Granada

Granada, the capital of the southern Spanish province of the same name, is a celebrated city rich in political, cultural, and religious history. Today, its principal religion is Roman Catholicism, but Granada was once the capital of the Nasrids, the last Muslim dynasty to rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Granada was also home to a flourishing Jewish population. During the convivencia, or period of coexistence shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims that lasted between 711 and 1492 in Andalusia (Muslim-ruled Spain and Portugal), it served as a major center of scholarship by accommodating scholars from around the world, including the medieval historian Ibn Khaldūn.

Granada is home to three UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites: (1) the Alhambra fortress, (2) the Generalife garden complex, and (3) the currently Muslim-majority Albaicín neighborhood, all of which exemplify the blending of Moorish and Andalusian architectures. The Cathedral of Granada, built over the city's previous Great Mosque, represents the region's transformation from Islamic to Christian governance. Also counted among the city's culturally significant constructions are the cave dwellings located in Granada's hillside Sacromonte district, currently inhabited by a six-century-old Roma population. Crowning the hill is the Abbey of Sacromonte, a pilgrimage destination founded in the early 17th century after the discovery of relics buried at that site, among them plaques describing the martyrdom of San Cecilio, Granada's patron saint and first bishop.

The year 2003 saw the opening of the Mosque of Granada, the city's first new mosque after the passing of more than 500 years since the reconquista conducted by the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Built and staffed mostly by converts to Islam, the mosque represents a landmark social advancement for native Spanish Muslims and North African immigrants alike. Francisco Franco, head of state for nearly 40 years during the mid-20th century, banned the practice of religions other than Catholicism, and the nation did not recognize Islam as a legitimate religion until 1989, 14 years after the dictator's death. Today, the Mosque of Granada serves approximately 500 Muslims, many of whom were spiritually curious communists before their conversion in the early post-Franco era. It is the Alhambra palace-fortress complex, however, that serves as the greatest reminder of Granada's religious history. The architectural icon began as a simple citadel and evolved over the centuries into a conglomerate of palaces commissioned by Muslim kings and ultimately Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Due to the continual additions made to the citadel, there is no apparent logic in the monuments' layout, but the captivating buildings, gardens, and bathhouses, especially the Court of the Lions, manifest the quintessence of Andalusian artistry. The Alhambra remains Granada's primary tourist destination and represents the constant evolution of Muslim-Christian interaction in Spain.