MOORISH SPAIN: AL-ANDALUS & ITS LEGACY

DESCRIPTION

In 711 Tariq, governor of Tangier, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar with his Berber army and swept through Hispania. Islamic Spain, one of Europe’s great civilisations, was to thrive on the Iberian peninsula for more than seven centuries. With visits to Córdoba, Seville, Ronda and Granada, our study tour concentrates on the most important centres of al-Andalus, remarkable for the survival of religious and secular buildings unrivalled in the West.

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ITINERARY

DAY

1

Depart Gatwick 0945 on British Airways, arriving Málaga 1330. Continue to Córdoba for three nights at the NH Amistad Hotel. Introductory lecture.

DAY

2

Córdoba: Great Mosque/cathedral, archaeological museum and Roman theatre, followed by an optional walking tour including the ruins of the Roman temple.

DAY

3

Córdoba: the synagogue, Madinat al-Zahra and the Alcázar with its gardens.

DAY

4

Depart via Parador de Carmona (Mudéjar castle) and Roman site followed by the Roman town of Itálica (birthplace of the Emperor Trajan): Roman amphitheatre and mosaics. Transfer to Seville for three nights at Hotel Las Casas de los Mercaderes. Evening lecture: Seville from the Almohads to Pedro the Cruel.

DAY

5

Morning: La Giralda (12th century minaret), Puerta del Perdón (gateway to the Patio de los Naranjos courtyard), Gothic and Renaissance cathedral and walk through the Santa Cruz quarter (former Jewish quarter). Afternoon: Casa de Pilatos (16th century town house with fine azulejos and a blend of Renaissance and Mudéjar work).

DAY

6

Morning: Alcázar (14th century Mudéjar palace of Pedro I). Afternoon: Archaeological Museum (important collection of mosaics, and statues from Itálica), and the Bellas Artes Museum.

DAY

7

Ronda (astride the El Tajo gorge), Ronda la Vieja (Roman theatre), and Alcaudete (castle built by the Knights of Calatrava on the site of an Almohad fortess). Continue to Granada for three nights at Hotel Inglaterra.

DAY

8

Granada: Corral del Carbón (Islamic caravanserai), Alcaicería (recreation of the silk bazaar), madrassah (surviving oratory from the 14th century university), 11th century Islamic baths, Casas del Chapiz (16th century Morisco houses). Afternoon: St Nicholas Terrace (views of the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada). Evening lecture: The Alhambra, an ideal Andalusian palace?

DAY

9

Morning: the Alhambra palaces, the Generalife with its gardens, and Museo de la Alhambra. Afternoon: Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta (modern painting and sculpture), and the citadel of the Alcazaba.

DAY

10

Morning: Renaissance cathedral, royal chapel (tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, with the Queen’s collection of Flemish paintings). Depart Málaga 1415, arriving Gatwick 1600.