At its most southern point, it’s just 13 kilometres between Spain and North Africa – where the Mediterranean Sea links the Andalusian town of Point Marroquí and Morocco‘s Point Cires. These two separate continents seem worlds apart, but Spain is intrinsically linked with the Arab World. Spain’s Arab influence dates back to the early 700s, originating from Muslims in Northern Africa and the Middle East known as Moors. Over centuries, these people left their mark on Spain, crafting a rich heritage of food, music, architecture, language and more.

Arab Spain: Architectural legacies

Nowhere is this more prevalent than the sun-baked south of Spain, in the white-washed region known as Andalusia. A tapestry of rivers, hills, beaches and orchards of lemons, oranges, peaches, pomegranates and figs, planted by Arabs, its thriving cities were under Moorish rule for 700 years. The most might display of Moorish power is still seen today in Granada’s rose-tinted Alhambra palace, perched atop a citadel in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, with bronze doors carved in Arabic script, serene gardens and horseshoe arches looking onto the town beneath.

Spain’s Arabic legacy is also palpable in Andalusia’s pulsating capital of Seville, once a capital of Moorish rule. Seducing travellers with charming cobbled lanes, flamenco shows, and thriving restaurants and bars, Seville is home to aristocratic mansions complete with Arabic architectural details. An unmissable spot is The Real Alcázar de Sevilla – Royal Palace of Seville – a complex of Mudéjar-style palaces influenced by the Moors with its great door carved with Arabic calligraphy and Seville Cathedral — a UNESCO Heritage site built on site of the 12th-century Great Mosque – reconfigured into a cathedral.

Further down the jade-green Guadalquivir River, derived from the Arabic ‘wadi-al-Kabir’ (or big valley), lies the city of – Córdoba, a prominent Islamic centre in the Middle Ages. Córdoba is a treasure trove of Arab influences centred around the mighty Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral with its candy-striped horseshoe arches.

A dream destination

Basking in near year-round sunshine, Andalusia has long attracted the world’s well-heeled, with a season lasting from April to November – and plenty to offer even in the winter. Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, which is now a thriving art and cultural hub and a key stop in Andalusia. It’s home to one of Spain’s largest Muslim fortress and castle complexes – the Alcazaba of Málaga. Vertiginous gardens and arched porticoes overlook the city’s modern high rises and port – built by the Moorish rulers behind the nearby Alhambra.

Fly into Málaga to visit the sleek resort city of Marbella, the jewel of Spain’s Costa del Sol. Backing onto the Sierra Blanca Mountains, the Marbella area is home to some of the region’s best beaches, with a white-washed old town – home to Renaissance-era buildings draped with flowers, orange stress and al fresco restaurants. West of Marbella town, a Golden Mile of prestigious nightclubs and villas leads to the Puerto Banús marina – a ritzy yachting capital. New hotel openings include Dubai-born METT Social Living, which opened last year, and homegrown UAE restaurant brand Gaia.

All this, just a seven-hour direct flight from the GCC – or a short ferry ride from Tangier…

For more information, visit spain.info/es, @Spain

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