Tracing the history of Islam in Spain means more than simply marveling at its celebrated icons such as the Alhambra and Madinat al-Zahra.

At the Pavilion of al-Andalus and Science, a museum situated in the Macroscope building of the Science Park of Granada, many insights into the al-Andalus period and the Arabic-Muslim scientific legacy can be found in a modern, almost 4,500-square meter space.

“The museum is dedicated to the heritage period of al-Andalus as we try to uncover our past traditions, history and landscape, especially during the Islamic era,” said the museum foundation’s officer Javier Rodríguez.

According to Javier, the country has more than 220 different archeological sites and monuments related to the period, which showcase the important dominance of the Arabs starting from the 8th century in Spain and Portugal.

The history of al-Andalus, also known as Muslim Spain, or Islamic Iberia, began with the Umayyads, who conquered and occupied Spain from 711 to 1031. The first areas to be conquered were governed from the capital in Córdoba, from which the Umayyads, originally from Damascus, founded first an Emirate, and later a Caliphate. Their palace city of Madinat al-Zahra in Córdoba was home to one of Western Europe’s most refined societies.

After the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty, various provinces and local lords of al-Andalus became independent and created courts that rivaled Córdoba in splendor. Also known as the Taifa Kingdoms, they ruled between 1031 and 1086.

Faced with the advance of the Christians, the Taifa Kingdoms sought help from the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty from the Sahara, that founded the city of Marrakech in the year 1070. They entered the Iberian Peninsula, swept aside the Taifa Kingdoms and extended their empire throughout al-Andalus. Later, in 1147, Marrakech fell to the Almohads, who founded Rabat in 1150. They later took control of al-Andalus and established their capital in Seville. This dynasty went into decline from 1212 onwards after its armies were defeated by the Christian forces of Aragon and Castile.

Since 1232, the Kingdom of Granada, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty, was the last Muslim territory on the Iberian Peninsula, and remained there for 250 years despite political fragility. Its greatest legacies are the monuments of the Alhambra and the Generalife. In 1492, after being conquered by Christian troops, the last Nasrid King, Boabdil (Abu ‘Abd Allah), surrendered the city of Granada and crossed the Straits of Gibraltar to settle in Fez.

“[After being conquered by the Christians,] most Muslims in Spain went to North Africa, Marrakech, Tunisia and Algeria. Others converted to Christianity,” said Javier.

Although not much is left, at least, not in original form, a few examples of Islamic architecture can still be found in some parts of Spain. Below are the highlights.

Alhambra, Granada

More than 2 million tourists visit this site annually to admire, as Javier described it, the last example of Islamic architecture in Spain and a kind that you could not find anywhere else.

Constructed in 1238, the current Sultan of al-Andalus and emir of Granada ordered the construction of an impenetrable, fortified castle on the hill, encircled by two rivers. “These surrounding forests didn’t exist in the Middle Ages. Building a castle on the hill was for security; enabling them to see the enemy,” said our tour guide Daniel.

Said to be the most romantic building in the world, the Alhambra features palaces with exquisitely decorated interiors filled with incredible arabesques and calligraphy. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)

For centuries, Alhambra (literally, “the red”) served as a palace, a citadel and the residence of the Nasrid sultans and their senior officials. According to Daniel, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 inhabitants used to live on the site, included royal families, servants and concubines. The establishment itself basically consists of four areas: the Palaces, the Alcazaba (military zone), the Medina (the city) and the Generalife palace and gardens. “You would need at least one whole day to explore the entire 13-hectare area,” he added.

After the Sultan surrendered to the Christian monarch to avoid a massacre – thus ended the era of Muslims in Spain as Granada was their last capital – the Christians, immediately fascinated by the palace, decided to preserve the place instead of destroy it. “An additional Christian palace was later built after the conquest,” said Daniel, adding that some of the Muslims were baptized by force and other expelled.

The picturesque Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles), part of the Alhambra royal complex, is arguably one of the site's most photogenic locations. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)

Madinat al-Zahra, Córdoba

Dubbed the City of the Caliphs, Madinat al-Zahra was founded in 936 as one of the symbolic acts associated with Abd al-Rahman III’s proclamation as the first caliph of al-Andalus. The topography of where it sat, between the mountains and the Guadalquivir plain, permitted a deliberate graduation of the ground in terraces. The city was basically made up of two perfectly hierarchical areas: the Medina (the city) and the Alcazar, the residence of the caliph and the offices of government and delegations. The entire architectural complex was protected by a wall with towers and access gateways.

The breakdown of the caliph state at the beginning of the 11th century led to the abandonment of the city and the beginning of its destruction. In 1012, the Alcazar was ruined during a civil war.

Currently only around 10 percent of the city has been excavated, a process which began in 1911 according to our tour guide Lola. “Up to 90 percent is still underground due to budget issues,” said Lola.

According to information at the museum, the excavation efforts have recovered about 12 percent of the Alcazar and the mosque, which said to be the first in al-Andalus to be built correctly positioned, facing Mecca. No houses have been excavated in the Medina yet, although it is assumed they were not too different from those already studied in Córdoba’s outlying quarters.

The Great Portico, with its huge row of arches designed to impress visitors, was the symbolic and ceremonial entrance to the Alcazar, residence of the caliph and site of government offices. (thejakartapost.com/Keshie Hernitaningtyas)

The Cathedral of Córdoba

Now serving as the central church of the Diocese, the cathedral stands where originally stood the city’s main church, San Vicente Basilica, which was demolished in 785 to allow for the construction of a mosque following the Islamic invasion in Córdoba.

Abd al-Rahman I, who was inspired by the Mosque of Damascus, started building the mosque with the traditional layout of a sahn (ablution courtyard) and a zullah (hall of prayer). Over the two following centuries, it was extended by at least three different Umayyad rulers. The result is the largest Islamic monument in the Western world – and the world’s third largest mosque –featuring a unique fusion of Islamic and Byzantine Greek architecture.

Following the reconquering of the city by King Ferdinand III in 1236, the building was reconstructed and remodeled, notably with the addition of gothic, renaissance and baroque styles.

According to Lola, the Islamic minaret, built during the reign of Abd al-Rahman II, could still be found embedded in the tower of the cathedral.

Tracing the history of Islam in Spain means more than simply marveling at its celebrated icons such as the Alhambra and Madinat al-Zahra.

At the Pavilion of al-Andalus and Science, a museum situated in the Macroscope building of the Science Park of Granada, many insights into the al-Andalus period and the Arabic-Muslim scientific legacy can be found in a modern, almost 4,500-square meter space.

'€œThe museum is dedicated to the heritage period of al-Andalus as we try to uncover our past traditions, history and landscape, especially during the Islamic era,'€ said the museum foundation'€™s officer Javier Rodríguez.

According to Javier, the country has more than 220 different archeological sites and monuments related to the period, which showcase the important dominance of the Arabs starting from the 8th century in Spain and Portugal.

The history of al-Andalus, also known as Muslim Spain, or Islamic Iberia, began with the Umayyads, who conquered and occupied Spain from 711 to 1031. The first areas to be conquered were governed from the capital in Córdoba, from which the Umayyads, originally from Damascus, founded first an Emirate, and later a Caliphate. Their palace city of Madinat al-Zahra in Córdoba was home to one of Western Europe'€™s most refined societies.

After the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty, various provinces and local lords of al-Andalus became independent and created courts that rivaled Córdoba in splendor. Also known as the Taifa Kingdoms, they ruled between 1031 and 1086.

Faced with the advance of the Christians, the Taifa Kingdoms sought help from the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty from the Sahara, that founded the city of Marrakech in the year 1070. They entered the Iberian Peninsula, swept aside the Taifa Kingdoms and extended their empire throughout al-Andalus. Later, in 1147, Marrakech fell to the Almohads, who founded Rabat in 1150. They later took control of al-Andalus and established their capital in Seville. This dynasty went into decline from 1212 onwards after its armies were defeated by the Christian forces of Aragon and Castile.

Since 1232, the Kingdom of Granada, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty, was the last Muslim territory on the Iberian Peninsula, and remained there for 250 years despite political fragility. Its greatest legacies are the monuments of the Alhambra and the Generalife. In 1492, after being conquered by Christian troops, the last Nasrid King, Boabdil (Abu '€˜Abd Allah), surrendered the city of Granada and crossed the Straits of Gibraltar to settle in Fez.

'€œ[After being conquered by the Christians,] most Muslims in Spain went to North Africa, Marrakech, Tunisia and Algeria. Others converted to Christianity,'€ said Javier.

Although not much is left, at least, not in original form, a few examples of Islamic architecture can still be found in some parts of Spain. Below are the highlights.

Alhambra, Granada

More than 2 million tourists visit this site annually to admire, as Javier described it, the last example of Islamic architecture in Spain and a kind that you could not find anywhere else.

Constructed in 1238, the current Sultan of al-Andalus and emir of Granada ordered the construction of an impenetrable, fortified castle on the hill, encircled by two rivers. '€œThese surrounding forests didn'€™t exist in the Middle Ages. Building a castle on the hill was for security; enabling them to see the enemy,'€ said our tour guide Daniel.