaving us an important diwan, or anthology, of the poetry of the period.”
Mutamid Ibn Abbad, the last king of the Abbadid dynasty, was not only a great patron of the arts, but is considered one of the greatest Andalusian poets in his own right. Andalucian poetry spanned topics from romantic love to political satire, and al-Mutamid's own work ranged from praises of his wife:
"Invisible to my eyes, thou art ever present to my heart. Thy happiness I desire to be infinite, as are my sighs, my tears, and my sleepless nights! Impatient of the bridle when other women seek to guide me, thou makest me submissive to thy lightest wishes" [The Poems of Mu'Tamid, King of Seville, translated DL Smith, 1915]
And to celebration of his own military victories:
“I have won at the first onset The hand of the lovely C?rdoba; That brave Amazon who with sword and spear Repelled all those who sought her in marriage. And now we celebrate our nuptial in her palace, While the other monarchs, my baffled rivals, Weep tears of rage and tremble with fear.” [The Poems of Mu'Tamid, King of Seville, translated DL Smith, 1915]
A monument to Seville's “poet-king” and his “sad overthrow” by the Berber Almoravids, who he had supported against Christian rivals in the naïve belief that he could then expel them from his own lands, is still to be found in the grounds of the Alcazar.
The Islamic kingdoms of medieval Spain are legendary for their artistic and architectural glories. They are also famous, although perhaps at times through rose-tinted spectacles, for centuries of co-existence between Muslims, Jews and Christians, and for the flowering of a rich culture which drew on the best of the Religions of the Book.
Nowadays, the best-known (and most visited) of the cities of these medieval kingdoms are Granada, home to the Alhambra palace, and Cordoba, site of the breathtaking Mezquita mosque with its forest of red and white arches.
But Seville, now a sprawling modern city, also deserves recognition for its Islamic-influenced cultural heritage.
 | |
| Torre del Oro and Guadalquivir River |
During the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of Seville; later it was ruled by the Muslim Almoravids and the Almohads until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile under Ferdinand III in 1248
The Moorish urban influences continued and are present in contemporary Seville, for instance in the custom of decorating with herbaje and small fountains the courtyards of the houses. However, most buildings of the Moorish aesthetic actually belong to the Mudéjar style of Islamic art, developed under Christian rule and inspired by the Arabic style. Original Moorish buildings are the Patio del Yeso in the Alcázar, the city walls, and the main section of the Giralda, bell tower of the Seville Cathedral.[8]
Centuries of Islamic Architecture
The most prominent remnant of Seville's Islamic past is La Giralda, the towering minaret of a 12th century Almohad mosque, which became the city's Catholic cathedral after its conquest by Saint Ferdinand in 1248. At 320 feet high, La Giralda was once the tallest tower in the world. Modeled on the minaret of the Kutubiyya mosque in Marrakech, it has a sister in the Hassan Tower at an uncompleted mosque in Rabat.
 | |
| La Giralda, the towering minaret of a 12 th century Almohad mosque |
Floodlit at Night
La Giralda's golden stone glows softly, towering over the busy nightlife of the old quarter of Seville whose narrow streets remind visitors of their original character as the city's souk. In the square around the foot of the tower are citrus trees, bearing the Seville oranges famous the world over.
 | |
| Alcázar of Seville |
The present occupant of the site is the spectacular Alcazar palace; its name is a corruption of the Arabic al qasr. Its ornate plasterwork – which incorporates repeated Arabic scripts, including the phrase Wa la ghalib ill Allah – "There is no victor but Allah" - is a reflection of the splendors of the Alhambra in Granada, and its tile work also draws heavily on Muslim Andalucian designs. No casual visitor, wandering the Alcazar's courtyards, would be likely to guess that it was commissioned by a Christian monarch.
Ibn Khaldun, the great philosopher of history, whose distant ancestors hailed from Seville before they fled the Almoravid conquest of the city in the 11th century, visited Seville during his travels around Andalucia in 1364-5, when the ornate plasterwork of the Alcazar was only just dry. Pedro the Cruel tried to persuade him to stay, offering him his family's historical lands, as well as high office – but his interest in the one remaining Muslim kingdom in Spain, Granada, won out.
The Andalucian Melting-Pot
The Alcazar's cultural, artistic and religious mixture epitomizes the blurring of religious and cultural lines in Andalucia, where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and worked alongside each other and where Muslim and Christian armies often fought alongside one another against rival small kingdoms, or taifas.
One of the most famous figures of the period was El Cid (a corruption of the Arabic sayyid, 'lord'), described by writer Maria Rosa Menocal as “this Christian warrior with the Arabic name [who] was leading troops into battles between one Muslim and another,” who fought for the King of Seville in late 11th century battles against Granada. He became the hero of a great epic poem in medieval Spanish, and finally of a Hollywood movie.
Another was Samuel the Nagid, the Jewish vizier of Granada, who helped maintain his city's military strength under the Berber King Habbus al-Muzaffar in the 11th century, and who conquered Seville in 1039 for Habbus' son Badis.
For centuries this patchwork of Muslim and Christian kingdoms, with their shifting alliances, fostered a vibrant artistic life. It did not, perhaps, rival the scale of the Madinat as-Zahra in Cordoba, built by Abd ar-Rahman III at the height of the Caliphate and lost for a millennium after it was sacked in the civil war that brought down the Umayyads in Spain. But its creations do include the Alhambra in Granada, the Alcazares of Seville and of Segovia and Carmona, and the fashion for Mudejar craftsmanship lived on even after the Christian conquest of Spain was completed in 1492, with noble palaces commissioned in this style for decades to come.
According to Professor Maria Luise Fernandez, of Caracas University, the strength of Islamic artistic traditions even carried it to the Americas. Mudejar designs can, she says, be found in Spanish colonial architecture in cities such as Mexico City, Quito and Caracas, and in the 'azulejo' style of blue tilework – from al-zulaij, colloquial Arabic for ornamental tiles – which became associated with towns such as Puebla in Mexico.
Poet-Kings and Philosophers
But the glories of Seville's Muslim past are not only in its visual architecture.
In her book on the centuries of Muslim kingdoms which made up medieval Andalucia, Ornament of the World: how Muslims, Jews & Christians created a culture of tolerance in Medieval Spain, Menocal refers to 11th century Seville as “the poetry-mad Abbadid taifa of Seville.” The rivalry between Seville and the neighboring taifa of Toledo was, says Menocal, as much about the cities' cultural profile as their military strength.
“Military and cultural ambitions were purposefully intertwined and their Seville became the new haven for poetry in al-Andalus,” continues Menocal. “The Abbadid-sponsored academy of poets played all sorts of important roles in poetic history, attracting poets from inside and outside the peninsula and leaving us an important diwan, or anthology, of the poetry of the period.”
Mutamid Ibn Abbad, the last king of the Abbadid dynasty, was not only a great patron of the arts, but is considered one of the greatest Andalusian poets in his own right. Andalucian poetry spanned topics from romantic love to political satire, and al-Mutamid's own work ranged from praises of his wife:
"Invisible to my eyes, thou art ever present to my heart. Thy happiness I desire to be infinite, as are my sighs, my tears, and my sleepless nights! Impatient of the bridle when other women seek to guide me, thou makest me submissive to thy lightest wishes" [The Poems of Mu'Tamid, King of Seville, translated DL Smith, 1915]
And to celebration of his own military victories:
“I have won at the first onset The hand of the lovely C?rdoba; That brave Amazon who with sword and spear Repelled all those who sought her in marriage. And now we celebrate our nuptial in her palace, While the other monarchs, my baffled rivals, Weep tears of rage and tremble with fear.” [The Poems of Mu'Tamid, King of Seville, translated DL Smith, 1915]
A monument to Seville's “poet-king” and his “sad overthrow” by the Berber Almoravids, who he had supported against Christian rivals in the naïve belief that he could then expel them from his own lands, is still to be found in the grounds of the Alcazar.
martes, 14 de octubre de 2014
Mazapán (from Arabic موثابان mawthābān), an arab sweet born in Toledo in Al-Andalus
Travel the halal way to Toledo (Spain) and discover this delicius andalusian sweet, mazapán (from Arabic موثابان mawthābān)
This sweet is made from peeled and ground raw almonds, kneaded with sugar, which is usually shaped to form small figures. The most famous marzipan is made in Toledo, and its production is protected by a Protected Geographic Indication (PGI). This city has a long history of marzipan making, although its origin is unclear. According to some, marzipan was created by the Arabs: the word comes from 'mahsaban', which is applied to all types of sweets made from almonds and other dried fruits and nuts. Others believe It's origin is in Spain, then known as Al-Andalus, in Toledo (850-900,
though more probably 1150 during the reign of Alfonso VII) . In Toledo this specialty was known as Postre Regio (instead of Mazapán) and there are also mentions in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights of an almond paste eaten during Ramadan and as an aphrodisiac.
miércoles, 8 de octubre de 2014
Travel the halal way and discover the Mosque of Granada
The opening of the
Mosque of Granada in the summer of the year 2003
celebrates an historic reunion as it looks out in greeting
towards the majestic silhouette of the
Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada. The
Great Mosque as the soul of the Alhambra promises to become
a characteristic feature of the landscape of
Granada.
The Mosque of Granada signals, after a hiatus of 500 years, the restoration of a missing link with a rich and fecund Islamic contribution to all spheres of human enterprise and activity.
The Mosque of Granada also reflects the undimmed vitality of the prophetic message encompassed in Islam and its immediate relevance to the current situation in Europe and the Western World. The renewed aspiration of European muslims today is to contribute to the amelioration of a world beset by intolerable dilemmas and every kind of injustice. The way of Islam offers natural and viable alternatives to the headlong and voracious impetus of the consumer capitalist system, which is destroying all human values and in consequence the humanity of the society in which we all share.
What is a mosque?
The word mosque originates from the Arabic word masjid which means 'place of prostration'. Prostration is the most visible expression of submission to the Creator of the Universe. The muslim prostrates 5 times a day, at dawn, midday, mid afternoon, sunset and finally when the light of day has completely disappeared from the sky.
Anywhere on earth, which is not in some way polluted, can be a place of worship and prostration. Nevertheless clean and protected places have always been reserved by muslims at the centre of their cities since the beginning of Islam as places for the congregational prayer, these places are known as mosques.
The mosque is at the heart of the muslim community and is not only a place of prayer. It is also a place for study and the transmission of knowledge. Some mosques were even schools and universities. The first mosques were also sites for local governance where decisions upon the affairs of the local community were taken and were also places of public gathering.
A series of charitable institutions built themselves on to the great mosques of the Islamic world. Notable amongst these were hospitals, hostelry for travellers, dining areas for the poor, orphanages, schools, public baths and often rent free market places. These various institutions reflected the cellular structure of a caring and generous society built purely on the principle of pleasing the Creator.
What is the Mosque of Granada like?
The Mosque of Granada is composed of three main, contrasting elements. These are the garden, the prayer hall (which is properly speaking the mosque itself) and the Centre for Islamic Studies.
The Garden looks out over the valley of the River Darro towards a vista of the Alhambra standing on the Mount of Sabika, etched against the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It has two fountains of classical andaluz mosaic surrounded by plants of local Mediterranean species, such as pine, olive, pomegranate, orange and lemon.
The Mihrab, prayer niche which indicates the direction towards Mecca, is an exact replica of the famous mihrab in the Mosque of Cordoba. Panels of cedar wood from the Atlas mountains carry a hand-engraved ayat of Qur'an listing some of the divine attributes. The multi-coloured marble tiles are identical to those of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The great 'Qibla' windows are replicas from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The mosaic fountain in the patio giving on to the prayer hall were manufactured according to a thousand year old andalusian design and technique by master craftsmen of Fez.
The Alminar - the minaret from which the call to prayer, the 'adhan', is given five times daily - is a tower designed and constructed in the original Albaicin style. Under the eaves it bears the Islamic declaration of faith in kufic lettering, 'There is no god but Allah - Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'.
The Centre for Islamic Studies has a library with texts on Islam in arabic, spanish, english and other languages as well as audio visual aids. It has a conference hall with a seating capacity for 140 people along with an exhibition area. The main reception area is on the lower floor in the entrance foyer where a bookshop, craft items and souvenirs of the mosque are located.
What are the main activities generated by the mosque?
The five prescribed daily prayers are offered in the prayer hall of the Mosque at their allotted times. The congregational prayer 'al Jumu'a' is celebrated at midday on Fridays.
The Mosque of Granada signals, after a hiatus of 500 years, the restoration of a missing link with a rich and fecund Islamic contribution to all spheres of human enterprise and activity.
The Mosque of Granada also reflects the undimmed vitality of the prophetic message encompassed in Islam and its immediate relevance to the current situation in Europe and the Western World. The renewed aspiration of European muslims today is to contribute to the amelioration of a world beset by intolerable dilemmas and every kind of injustice. The way of Islam offers natural and viable alternatives to the headlong and voracious impetus of the consumer capitalist system, which is destroying all human values and in consequence the humanity of the society in which we all share.
What is a mosque?
The word mosque originates from the Arabic word masjid which means 'place of prostration'. Prostration is the most visible expression of submission to the Creator of the Universe. The muslim prostrates 5 times a day, at dawn, midday, mid afternoon, sunset and finally when the light of day has completely disappeared from the sky.
Anywhere on earth, which is not in some way polluted, can be a place of worship and prostration. Nevertheless clean and protected places have always been reserved by muslims at the centre of their cities since the beginning of Islam as places for the congregational prayer, these places are known as mosques.
The mosque is at the heart of the muslim community and is not only a place of prayer. It is also a place for study and the transmission of knowledge. Some mosques were even schools and universities. The first mosques were also sites for local governance where decisions upon the affairs of the local community were taken and were also places of public gathering.
A series of charitable institutions built themselves on to the great mosques of the Islamic world. Notable amongst these were hospitals, hostelry for travellers, dining areas for the poor, orphanages, schools, public baths and often rent free market places. These various institutions reflected the cellular structure of a caring and generous society built purely on the principle of pleasing the Creator.
What is the Mosque of Granada like?
The Mosque of Granada is composed of three main, contrasting elements. These are the garden, the prayer hall (which is properly speaking the mosque itself) and the Centre for Islamic Studies.
The Garden looks out over the valley of the River Darro towards a vista of the Alhambra standing on the Mount of Sabika, etched against the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It has two fountains of classical andaluz mosaic surrounded by plants of local Mediterranean species, such as pine, olive, pomegranate, orange and lemon.
The Mihrab, prayer niche which indicates the direction towards Mecca, is an exact replica of the famous mihrab in the Mosque of Cordoba. Panels of cedar wood from the Atlas mountains carry a hand-engraved ayat of Qur'an listing some of the divine attributes. The multi-coloured marble tiles are identical to those of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The great 'Qibla' windows are replicas from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The mosaic fountain in the patio giving on to the prayer hall were manufactured according to a thousand year old andalusian design and technique by master craftsmen of Fez.
The Alminar - the minaret from which the call to prayer, the 'adhan', is given five times daily - is a tower designed and constructed in the original Albaicin style. Under the eaves it bears the Islamic declaration of faith in kufic lettering, 'There is no god but Allah - Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'.
The Centre for Islamic Studies has a library with texts on Islam in arabic, spanish, english and other languages as well as audio visual aids. It has a conference hall with a seating capacity for 140 people along with an exhibition area. The main reception area is on the lower floor in the entrance foyer where a bookshop, craft items and souvenirs of the mosque are located.
What are the main activities generated by the mosque?
The five prescribed daily prayers are offered in the prayer hall of the Mosque at their allotted times. The congregational prayer 'al Jumu'a' is celebrated at midday on Fridays.
There is a daily programme of recitation and study
of the Qur'an and Islamic jurisprudence
for both adults and children
throughout the year. There is also a continuous
programme of conferences, arabic language classes, exhibitions
and courses on subjects related to
Islam and its legacy in Spain. All
interested members of the public are welcome to attend.
There is also a point of contact for muslims in any kind of difficulty, offering assistence to the traveller.
There is also a point of contact for muslims in any kind of difficulty, offering assistence to the traveller.
martes, 7 de octubre de 2014
What is Halal Tourism?
The
term ” halal tourism ,” which refers to the tourism offerings for
practicing Muslims, represents a turnover of € 103 billion worldwide.
This is a market that Spain wants to take a bigger share, thanks in
particular, to its rich Islamic cultural heritage in Andalusia. Hence
the organisation of the first conference on the subject in Granada on 22
and 23 September 2014 , where Alhamratour was present, under the auspices of the Halal Institute
Cordoba was held.
SPAIN
. The Alhambra in Granada, the Cordoba Mosque , the Giralda in Seville … the
list of great monuments of Islamic cultural legacy in Spain is long.
The cultural wealth is mainly concentrated mainly in Andalusia, home to
the recent ” halal tourism” International Conference held in Grenada by
the London firm Creative Minds Media.
The Halal
Institute of Cordoba advocates the development of one of the most
promising tourist segments in the city. There are, obviously, quite a
few reasons for this. First, because Spain, and, particularly,
Andalusia, is a popular destination for Muslim tourists because of its
800-strong history. Second, it is the economic activity related to this
type of tourism that justifies the development of a ‘ Halal tourism
offering “, ie : a tour offering for practicing Muslims, particularly
from clients in the Middle East . These tourists spend twice as much as
the average in Spain , according to figures from Turespaña. Tourists
from Saudi Arabia, for example, spend a budget of € 2,287 per person on
their holiday, against 2,116 for those in the UAE , or € 1,703 for the
Egyptian tourist. Compared with the average amount of € 956 per person
spending for all holidaymakers in Spain, the amount spent by the Muslim
tourists from the oil-rich Gulf states is much larger which can not be
ignored.
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| Alhamratour in the Halal Conference 2014 in Granada (HTC2014) |
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| Muslim tourists visitting and praying in the Granada's Mosque |
However,
the changes proposed by the Institute of Cordoba formations stir more
curiosity hoteliers. Fittingly , the study presented in Granada also
shows that tourists from the Middle East are those who spend the most in
terms of accommodation in Spain, namely € 129 on average per person per
night , in front of the Chinese and Russian ( respectively € 115 and €
91 ) . “This is to recognize that the efforts against Muslim tourists
can go beyond food ,” says Muhammad Escudero, director of Halal
Certification Institute Cordoba : ” It is often the small details to
make considered very important for these customers, as signaling the
direction of Mecca , the layout of prayer space , information in Arabic,
or absence of alcohol and pork … “
"A guarantee of quality"
Since this
summer , Alanda Hotel Marbella is the first certified “halal” Spain
hotel. A four star hotel bought by Saudi group Al Fawaz Hokair a year
ago, and that has made this certification a marketing argument , as
evidenced by the sales manager , Ignacio Gimenez . ” We do not serve
alcohol or pork , which attracted obviously Muslims around the world
committed to their religion ; but beyond this halal deposit also appeals
to a broad customer base that holds the beneficial aspect of the
process, especially since the certification involves traceability and
therefore guarantees quality.
The
absence of alcohol is not a drawback . Sometimes it is an asset for a
family , Muslim or not customers looking for a relaxing holiday while
enjoying the service and installation of a four-star hotel , the spa or
the beach restaurant . In short, the ‘halal’ certification is a further
guarantee of attention here that shows this month (September) of 86%
occupancy rate. Evidence that the commitment does not interfere with the
activity.
"We
announce our halal recess policy when making reservations , and we have
never been abandoned or even the slightest criticism ; customers may be
surprised , but it’s always positive ,"said Ignacio Gimenez .
These
reactions now allow the company to consider an international hotel
development with the same positioning ” halal ” .
Article by: halaltimes.com via www.econostrum.info
Travel the Halal way and Discover the moorish Gibraltar
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| The Rock of Gibraltar |
kilometers, making it easy
to explore on foot, and its location at the entrance of the Mediterranean south
of Spain makes it a good jumping-off point for further travels. The landscape
is dotted with caves and tunnels, Gibraltar has a rich, swashbuckling history
and its underlying Britishness makes it a perfect destination for pub- and
tea-lovers who also crave the sunshine.
Gibraltar's Islamic history began with the arrival of Tariq
ibn-Ziyad on 27 April 711 at the start of the Umayyad conquest of Hispania.
The name of the city comes from the arabic Jabal-ı Tārıq (جبل طارق, "Mountain of Tariq" which name was
later corrupted into "Gibraltar" by the Spanish.
The history of Moorish Gibraltar began with the
landing of the Muslims in Hispania and the fall of the Visigothic Kingdom of
Toledo in 711 and ended with the fall of Gibraltar to Christian hands 751 years
later, in 1462, with an interregnum during the early 14th century.
The Madinat al-Fath (City of Victory) was intended to
be a major city furnished with palaces and mosques, but it seems to have fallen
well short of the ambitions of its founder, the Almohad
caliph Abd al-Mu'min, by the time it was captured by the Kingdom of Castile in 1309 after a short siege.
Muslim control was restored in 1333 after another, much longer, siege. The city
subsequently underwent a major expansion and refortification. A number of
buildings and structures from this period still exist, including the Moorish
Castle, parts of the Moorish walls, a bath-house and a subterranean reservoir.
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| Monkey in Gibraltar |
Naturally, the main sight in Gibraltar is The Rock. The
upper Rock's nature reserve offers spectacular views of the town and sea below.
The reserve is also home to the only free-living primates on the entire
continent. Over 240 Barbary Macaques thrive around the Apes' Den, an area close
to the center cable-car station. According to local legend, the British will
disappear from Gibraltar when the tailless apes do.
The British side of Gibraltar is most evident on Main
Street. The pedestrianized drag is lined with cozy pubs, charming tea shops and
busy restaurants. Although it looks like it could be a street in London, a
distinctly Spanish lilt is still in the air, reminding visitors that they are
indeed in Mediterranean Europe.
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| Ibrahim Al Ibrahim Mosque, Gibraltar |
Not far from Main Street is the Ibrahim Al Ibrahim Mosque, a symbol of the religious and racial symbiosis of the territory's past. Opened in 1997, the mosque was built by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia to feed the religious needs of Moroccans working on the Rock, and it is the largest mosque in the non-Islamic world.
miércoles, 1 de octubre de 2014
Marbella confirma su liderazgo en el sector del Turismo Halal en España
‘Halal’ es un término que aparece mencionado en el Corán y que significa ‘permitido, saludable y El Instituto Halal es la entidad que gestiona la Marca de Garantía Halal creada por la Junta Islámica de España, con sede en Córdoba, aplicada a alimentos, productos y servicios que desde empresas y entidades se ofertan a públicos de práctica islámica, tanto en nuestro país y en el ámbito de la UE, como para la exportación a países islámicos.
beneficioso’, referido tanto a alimentación como a conductas.
Cuando un turista musulmán elige destino vacacional lo hace, en la gran mayoría de las veces, pensando en un lugar en el que tenga acceso a establecimientos que ofrezcan servicios acordes a su forma de vida y conforme a la ley islámica. El turismo ‘halal’, todavía por explotar en España es, hoy por hoy, uno de los retos para los empresarios hoteleros y hosteleros del país. Así se ha puesto de manifiesto en el primer Congreso Internacional de Turismo ‘Halal’, un foro pionero en Europa, celebrado hace solo unos días en Granada. Marbella, como tantas otras veces en su historia, se sitúa ya en cabeza de carrera y estuvo representada en este encuentro a través de Alanda Hotel, el primero del país en obtener la certificación oficial.
Desde su compra, hace un año, por parte de la corporación empresarial saudí Fawaz Al Hokair, el Alanda Hotel Marbella –antiguo NH Alanda– ubicado en plena Milla de Oro, y a apenas 60 metros de la Mezquita del Rey Fahd, ha venido trabajando en la consecución de un certificado que cumple uno de los objetivos marcados por la propiedad: convertir el establecimiento en un referente para el turista musulmán. Desde que abrió sus puertas, el hotel mantiene varias normas: no ofrece bebidas alcohólicas en ninguno de sus restaurantes, ni tampoco cerdo y derivados.
Ello, como sostiene el director del Alanda, Fernando Portal, no ha disuadido a un buen número de clientes nacionales o británicos, que siguen siendo mayoritarios.
Desde hace unos días, en la puerta de entrada luce la placa que acredita al hotel ante el turista musulmán. El trabajo para conseguir el certificado ha sido intenso, basado en varias auditorías que han analizado no solo el servicio de restaurante y economato, sino el resto de departamentos «uno a uno». «Hemos tenido que aportar una ficha técnica, emitida por nuestros proveedores, de cada uno de los productos que tenemos en el economato», señala Portal «No cabe duda de que estamos hablando de un concepto nuevo que viene a ampliar la oferta hotelera de la Costa del Sol», resume.
Espacios para el rezo
Habilitar más espacios en los que poder rezar, tener habitaciones orientadas a la Meca o señalizas, preservar un horario distinto de piscina para las mujeres y los hombres son algunos de los puntos en los que deben trabajar los hoteles que optan a la certificación del Instituto Halal de España. De momento, en el establecimiento marbellí no se planten hacer esta última distinción de horarios para el baño. Sí se ha señalizado la Meca en las habitaciones y se ha confeccionado un ‘kit’ que se entrega a los clientes y que contiene alfombrilla para el rezo. Igualmente se restringe la programación televisiva, en la que no se ofrecen programas o películas de contenido violento, erótico o pornográfico.
Del mismo modo, los restaurantes disponen de menús que se adaptan a la estricta dieta musulmana. La filosofía ‘Health’ (sano) se ha convertido en seña de identidad de un establecimiento que ha hecho de sus zumos naturales –tan perseguidos por las ‘celebrities’– en uno de sus principales reclamos durante el verano que acaba de finalizar.
Según las cifras que maneja el Instituto Halal, el turismo islámico deja en Andalucía más de 300 millones de euros año. La búsqueda de nuevos mercados para hacer que el sector turístico de la Comunidad siga creciendo llevará a nuevos hoteles a seguir la senda de Marbella.
Fuente: www.diariosur.es
martes, 2 de septiembre de 2014
Andalusian concert in the Anniversary of The Great Mosque of Granada
Each year, the Great Mosque of Granada celebrate its anniversry. Last weekend was celebrated the eleventh anniversary of the opening of the Mosque. Here you have a short video of the concert!
miércoles, 27 de agosto de 2014
The Orange-tree Courtyard of the Cordoba's Mosque
The "Patio de los Naranjos" (the Orange-tree Courtyard) is part of the Cordoba's Mosque, and is undoubtedly the largest courtyard and oldest of the city. Its origin is tied to the temple itself, in the year 786. His name is undoubtedly due to the 98 orange trees that it contains, planted in rows in the late eighteenth century.
This is an enclosed area 130 meters long by 50 wide, divided into three parts, each with a fountain in the center.
The appearance of the courtyard has undergone many changes in the course of history. One important change was when it was extended to the north during the reign of Abd al-Rahman III, when the former minaret of Hixem was knocked down, or the extension to the east carried out by Almanzor.
In Islamic times, the area was used for public events such as administering justice or teaching, and the arches connecting the courtyard with the main body of the mosque used to be open. It was intended from the very start as a courtyard with porticos (the galleries were started by Abderramán I and finished in the time of Hixem I, who built the minaret and the ablutions hall).
However, the cloisters visible today date from the beginning of the 16th century, when Bishop Martín Fernández de Angulo entrusted the architect Hernán Ruiz I with the task of totally rebuilding them.
Beneath the ground where the orange trees are planted lies a large water cistern which ensured in Muslim times a constant supply of water for the ritual ablutions. The first mention of palm trees being planted here goes back to the 13th century, and there were orange trees in the 15th century, with olive trees and cypresses being added in the 18th.
miércoles, 2 de julio de 2014
Travel the halal way and discover.. Las Alpujarras southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada, Granada
The region of mountain villages known
as Las Alpujarras clings to the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada,
cloven by deep, sheltered valleys and gorges which run down towards the
Mediterranean. 
The Alpujarra, as it is popularly known, in the singular, is famous throughout Spain because of its unique mini-ecology. Its terraced farmlands are constantly watered by the melting snow from above, constituting a high-altitude oasis of greenery which stands in dramatic contrast to the arid foothills below.
This is ideal hiking terrain for adventurous travellers, provided you take along a tent and well-padded sleeping bags - the average altitude is 4,000 feet above sea level.
The cultural interest of the region lies in its fifty-odd villages, which were the last stronghold of the moorish. Soon after the Castillians took Granada in 1492, all the city´s Moors were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who refused took to the hills, settling in this remote, inaccessible area.
Constant pressure from the Christians led to a bloody uprising, the
Morisco Rebellion of 1568, which was ruthlessly crushed out, with the
public execution of the leader, Ben Humeya, in the main square of
Granada. Soon followed a royal decree expelling from the Kingdom of
Granada all people of moorish descent, since the "new Christians", as
the converts were called, were all suspected of being ¨crypto-Muslims¨
in secret...The villages of the Alpujarra were resettled with some 12,000 Christian families brought by king Felipe II from Galicia and Asturias in north-western Spain.
However, these unique hamlets have retained their traditional Berber architecture - terraced clusters of grey-white box-shaped houses with flat clay roofs - which is still common in the Rif and Atlas mountains of Morocco.
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| An street in Órgiva (Las Alpujarras, Granada) |
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| Acequia de Las Ventanas |
If you stray from the beaten path, you will be sure to catch sight of the region´s abundant wild life, such as the Cabra Hispanica, a mountain goat which roams the mountains in herds and is often seen standing on pinnacles, silhouetted against the sky. But as soon as it flairs the scent of man it will bound up the steepest slopes with amazing speed... The Alpujarra is also famous for its excellent birdwatching - the colourful Hoopoe with its stark, haunting cry, is a common sight.
ALCAICERÍA, the old silk market in muslim times in GRANADA
The Alpujarra mountain range, was important for the production of silk, where silkworms feasted on the leaves of the Mulberry trees. The raw material was then transported by mules, to Granada,where the silk threads were woven, then sold, either in bales, or made into clothing etc.
In the centre of Granadas' city, a bazaar was built , consisting of a grid like network of streets, with merchants shops, and inns, for the merchants to sleep, eat and conduct business. (The Corral del Carbon was originally a merchants inn - see my tip for further info).
Arched Gateways led into the bazzar, which were locked at night, while night watchmen guarded the area.
Originally, this bazaar covered the area from Plaza Nueva to Plaza Bib Rambla, and was a very important trading area.
However,
on the night of 19th July 1843, a fire started in a shop that made
matches, and the entire bazaar was destroyed. The area was soon
re-built, but on a smaller scale.Today, the bazaar still operates as a centre for trading, but mainly goods sold are souvenirs or crafts. It is an interesting place to wander around. Besides looking at the goods for sale, there are some good examples of Islamic architecture, and tiled wall decorations.