The idea was to follow the journey of the Moors from Marrakech to Madrid. The origin of the Moors was among the Berber tribesmen of the Atlas Mountains. We therefore began our journey by walking through Berber villages in the mountains and visiting a Berber market. In the early part of the 8th century, the Berbers amassed their troops from various parts of the northern African continent in Marrakech and advanced northwards (as did we) through Rabat and Tanger.
It seems incredible now, but an army of around 30,000 men crossed over into Iberia and, within 8 years, occupied most of Spain, Portugal, the South of France and southern Italy, naming it Al Andalus. They stayed for nearly 700 years, tolerating Christianity and Judaism, and changing the architecture and food of Spain forever.
We were able to see prime examples of the architecture, notably in Cordoba and Granada, both of which survived almost unscathed from the reclaiming of the lands by the Christian Kings in the 13th and 14th centuries. We also sampled the food!
I have posted pics from our trip here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/7547548@N04/sets/72157633565125782/
Isn't Marrakesh a wonderful town. I wish I had seen more of Morocco when I was there. We made an excursion to the Atlas mountains but that was all. Loved looking at your photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great journey!! Looking at your photos was like visiting old friends. All of the places you visited in Morocco I have visited during a tour of that country. I've also visited most of the Spanish locations on various trips, with the exception of Madrid, which I've yet to visit. Excellent photos, particularly of The Atlas and of Ronda.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Pat. This was the first time I'd seen Rabat and Tangier, which I liked very much.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed them, Mitch (selected from a stock of several hundred as usual . . . .). I'm not sure about Madrid - I enjoyed it, but it's basically a big city without much left to acknowledge its long history.
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