Muslims, Christians, and Jews: Pilgrimage, Memory and History in Spain RELS 312 Penn Global Seminars 011 Spring 2018

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Muslims, Christians, and Jews: Pilgrimage, Memory and History in Spain RELS 312 Penn Global Seminars 011 Spring 2018 Muslims, Christians, and Jews: Pilgrimage, Memory and History in Spain RELS 312 Penn Global Seminars 011 Spring 2018 Al‐ Andalus, the Muslim Kingdom of Spain, is the point of departure for this Penn Global Course which looks at the history, religion, and memories of the Andalusian Peninsula in Spain. The purpose of this course is to investigate the interreligious lives of Muslims, Christians, and Jews during what is called the Convivencia, or La Convivencia. This time refers to a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in peace before the Reconquista, or reconquest of Spain by Catholics in 1492. Our task is to not only understand this history, but to understand how convivencia is a problematic, but useful term in understanding this time period of great cultural growth, building, and religious innovation. Our course will study the religion, history, culture, and art of Al‐ Andalus period. At the end of the Spring 2018 semester, we will travel to Spain to see how the government of Spain, religious groups, and UNESCO have presented this rich history of Spain’s heritage and tourism. How history, and especially, complicated religious histories are presented can tell us much about how important this history is to shaping our modern world, especially with regards to how certain religious histories are presented and remembered in contested spaces and places. Your two weeks in Spain at the end of the course will take us through the various important cities and towns of the Al Andalus region, with special attention paid to each religious tradition. From the Muslim conquest, to Christopher Columbus setting sail for the Americas and the beginning of the slave trade, you will be able to see and experience the sacred spaces, monuments, and fortresses we have learned about in the course. Tour Schedule Your Penn Global tour is designed to take in all of the major religious and cultural sites we will study in our seminar course. You will be asked to pick a religious track at the beginning of the course as your major focus of interest and during the trip, you will be asked to specifically write your travel journal comparing the history you have learned in the class with how that history is currently presented as part of Spanish “patrimony” or history. Madrid Arrival City/Departure city Museum Tour Toledo Jewish Quarter Santa Maria La Blanca Sephardic Museum Toledo Cathedral Seville (our base for most of the trip) Real Alcazar Juderia‐ Barrio De Santa Cruz Cathedral of Seville Flamenco dancing Roman ruins (aqueduct) Archivo de indias Seville Cordoba Grand Mosque (Mezquita de Cordoba, Cathedral of Cordoba) Jewish Quarter Calle De Los Judios (one of three original synagogues in Spain) Casa Sefrad Madinat Al Zarah Granada Alhambra palace Alcazaba‐ fortress (site of the last Muslim stronghold in Spain until 1492) Generalife (gardens) Albacin (Jewish quarter) Granada Cathedral Application Procedure Penn Global Application Interview with Professor Books for Course Olivia Remie Constable, Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources, 2 nd ed. (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 2011) Jerrilynn Denise Dodds, María Rosa Menocal and Abigail Krasner Balbale, The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture (Yale 2008) María Rosa Menocal, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain (Back Bay, 2002) *Chris Lowney, A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain (Oxford, 2006) Course Requirements No prerequisites are needed for the course, however, an interview with the professor prior to acceptance into the course is mandatory Weekly reading journal (15%) Course Participation (15%) Mid Term Examination (30%) Daily Travel Journal (40%) due immediately after completion of the trip to Spain. .
Recommended publications
  • GRANADA SPAIN Travel Guide
    GRANADA SPAIN Travel Guide BY CANDACE ELIZABETH FYKES Granada Spain Travel Guide By Candace Elizabeth Fykes for Travel Inspires Oh, Granada! Of all the cities and pueblos on But whether you stay in Granada for three the Iberian Peninsula, this one may be the days or a month, here are the sites you simply most Spanish—and I mean that in the best must see! way possible. The city shares its name in Spanish with the pomegranate. And much like 1. Granada Cathedral the fruit, the city has a tough exterior. But its insides are lush and delicious. Commissioned by Queen Isabella 1523, at the Granada Cathedral is a masterpiece of the Spanish Renaissance style and a physical embodiment to the triumphant will of the Catholic Kings. For many of us extranjeros (foreigners), Granada’s As the fourth largest cathedral in the world, it beauty and architecture are what many of us was the crowning glory of the Reconquista or imagine when we think of Spain. From its origins as a small Iberian settlement in the 5th century BC to re-Christianisation of Spain. As Granada was the seat of the last Moorish stronghold, this city has the last of the Muslim strongholds on the been charming every inhabitant and passerby, and Peninsula, Queen Isabella wanted to mark tourist for centuries. Just ask Washington Irving. the success of the Reconquista in Grand Fashion. Like most of Spain, the city has had many lives. But in my humble opinion, Granada has the best evidence of its spectacular past--the Moorish Palace of Alhambra.
    [Show full text]
  • Functionalism and Caprice in Stonecutting. the Case of the Nativity Chapel in Burgos Cathedral
    Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Construction History, Cottbus, May 2009 Functionalism and Caprice in Stonecutting. The Case of the Nativity Chapel in Burgos Cathedral Miguel Ángel Alonso Rodríguez, Ana López Mozo, José Carlos Palacios Gonzalo, Enrique Rabasa Díaz Technical University of Madrid, Spain José Calvo-López Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Spain Alberto Sanjurjo Álvarez San Pablo-CEU University, Madrid, Spain ABSTRACT: Starting from the inaugural text of Philibert de L'Orme, stereotomic treatises and manuscripts are subject to the opposing forces of reason and fancy. The Nativity Chapel in Burgos Cathedral provides an outstanding case study on this subject. It was built in 1571-1582 by Martín de Bérriz and Martín de la Haya, using an oval vault resting on trumpet squinches to span a rectangular bay. Bed joints and rib axes are not planar curves, as usual in oval vaults. This warping is not capricious; we shall argue that it is the outcome of a systematic tracing method. As a result of this process, the slope of the bed joints increases slightly in the first courses, but stays fairly constant after the third course; this solution prevents the upper courses from slipping. Thus, in the Nativity Chapel of Burgos Cathedral, the constraints of masonry construction fostered a singular solution verging on capriccio. It is also worthwhile to remark that the warping of the joints is not easily appreciable to the eye and that the tracing process does not seem to start from a previous conception of the resulting form. All this suggests that we should be quite careful when talking about the whimsical character of Late Gothic and Early Renaissance; in some occasions, apparent caprice is the offspring of practical thinking.
    [Show full text]
  • La Alhambra in Granada, One of the Most Beautiful and Admired Monuments in the Wold
    La Alhambra in Granada, one of the most beautiful and admired monuments in the wold. An old legend says that the Alhambra was built by night, in the light of torches. Its reddish dawn did believe the people of Grenada that the color was like the strength of the blood. The Alhambra, a monument of Granada for Spain and the world. La Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, («qa'lat al-Hamra'» means Red Castle ). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba. The Alhambra is one of the most serenely sensual and beautiful buildings in the world, a place where Moorish art and architecture reached their pinnacle. A masterpiece for you to admire, and it is in Granada, a city full of culture and history. Experience the beauty and admire this marvel of our architectural heritage. Let it touch your heart. Granada is the Alhambra and the gardens, the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, convents and monasteries, the old islamic district Albayzin where the sunset is famous in the world or the Sacromonte where the gypsies perform flamenco shows in the caves where they used to live...Granada is this and many more things. The Alhambra is located on a strategic point in Granada city, with a view over the whole city and the meadow ( la Vega ), and this fact leads to believe that other buildings were already on that site before the Muslims arrived.
    [Show full text]
  • Spain's Islamic Legacy: a Muslim's Travelogue
    SPAIN'S ISLAMIC LEGACY: A MUSLIM'S TRAVELOGUE IMPORTANT NOTICE: Author: Professor S.M. Ghazanfar Editor: Dr. Rabah Saoud All rights, including copyright, in the content of this document are owned or controlled for these purposes by FSTC Limited. In Chief Editor: Lamaan Ball MPhys accessing these web pages, you agree that you may only download the content for your own personal non-commercial Production: Husamaldin Tayeh use. You are not permitted to copy, broadcast, download, store (in any medium), transmit, show or play in public, adapt or change in any way the content of this document for any other purpose whatsoever without the prior written permission of FSTC Release Date: March 2004 Limited. Publication ID: 4050 Material may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way except for your own personal non-commercial home use. Any other use Copyright: © FSTC Limited, 2003 2004 requires the prior written permission of FSTC Limited. You agree not to adapt, alter or create a derivative work from any of the material contained in this document or use it for any other purpose other than for your personal non-commercial use. FSTC Limited has taken all reasonable care to ensure that pages published in this document and on the MuslimHeritage.com Web Site were accurate at the time of publication or last modification. Web sites are by nature experimental or constantly changing. Hence information published may be for test purposes only, may be out of date, or may be the personal opinion of the author. Readers should always verify information with the appropriate references before relying on it.
    [Show full text]
  • Stunning Andalucía Granada • Córdoba • Seville March 3–12, 2017 with Inés Arribas, Senior Lecturer in Spanish
    Spain Stunning Andalucía Granada • Córdoba • Seville March 3–12, 2017 with Inés Arribas, Senior Lecturer in Spanish The Alhambra from Mirador San Nicolás / Jiuguang Wang Explore the historic treasures, cultural heritage, and vibrant landscapes of Spain’s stunning Andalucía. Our sojourn in the southern coastal region of Spain takes us to some of the most striking and ornately decorated palatial residences in the world. We’ll see the impressive Moorish detail of Granada’s Alhambra, Seville’s stunning Alcázar, as Seville, Spain / Rosino well as awe-inspiring cathedrals including Córdoba’s Mezquita and Seville’s Gothic Cathedral. Throughout the itinerary, we’ll also be special guests during private ANDALUCIA Spain Spain palace and garden visits, and we'll have Úbeda ample opportunities to shop in local Córdoba boutiques and outdoor markets. Seville Jaen Boutique Hotels Granada Our deluxe, four-star accommodations include Hotel Vincci Albayzín, set around Atlantic Alboran Sea a traditional Andalusian-style courtyard Ocean and close to Granada’s historic center. The elegant NH Amistad Córdoba Hotel Stamen Design / Open Street Map is a converted 18th-century mansion next to the old city walls in Córdoba's Jewish quarter with views of Mezquita. In Seville’s Ride through historic Seville old town, Hotel Bécquer is close to the on horse and carriage. Cathedral and Guadalquívir River with panoramic views. Listen to a private Gregorian Travel with Study chant concert while admiring paintings from Spain’s Golden Leader Inés Arribas Inés Arribas earned her B.A. from the Age at the Hospital de la Sorbonne University in France and her Caridad’s chapel in Seville.
    [Show full text]
  • The Granada Venegas Family, 1431-1643: Nobility, Renaissance and Morisco Identity
    The Granada Venegas Family, 1431-1643: Nobility, Renaissance and Morisco Identity By Elizabeth Ashcroft Terry A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction Of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Thomas Dandelet, Chair Professor Jonathan Sheehan Professor Ignacio E. Navarrete Summer 2015 The Granada Venegas Family, 1431-1643: Nobility, Renaissance, and Morisco Identity © 2015 by Elizabeth Ashcroft Terry All Rights Reserved The Granada Venegas Family, 1431-1643: Nobility, Renaissance and Morisco Identity By Elizabeth Ashcroft Terry Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California-Berkeley Thomas Dandelet, Chair Abstract In the Spanish city of Granada, beginning with its conquest by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, Christian aesthetics, briefly Gothic, and then classical were imposed on the landscape. There, the revival of classical Roman culture took place against the backdrop of Islamic civilization. The Renaissance was brought to the city by its conquerors along with Christianity and Castilian law. When Granada fell, many Muslim leaders fled to North Africa. Other elite families stayed, collaborated with the new rulers and began to promote this new classical culture. The Granada Venegas were one of the families that stayed, and participated in the Renaissance in Granada by sponsoring a group of writers and poets, and they served the crown in various military capacities. They were royal, having descended from a Sultan who had ruled Granada in 1431. Cidi Yahya Al Nayar, the heir to this family, converted to Christianity prior to the conquest. Thus he was one of the Morisco elites most respected by the conquerors.
    [Show full text]
  • Small Group Tour of Southern Spain (English Only) Itinerary
    Palace Tours 12000 Biscayne Blvd. #107 Miami FL 33181 USA 800-724-5120 / 786-408-0610 Call Us 1-800-724-5120 Small Group Tour of Southern Spain (English Only) Embark with us on a beautiful tour through Andalusia and Madrid. In 7 days you will visit historic cities like Madrid, Cordoba and Sevilla. In the first days you will stay at a hotel in Madrid exploring the capital of Spain in guided tours and on your own. Another destination of this great tour is Cordoba, where you will visit the scenario of Don Quixote, Mosque and the Jewish Quarter. In the next couple days you will experience the beauty of Spain with visiting Granada and Toledo. Come with us and you don't have to stand in line to see all those historic sights. You will be aloud to bypass the crowd of tourists. **All tours will be English Speaking Only Highlights: Prado art museum in Madrid Mosque of Cordoba Giralda tower in Seville Alhambra and Gardens of Generalife Panoramic tour of Toledo Itinerary Day 1 - Monday: Arrival in Madrid Arrive in Madrid and enjoy a welcome drink and orientation session at the hotel this evening . Accommodation at the hotel. Overnight in Madrid. Day 2 - Tuesday: Panaromic tour of Madrid Breakfast at the hotel. Morning city tour of Madrid; find the medieval origins of the city, like the Arabic fortress, at the Barrio de la Morería, famous for its historical buildings. Drive through the courtesan district of the Hapsburgs characterized by Phillip II and its Renaissance and Baroque style buildings, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Villa; the Madrid of the Bourbons and the complex town planning schemes of Charles III, the interior of the Royal Palace, Cibeles and Neptuno Fountains and the Puerta de Alcalá.
    [Show full text]
  • Granada Information
    Granada Information (With thanks to Wikipedia, Wiki travel, Lonely Planet and other websites for the following information) General Information: Granada is the capital city of the province of Granada, in Andalusia, Spain, and is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, at the confluence of four rivers, the Beiro, the Darro, the Genil and the Monachil. It sits at an average elevation of 738 m above sea level, yet is only one hour by car from the Mediterranean coast, the Costa Tropical. Internationally revered for its lavish Alhambra palace, and enshrined in medieval history as the last stronghold of the Moors in Western Europe, Granada is the darker, more complicated cousin of sunny, exuberant Seville. Humming with a feisty cosmopolitanism and awash with riddles, question marks, contradictions and myths, this is a place to put down your guidebook and let your intuition lead the way – through the narrow ascending streets of the Albayzín, and the tumbling white-walled house gardens of the Realejo quarter. Elegant yet edgy, grandiose but gritty, monumental but marked by pockets of stirring graffiti, 21st-century Granada is anything but straightforward. Instead, this sometimes stunning, sometimes ugly city set spectacularly in the crook of the Sierra Nevada is an enigmatic place where – if the mood is right – you sense you might find something that you’ve long been looking for. A free tapa, perhaps? An inspirational piece of street art? A flamenco performance that finally unmasks the intangible spirit of dude? Endowed with relics from various epochs of history, there’s lots to do and plenty to admire in Granada: the mausoleum of the Catholic monarchs, old- school bars selling generous tapas, bohemian teterías where Arabic youths smoke cachimbas (hookah pipes), and an exciting nightlife that bristles with the creative aura of counterculture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Renaissance Reception of the Alhambra: the Letters of Andrea Navagero and the Palace of Charles V Author(S): Cammy Brothers Source: Muqarnas, Vol
    The Renaissance Reception of the Alhambra: The Letters of Andrea Navagero and the Palace of Charles V Author(s): Cammy Brothers Source: Muqarnas, Vol. 11 (1994), pp. 79-102 Published by: Brill Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1523211 Accessed: 19-04-2016 01:52 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1523211?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Brill is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Muqarnas This content downloaded from 128.143.23.241 on Tue, 19 Apr 2016 01:52:31 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms CAMMY BROTHERS THE RENAISSANCE RECEPTION OF THE ALHAMBRA: THE LETTERS OF ANDREA NAVAGERO AND THE PALACE OF CHARLES V For sixteenth-century European visitors to Granada, the the reflections of a discerning, well-educated humanist. Alhambra presented a splendid, intact monument of a When Ferdinand and Isabella provided for the preserva- culture that was otherwise foreign. When Andrea Navag-
    [Show full text]
  • Recorder Use in Spanish Churches and Cathedrals in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries
    Recebido em | Received 14/01/2018 Aceite em | Accepted 22/03/2019 nova série | new series 5/2 (2018), pp. 341-356 ISSN 2183-8410 http://rpm-ns.pt Recorder Use in Spanish Churches and Cathedrals in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries Julia Miller University of Antwerp Royal Conservatory of Antwerp [email protected] Resumo Os documentos do século XVI e início do século XVII que sobrevivem até hoje revelam informações muito dispersas no que concerne ao papel da flauta de bisel na prática de música sacra. Embora tivessem sido adquiridos vários conjuntos de flautas de bisel por instituições eclesiásticas ao longo desse período, coincidindo temporalmente com a representação na iconografia religiosa, grande parte das obras vocais sacras do século XVI não nos elucida sobre a utilização específica destes instrumentos. Dada a escassez de documentação com informação acerca do uso das flautas de bisel, várias questões persistem até à actualidade entre os músicos que procuram definir as suas escolhas informadas para a prática interpretativa. Este artigo apresenta alguns resultados da pesquisa sobre o papel assumido pelas flautas na prática musical sacra em catedrais e igrejas em Espanha, durante os séculos XVI e XVII. Através da síntese e análise dos dados arquivísticos relativamente à compra, reparação e posse de flautas de bisel, às características de alguns desses instrumentos, a contratação e actividade dos músicos que os tocavam, e detalhes da prática interpretativa que remetem especificamente para estes instrumentos. Este artigo aborda também o tópico do repertório disponível nas catedrais e igrejas espanholas que possuem registo da sua actividade e, especificamente, da música que integra as colecções para instrumentos de sopro.
    [Show full text]
  • Granada Guide Activities Activities
    GRANADA GUIDE ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES Alhambra The Royal Chapel of Granada / La Capilla Real de Granada A F One of the largest and certainly most beautiful castles in the world. The An amazing jewel of architecture in the very heart of Granada. The chapel mighty Alhambra built by the Moors in the 14th century is a real gem, a is also a mausoleum – the last resting place of the Catholic Monarch of definite must-see. Spain. A must-see. C/ Real de la Alhambra s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain Calle Oficios 1, 18001 Granada, Spain GPS: N37.17682, W3.59023 GPS: N37.17583, W3.59893 Phone: Phone: +34 902 441 221 +34 958 22 78 48 Granada Cathedral / Catedral de Granada Navas Street / Calle Navas B G The majestic church presents a breath-taking display of interior decora- A narrow street full of character, lined with picturesque buildings, tapas tions lead by the magnificent pipe organ. bars and cafés, it is an ideal place for a pleasant stroll. Plaza Pasiegas S/N, 18001 Granada, Spain Calle Navas, 18009 Granada, Spain GPS: N37.17622, W3.59950 GPS: N37.17347, W3.59782 Generalife Albayzín H C The beautiful and peaceful gardens crafted centuries ago with such care is Also a UNESCO site, the charming district retains its Moorish feel with the located in the Alhambra complex. Take a minute to rest here. narrow winding streets and picturesque white-washed buildings. C/ Real de la Alhambra S/N, 18009 Granada, Spain GPS: N37.17799, W3.59631 GPS: N37.17573, W3.58466 Phone: +34 902 888 001 New Square / Plaza Nueva D This spacious square is both the geographical and the social centre of Elvira Street / Calle Elvira I Granada.
    [Show full text]
  • Spain and the Moors | Small Group Tour for Seniors
    Australia 1300 888 225 New Zealand 0800 440 055 [email protected] From $13,995 AUD Single Room $16,595 AUD Twin Room $13,995 AUD Prices valid until 30th December 2021 17 days Duration Spain Destination Level 2 - Moderate Activity Moors in Spain Oct 19 2021 to Nov 04 2021 Moors in Spain; Small group tour Join Odyssey Traveller on this 20-day tour exploring Southern Spain ‘s Moorish past. Together, led by your tour director, we will discover the traces of the art, moorish architecture, and religious reign and culture of the Moors in Spain by visiting their former strongholds in the Spanish capital of Madrid , before moving further south to Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha and several cities in the charming region of Andalusia with its spectacular landscapes. This seniors small group is part of a collection of Portugal and Spain tours offered each year. Despite their fall and expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquista (Christian Reconquest) in the 15th century, the Moors in Spain have a long and riveting history. Their enduring influence on this Spain tour can be seen from the ruins of their citadels still standing on Moors in Spain 23-Sep-2021 1/22 https://www.odysseytraveller.com.au Australia 1300 888 225 New Zealand 0800 440 055 [email protected] hilltops or the old town, to the grand bazaars that continue to lend colour and life to the Iberian peninsula, will provide us valuable insights about modern-day Spain as we head from central to Southern Spain and the Mediterranean.
    [Show full text]