By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer I was almost exhausted as I laboured up the last few steps of the Giralda – Seville’s most outstanding monument. A former minaret of that city’s once Grand Mosque, it appeared, after a ten-minute climb, to reach for the sky and its top an almost unattainable goal. Yet, I … Continued
By: Menal Elmaliki / Arab America Contributing Writer “The mere smell of cooking can evoke a whole civilization.” Fernand Braudel ‘Kitab al-Tabikh’ ‘Kitab al Tabikh’ is an old recipe book dating back to the early Middle Ages or dark ages. It was written in the 10th century on the “Cuisine of the Caliph of Baghdad,” and … Continued
By: Ahmed Abu Sultan/Arab America Contributing Writer Gaza, also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC, Gaza has been dominated by several different peoples and empires throughout its history. In Semitic languages, the meaning of the city name is fierce … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer The ancient Greeks and Romans described the Canary Islands as ‘the Fortunate Isles’ and at other times as ‘Isles of the Blest’. Shrouded by an aura of myth and romance, their history became wrapped in fiction and legends. Homer and Herodotus talked about their gardens of great beauty and … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer “Do not speak to me about the court of Baghdad and its glittering magnificence; do not praise the splendour of Persia and China – for there is no land on earth more magnificent or richer than Al-Andalus.” So rhapsodized a 10th century Arab poet living in medieval Arab Spain … Continued
By: Ahmed Abu Sultan/Arab America Contributing Writer Andalusia is the southern autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous, and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognized as historical nationality. However, this name stemmed from an Arabic origin centuries before the Christian … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer Leaving Tordesillas, famous for the ‘Treaty of Tordesillas’ which divided the world between Spain and Portugal and where Spain’s Charles V, kept his mother in a convent-fortress for 46 years, we drove southward through the plains of Castile. Our goal this day was to visit Salamanca, the first city … Continued
By: Holly Johnson/Arab America Contributing Writer Spain has long been considered a country brimming with culture, opportunity, and mystifying historical significance. Driven by its unique geographic borders, nestled in the Iberian Peninsula, it is the only European country to have a physical border with an African country. It maintains territory off of the Canary Islands, … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer Few urban centers in Spain have a more venerable history than Carmona – a town located some 36 km (22.5 mi) east of Seville. Its impressive medieval fortifications and its location on a promontory of the Sierra de Los Alcores hills, overlooking the fertile plains of the Guadalquivir valley, … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer As far as the eye could see, orange and lemon groves stretched in all directions. The perfume diffusing from their blossoms seemed to lull us into a dream-like world of pleasure as we made our way from Valencia to Gandia – Spain’s hidden Mediterranean resort. We were still intoxicated … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer “Besides Valencia, the beauties of all cities vanish from my eyes, The more I reflect, the more her matchless charms make me sigh. For her dress, God has given it green meadows and flowers swaying high, And for a skirt, the enticing sea and a clear river under a … Continued
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer “This is the heartland of our nation. It’s the place where Spain was born.” Our guide appeared proud as we drove through the Castilian countryside on our way to Tordesillas and Valladolid – two of Spain’s historic cities. She continued, “From here, our greatest medieval kings, Charles V and … Continued
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