Al-Andalus: eight centuries of Muslim Spain, and where to see it

For nearly eight hundred years — from 711 to 1492 — parts of the Iberian peninsula were Muslim-ruled, and for a long stretch of that Córdoba was among the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. The buildings that survived are the reason the story is still tellable in three dimensions.

Córdoba: the Mezquita

Construction started in 785, and the building was expanded repeatedly for the next two centuries, which is why you can walk through a forest of red-and-white double arches and watch the architecture grow as you go. When it was finished it was among the largest mosques on earth.

In 1236 it was converted into a cathedral, and in the sixteenth century a large Christian nave was inserted into the middle of the prayer hall. That decision is still argued about in the city today; for a visitor, the effect is genuinely strange and worth seeing.

Granada: the Alhambra

The last Muslim kingdom in Europe fell here in 1492, and the palace complex is the finest surviving example of Nasrid architecture anywhere. The Nasrid Palaces are the part to book well in advance — tickets are limited and sell out days ahead.

Eight centuries of Muslim Spain do not need imagination to visit. They need a good guide and three cities.

What makes it different from Córdoba is that the Muslim state was losing rather than winning by the time most of it was built. The walls are defensive, the water channels are engineered, and the courtyards are designed to shut out a hostile city.

Seville: the Giralda and the Alcázar

The Giralda is the minaret of the Almohad mosque that once stood on the same site, converted into a bell tower in the sixteenth century. You climb it up a ramp — the original was built for a rider to ascend on horseback.

The Alcázar next door keeps its Almohad core under later Christian rebuilding, and is still a working royal residence.

Practical notes for Muslim travellers

Halal food in Spain takes planning rather than luck: there are Muslim-owned and halal-certified restaurants in Madrid, Córdoba, Granada and Seville, but they are not on every corner. Our Al-Andalus route runs a shortlist in each city.

Prayer is straightforward: all four cities have mosques near the centre, and there is prayer space on site in both the Mezquita and the Alhambra.