Submitted by Thomas Elia on the 2024 Winter LLCU program in Morocco…
In the third week a majority of our time was spent in Granada. From Thursday to Sunday of the third week we were visiting and exploring the Andalusian city. I‘m very glad that we were able to make this trip because although it is not in North Africa, Granada contains one of the best examples of well preserved Islamic art in architecture in the world, the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress of which building first began in the year 1238 by the first Nasrid emir. Construction campaigns continued by successive muslim emperors for the next 3 centuries. After the Christian Reconquista, more renaissance style palaces were added as well. The rooms and courtyards of the Alhambra exemplify the epitome of islamic craftsmanship in the form of intricately carved stucco, colorful mosaic tiling called zelije, as well as colored and carved wood ceilings, and numerous types of imagery found in islamic texts. Touring the inside of the compound is a moving experience as you are surrounded by beautiful works of craftsmanship and color while being able to look out of the many windows to view the entirety of the city of Granada from atop of the mountain on which the Alhambra is located. The courtyards within the palaces are mesmerizing with their unique symmetry and powerful symbolism, some resembling the trees in a forest or the rivers and flora found in ideal vision of paradise. The juxtaposition of different architectural styles between the palaces built over the centuries is also amazing as it’s so clear how the styles change. Visiting Spain was an amazing and unique experience that I am so glad that I got to have. I hope that future versions of this Morocco study abroad will continue to incorporate this excursion, as I feel it helps to see such an amazing example of exactly what is being learned about in our lessons! (Submitted on January 23, 2024)
