Across Andalucia: The Albayzin – The Director’s Cut

I find the Great Mosque but cannot enter. There's a fountain in the courtyard and a great view of the Alhambra in the distance. The view must be spectacular at night.

Across Andalucia: The Alhambra Fortress – The Director’s Cut

"...The lower part of the walls is encrusted with beautiful Moorish tiles… the upper part is faced with fine stucco-work...artfully joined, so as to have the appearance of having been laboriously sculpted by hand…”

Across Andalucia: Granada’s “Garden of the Architect” – The Director’s Cut

"...we passed through a Moorish archway into the renowned Court of Lions... The alabaster basins still shed their diamond drops, and the twelve lions which support them cast forth their crystal streams as in the days of Boabdil..."

Across Andalucia: The Alcazar and Caliph Baths – The Director’s Cut

The Alcazar was built in 1328 as a military fortification, and was later extended to include gardens, transforming into a residence for the Catholic monarchs after the Reconquista.

Across Andalucia: The Jewish Quarter Part II – The Director’s Cut

The first home I visited in the Jewish Quarter taught me about Golden Threads. The second was all about papermaking.

Across Andalucia: The Jewish Quarter Part I – The Director’s Cut

The Jewish Quarter in Cordoba is one of the largest and best preserved in Europe.

Across Andalucia: The Mezquita – The Director’s Cut

The Mezquita was the largest mosque in the Western world, measuring almost 24,000 square meters. It was built in stages between 785 and 987 and would be considered the most important sanctuary of Western Islam.

Across Andalucia: Cordoba – The Director’s Cut

Cordoba was a scholastic center from the 8th century. Under Muslim rule, it celebrated a golden age of cultural revival and was among the most diverse and religiously tolerant cities of its time.

Across Andalucia: Buildings of Faith – The Director’s Cut

I will always remember Toledo as the city where churches, synagogues and mosques have such similar architecture that you might not realize which house of faith you are in without a guidebook.

Across Andalucia: Toledo Transit – The Director’s Cut

Toledo is rugged, but compact, and in spite of its hills it is a fairly easy walk