The routes of the Legacy of Al-Andalus are much more than tourist itineraries through Andalusia. They are a true hallmark of the region, of Spain… and even of Europe. In this post, we explain why, and also list the routes that make up this group of thematic circuits, all of them fascinating for travel enthusiasts.
What is a Council of Europe Cultural Route?
As we mentioned, the Legacy of Al-Andalus was declared a Council of Europe Cultural Route in 1997. But what exactly does that entail? With this distinction, this organization (not part of the European Union, but a promoter of cooperation in the Old Continent) highlights the “shared and living cultural heritage” of European states. In other words, routes that connect places that have helped generate a European consciousness.
Currently, there are 40 routes recognized as such. And to understand their dimension and symbolic value, it is enough to mention some of them: the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Iron Curtain Trail, or the Drovers’ Roads and Cattle Trails. In this context, the routes of the Legacy of Al-Andalus remind us of the importance of Al-Andalus, which also encompassed the south of present-day Portugal, in shaping the culture of the region.
What are the routes of the Legacy of Al-Andalus?
Thus, El legado andalusí, a public Andalusian foundation supported by the Junta de Andalucía, has mapped out several routes that lead travelers to explore places, monuments, and landscapes of Al-Andalus, allowing them to learn from our past, enjoy its present, and preserve them for the future.
Below we list the 9 routes of the Legacy of Al-Andalus, all of which end in Granada, some of which we have covered individually on our blog:
- Caliphate Route, from Cordoba: starting from the city that was the capital of the Umayyad emirate and later caliphate, it reaches the other great capital of Andalusian civilization: Granada, in this case of the Nasrid kingdom.
- Umayyad Route, from Algeciras, crossing the provinces of Cadiz, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, with an essential stop at the Mosque of Cordoba and all that this refined civilization meant for Al-Andalus.
- Almoravid and Almohad Route, from Algeciras to Granada: places like Cadiz or Ronda are part of this journey, which helps to understand the two dynasties that reunified Al-Andalus after the fragmentation of the Taifas.
- Nasrid Route, from Navas de Tolosa to Jaén and Granada: this route begins at the site of the famous battle of 1212, which marked the beginning of the Almohad decline and the subsequent formation of the Kingdom of Granada as the last Muslim bastion on the peninsula.
- Alpujarras Route, from Almería to Granada, through those charming villages located on both sides of Sierra Nevada. In this blog, we have dedicated three posts to it: two for the Granada Alpujarras and one for the Almería Alpujarras.
- Ibn al-Khatib Route: starting in Murcia, the route covers the places of this 14th-century polymath, so important for understanding life in Al-Andalus.
- Al-Mu’tamid Route: starting from Lisbon, this route takes you through the places governed by this Almohad king, scholar, and poet, until he settled in the court of Seville.
- Al-Idrisi Route: a leading geographer of the 12th-century Mediterranean (who even mapped it), it follows the descriptions he made from Malaga to Granada.
- Washington Irving Route: he was not a figure of Al-Andalus, but he was enamored with its legacy. This American politician, traveler, and writer, who wrote a great biography of Christopher Columbus, traveled (like this route) many places in Huelva, Seville, and Granada, also having the good fortune to have slept in the Alhambra… and written about it (Tales of the Alhambra). And we talk about it in this other article.
