Eastern Andalusia with Granada and Cordoba

Eastern Andalusia with Granada and Cordoba Travel Guide

Andalusia rings with echoes of the Moors from the dark mountains of the Sierra Morena down to the mighty, snowcapped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. These North African Muslims dwelled in southern Spain for almost 800 years, from their first conquest of Spanish soil (Gibraltar) by the Visigoths in AD 711 to their final expulsion from Granada in 1492. The name Andalusia (Andalucía) comes from the Moors' own name for their new acquisition: Al-Andalus. Two of Spain's most famous monuments, Córdoba's mosque and Granada's Alhambra palace, were the inspired creations of Moorish architects and craftsmen. Typical Andalusian architecture -- brilliant-white villages with narrow, shady streets; thick-walled houses clustered around cool, private patios; whitewashed facades with modest grilled windows -- comes from centuries of Moorish occupation. The Guadalquivir, the Moors' "Great River," runs through the entire region; town names such as Úbeda and Jaén are derivations of old Arabic names; ruined alcázares (fortresses) dot the landscape; and azahar (orange blossom) perfumes the patios.