Moorish architecture buildings are one of the things you can not miss when you visit the southern part of Spain. Until I visited Spain I didn’t realize the influence Moorish people had in Europe (Spain and Portugal)
Who were Moor’s and what’s Moorish architecture?
The term Moor is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim populations of the Maghreb, al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula), Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
If you’ve been to Córdoba, Granada, or Sevilla in Spain, you’ve likely seen Moorish architecture, not only while sightseeing, but perhaps even in your hotel, a restaurant, or boutique.
#1 The Alhambra, Granada
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. Alhambra is arabic means “the red one” denoting the red fortress built by Moore’s in 1348. It’s a magnificient building and also the most visited palace in Spain. One can notice a lot of tourists all around the world and also there are lot of Syrian and Moroccan restaurants in Granada to relish some good food if you want a different cuisine apart from Spanish Tapas.
Make sure you book the tickets quite in advance because the tickets are sold on advance of upto 6 weeks and they’re quite difficult to get on the spot. Also during the visit, there are couple of areas where there’s strict passport/ID checking mainly to check if one is not entering on someone else’s tickets. The walk from Granada City to Alhambra can be quite steep so on a sunny day it can be rigorous to walk to Alhambra and there are small buses taking you up to Alhambra directly. The visit itself takes anywhere between 3-6 hours so make sure you have allocated enough time for it.
#2 Generalife, Granada
The Generalife derives it’s name from Jannat al-‘Arīf was a summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus. The name itself means “Garden of the Architect” and it’s a really big building close to the Alhambra. All tourists usually combine this visit with Alhambra because of the proximity. Generalife is walkable from Alhambra and the walking paths were well maintained and took us past some beautiful landscapes. This is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and we recommend to not miss the opportunity to visit Generalife.
#3 Mezquita Cathedral de Cordoba, Cordoba
Mosque Cathedral de Cordoba is officially known as Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Due to it’s status as former mosque it’s called Mezquita in Spanish which also means a “mosque”.
It is also one of Spain’s major historic monuments and tourist attractions as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. Cordoba city is one of the hottest cities in Spain and during the months of July-August it can go as hot as 40-45 degrees celsius. Don’t forget to take appropriate caps, sunscreens etc
To visit the entire mosque it takes around 1-1.5 hours in total.
#4 Albaicín, Granada
Albaicin (Albayzin) is a neighbourhood in Granada. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1994, as an extension of the historic site of the nearby Alhambra.
The San Cristobal viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the Alhambra and the surrounding monuments. There are many guided walks which take cover Albaicin and Sacromonte and tour is about 2.5 hours ofcourse with breaks included.
#5 Real Alcazar de Sevilla, Seville
Real Alcazar de Sevilla officially called Royal Alcázar of Seville is a historic royal palace in Seville, Spain. The Spanish term Alcazar derives it’s name from Arabic “al-qasr” which means castle or palace.
It’s also quite stunning building with moorish architecture and gardens in the compound. Though it’s not difficult to get tickets on the spot, it’s better to book it online and not wait in the queue to get the tickets. Adding the visit to the Royal Bedroom is optional and we didn’t do it.
# 6 Alcazaba, Malaga
Alcazaba in Malaga is considered as one of the most beautiful Alcazabas that you can visit in Spain. The good part is that it’s not far from the city centre and easily accessible though it takes time to walk inside the Alcazaba complex. In total the Alcazaba takes around 2-3 hours to visit and it’s often combined with Roman theatre. The Roman Theatre in Malaga is located just below La Alcazaba, and is free to visit.
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