The Al Andalous Heritage

If the tunnel under the Straits of Gibraltar which will link Morocco and Spain can already be glimpsed on the horizon of the 21′t century, we should not forget that this maritime discontinuity, this natural frontier between two continents, had long ago and for a very long time channeled the multiple currents of many civilizations.

Under the Omayyad’s dynasty, the Arab conquest which originally came from Alep assumed a wandering itinerary along the Mediterranean coasts and was marked by stops in Damascus, Alexandria, Tripoli, Sfax, Tunis, Algiers, Nador and then Ceuta in order to reach Spain starting in 711. Over the course of a presence which lasted eight centuries, all aspects of Arab-Muslim civilization were displayed and took root. From one side of the Straits of Gibraltar to the other, Middle Eastern influences could be observed in such varied disciplines as religion, linguistics, philosophy, science, architecture, etc.

The Al Andalusian Heritage, in a strict interpretation of the term, concerned the territories of the Iberian peninsula under Muslim domination, from the 7th to the 15th century: it occurred nevertheless largely in Andalusia. Let’s follow particularly the traces of two dynasties: the Almoravides and the Almohades. They bear witness to a common patrimony shared by both Spain and Morocco.

Depending upon their geographic origins, successive dynasties followed roughly the same routes, linking the Middle East or Southern Morocco to Spain in order to multiply, intertwine, to wander off and then meet again in Andalusia. Along these routes which led to Cordoba (the Emirate and Caliphate of Cordoba from 711 to 1031), to Seville (the capital of Al Andalous in 1163) or to Granada (the Nasridean capital), one found oneself pausing in Tangiers, Ceuta, Algeciras, Ronda and Malaga, which were all crossroads. Nevertheless, the influence of Islamic civilization from the East spread from there, notably to France, to Italy and in the intellectual realm, throughout all of Europe.

By Florence Poudru

Collapse of the Al Andalusian unity in Cordoba

The collapse of the Caliphate of Cordoba, which came with the fall of the Omeyades dynasty in 1031, caused the birth of many smaller kingdoms. The loss of this Al Andalusian unity favored the emergence of a new dynasty: that of the Almoravides (in the 11′h and 12th centuries), which stemmed from Berber origins.
These men, very pious and austere, were as well fierce warriors: they sought to remove Islam from the confines of the Western Sahara and then to control the commercial caravan routes which were the source of great wealth, particularly thanks to rock-salt and to gold. The commercial trade between Africa and Spain intensified, requiring the construction of stop-over cities: Marrakech is a striking example. Other cities in Mauritania, Senegal and Mali sprang to life andlourished; Tombouctou emerged as a center of learning.

After the founding of Marrakech by Youssef Ibn Tachfin in 1062, the Almoravides followed a route which led to Meknes, Fes, Ceuta and Tangiers. In order to link Algeciras to Granada, they developed two routes which cut through Ronda, one by Cadiz to the west and the other by Jimenes Castellar.
These « blue warriors », their faces protected by an indigo blue veil, conquered north Africa and the Al Andalusian region. On contact with these territories, they discovered and adopted the luxuries which they had previously denounced. .. They in turn were supplanted by the Almohades (in the 12th and 13th centuries).

Al Andalous and the Almohades period

The Almohades period (1133-1269) was particularly brilliant in many ways: the sciences, arts, letters and maritime trade. They progressively took possession of Fes, Tangiers, Seville, and Marrakech. Their itinerary took for its point of departure an important Village in the High Atlas Mountains called Tinmel, which then pas ger, Seville, Marrakech. Their itinerary took for its point of departure an important village in the High Atlas Mountains called Tinmel, which then passed by Marrakech. Further north, the Almohades favored seveiftl Atlantic ports, namely Safi, Azemmour, Anfa, Sale, from where their heavily loaded boats departed, crammed with cereals destined for the cities of Andalusia. Next to the ruins of Chella, which dated from the 3rd century, they founded Rabat, and they made their way by Ksar el Kebir and Tangiers. Beyond Gibraltar, their route continued on to Granada and then beyond the upper basin of the Guadalquivir River.

Originally a minority tongue, the Arab language in that era not only revealed a new religion through the holy book of the Koran, but was as well spoken by the Mozarab Christians, who preserved their faith under the Muslim domination, and the Jews. The process of arabization accelerated until the 9th century: the’ Arab language then symbolized erudition and refinement. It also evolved as the tongue of poets, philosophers, biographers, travelers and scientists.

The conception of cities surrounded by ramparts and punctuated by monumental ports, a civil architecture – houses surrounding patios, « bammams » – or religious architecture, decorative art – the use of calligraphy and forged iron grills – are the most tangible aspects of this common past. While the Middle Ages were in full stride, Arab urbanism was a reality: one need only recall the sewer systems and the lighting which existed in the cities of Al Andalusian in the 10′h century. .. More prosaically, crafts like gastronomy offered equally strong similarities.

What then are the contributions of the Almoravides and the Almohades?

If one observes the cities linked to these dynasties, one can note the role played by the Almoravides particularly in their fortifications. Meknes or Marrakech, noted for their puddled-clay ramparts, are cases in point. Meknes, Marrakech, Cadiz and Ronda all have an internal concentric structure. The Almoravides constructed their buildings according to a rigorous geometry, such as the celebrated rectangular kiosk, recovered by a cupola, housing an ablutions basin in Marrakech. The external austerity responded to a rich, ornamentally grand interior. This 12th century cupola was related to Cordovan constructions and prefigured the art which one would later call « Hispanic-mauresque ».

Despite a tendency to raze the realizations of their predecessors, such as was done in the taking of Marrakech in 1147, the Almohades preserved the creations of Tinmel and the Oudayan casbah in Rabat. They were truly the great builders who developed and embellished the Almoravidian cities.
Between 1120 and 1140, Mohamed Ibn Toumert, the founder of the Almohadian dynasty, transformed the site of Tinmel, which was located some 30 kilometers to the south of Marrakech, into a veritable fortress. The recently restored mosque is an example of Almohadian religious art, as much for its structure as for its decorations, its polylobed arches, cornices, etc.

The heritage of Al Andalusian Arab-Andalusian culture

If it is impossible to evoke all the existing similarities, one can make a comparative observation of the monuments from one city to another which allow the attentive traveler to take the measure of the same traditional filiations. The minaret of Koutoubia, a mosque inaugurated in 1158, is still today a building which is an essential urban reference point in Marrakech. it is considered as the « older brother » of the Hassan Tower, as well as the truncated minaret in the remains of the mosque of Rabat and the Giralda of Granada. These three Almohadian minarets could be hyphenated by their similarities.

Toward the end of promoting this Arab-Andalusian culture, a foundation, dependent on the government of Andalusia, was conceived in 1996: El Legado Andalousi. The knowledge of and the diffusion of this patrimony as well as the consolidation of the ties which link various Mediterranean countries is the role of this organization. This role is accomplished through expositions, congresses and the publication of books and tourist guides.
Since we have the will to promote cultural tourism, why haven’t we pursued the traces of these dynasties, like the one of Leon the African or the celebrated Tangiers geographer Ibn Battouta who left us so many tales of this voyages?

The approaches toward this patrimonial knowledge are multiple: not only the themes which are tied to architecture, but it is also necessary to evoke music, poetry, the sciences, the equestrian skills, the general art of living well, etc.
The heritage of Al Andalusian symbolizes the meeting of the Orient and the Occident and that of Africa with Europe. The African and European continents will be linked by the Gibraltar Tunnel. Isn’t this tie then, soon to be a fact of life, only the ultimate manifestation of an always palpable reality which has already existed for ten centuries?