Travel ASIAN ART 17


Te ceiling in the Hall of Ambassadors in the Al Hambra


the construction, regretted his actions when the work was finished. In the centuries after the death of the first Caliph,


in 936, Abd


ar-Rahman III of Cordoba (912-929) built a new capital just west of the city – Medina Azahara. Named after his favourite wife, Az-Zahra, it was planned as a royal residence, palace and seat of government. Under his reign, Cordoba became the most important


intellectual centre of


Western Europe. By 929, Abd ar- Rahman III was the Caliph of Cordoba and had declared himself leader of all Muslims in Al-Andalus. To celebrate this, he built this vast palace, which was extended during the reign of his son Al-Hakam II (r 961-976). Its chief architect was Abd ar-Rahman III’s son, Al-Hakim II, who later embellished the Cordoba Mezquita. In contrast to Middle Eastern


palaces, whose typical


reception hall was a domed iwan (hall opening to a forecourt), Medina Azahara’s reception halls had a ‘basilical’ plan, each with three or more parallel naves – similar to mosque architecture. By 1031, Al-Andalus had split into


dozens of self-governing states fighting among themselves for territory and power. Sadly, in less than 100 years after the palace was begun it lay in ruins – an 11th-century civil war engulfed the region and the palace was sacked and looted. Although it became an archaeological site in 1910, it is believed that only 10% of the complex has been currently excavated. However, the visitor today can visit parts of the main palace, and imagine the grandeur and beauty of the complex in the 10th century. Te library of Al-Hakam II (961-


976), the second Caliph of Cordoba, was also one of the largest libraries in the world, housing at least 400,000 volumes. Reading was so valued that books became an art form in itself. Te Qur’an encouraged learning as brought you closer to God. Terefore, the city was full of libraries and great advances were made in the disciplines of philosophy, science, and literature.


It was through the culture of Al-Andalus that many of the books from the ancient and classical worlds were rediscovered by Europeans through Islamic copies of lost masterpieces.


One other building to survive from the Umayyad era in Spain is the small 10th-century mezquita in remote Almonaster la Real. Although later converted into a church, the mosque remains more or less intact. It is like a miniature version of the Cordoba Mezquita, with rows of arches forming five naves, the central one leading to a semi-circular mihrab. Te 11th century saw Seville


emerge as the main city of the region from this chaos and home to the new conquering rulers – the Almoravid dynasty (original a Berber imperial dynasty from Morocco). For the next 200 years, the region was ruled by these invaders from north Africa – who were less tolerant than previous


The Moors have left a rich


on the landscape of Spain


cultural legacy


Caliphs and went on to take jihads to Christian North. It was the dawn of Te Crusades. Te surviving symbol of this


dynasty’s rule in Seville is the minaret that was part of the great mosque that stood in city –the Giralda (which resembles the Koutibia Mosque in Marrakech) – which is now part of the 15th-century cathedral. Seville’s cathedral was built to show the wealth of the city after it had become a major trading city after the years of the Reconquista in 1248. Te 770 years that gave Islamic rule to Moorish Spain began to unravel with the struggle for power that reached Seville in mid-13th century. In 1248, there was an enemy at the gates of Seville – the Christians of the north. Te Reconquista had began and it would last for 400 years. Seville finally fell after a two-year siege. One oddity that is part of the Al-


Andalus story is the continuing fascination and admiration for the Moorish style among the Catholics after the defeat in 1492. One fine example is in the 14th-century Alcazar palace in Seville (a complex of buildings left over from the earlier Umayyad dynasty that was also completely reformed by the Almohades dynasty). In 1356,


finished, according to inscriptions on the building, in 1364. Its front towers and gateway retain their Moorish origins to create a striking façade. Glazed ceramic tiles are striking features of Andalusian façades and interiors


whose techniques were


originally introduced by the Moors. Elaborate mosaics in sophisticated geometrical patterns made of unicoloured stones known as azulejos, a type of painted tin ceramic tile, ideal for geometric patterns, were used as decoration for the palace walls and domestic interiors.


Tis craft


flourished in Seville, evolving in the potteries of the region in Triana. Te last bastion of Moorish power was in the far south in the hills, where it had shrunk to a small state in the mountains. Granada was the last Moorish capital of Al Andalus under the Nasrid dynasty (1238-1492) – the last Arab dynasty in Iberia. Considered the gem of Spain’s


the


Christian king Pedro the Cruel destroyed some buildings to create the Mudejar Palace in the hybrid Christian Islamic style, which was


Moorish heritage and the last great monument of Muslim Spain, the spectacular Alhambra (Te Red One), is the best-preserved mediaeval Islamic palace and fortress in the world with its magnificent architecture and gardens. Tere is no reference to the building being used as a palace until the 13th century, although a building had been in existence since the 9th century. Te founder of the dynasty was Muhammed Al-Ahmar, who probably began by restoring an old fortress. His work was completed by his son Muhammed II, whose immediate successors also continued with the work on the palace. Te construction of the palaces Casa Real Vieja (Old Royal Palace) dates to the 14th century and is the work of two great kings: Yusuf I and Muhammed V. It was Muhammed V who built the spectacular Court of the Lions in the 14th century, an open courtyard with a central fountain supported by 12 lions seen today.


Ambassadors, Te gardens of the Al Hambra in Grenada.Photo: Jasleen Kandhari


Te majestic Hall of the one of the main


attractions in the complex emphasises through design the eternal search for paradise – part of the philosophy of Al


Andalus - a very powerful idea that is born out in the architecture of the palace. Te Hall of Ambassadors is all about pattern,


geometry and


calligraphy. We are powerfully reminded that ‘Tere is no God but Allah’ and ‘Tere is no Conqueror but Allah’. It focuses the mind on the power of god. Te hall has an intricate mosaic ceiling with 8,017 pieces of wood used in the geometric pattern where there is a great use of the number seven (and also 4), representing seven heavens and goes on to reproduce multiples of seven in the designs. Te scholar, Robert Irwin, believes that the number seven was important in Islamic mediaeval philosophical thought at the time, influenced by Rabia of Basra, a sufi mystic and poet. Te Hall of the Ambassadors was also where Abu Abdallah (‘Boabdil’), in late November 1491, signed the treaty of surrender to the Catholic forces of Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1492.


before the final defeat Te Generalife palace and garden


(Garden of Lofty Paradise) is designed to reflect descriptions in the Qur’an of wonderful orchards, pastures and flowers. Te gardens are based on a geometric design and were ideal places for picnics which were hugely popular in Nasrid culture in late 13th/14th century Spain. Te Al Hambra. Palace of myths


and legends. However, almost nothing is known about the functioning of the palace and daily life, despite the guides spinning fabulous tales to the ever- flowing crowds that now flock to see inside its walls. Perhaps it is better left to your imagination when you see the building reflected in the water of the gardens that surround it. In 1469, Spain finally united when


Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile married. As Te Catholic Monarchs, with a mandate from the Pope, they launched an assault against the far south and in January 1492, after 10 years of fighting, the last Nasrid King Mohammed XII surrendered the province of Granada. Te Christian reconquest was complete.


SUMMER QUARTER 2017 ASIAN ART


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