CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Crossing Gibraltar: Bridging the Worlds of Morocco and Spain

Crossing Gibraltar: Bridging the Worlds of Morocco and Spain

May 23-June 8, 2006

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To Greeks and Romans, Gibraltar marked the furthest outpost of the known world. To conquering Arab crusaders, it was the gateway to Europe. To Ferdinand and Isabella, it was a heady symbol of Islam's expulsion from Spain. To us, Gibraltar is all these things as well as a wonderfully located gateway between Africa and Europe.

Crossing Gibraltar with CAU favorite Ross Brann, the Milton R. Konvitz Professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies at Cornell, professor in and chair of the department of Near Eastern Studies, and dean of Alice H. Cook House, we'll explore, enjoy, and better appreciate the cultures and civilizations of Islamic North Africa and Muslim, Catholic, and Jewish Spain before, during, and after eight centuries of caliphs' rule.

We'll first explore Islam's westernmost outpost, from the Mediterranean coast to the edge of the Sahara desert. With the demise of Islam in Iberia in 1492, Muslim exiles sought refuge in Morocco, turning it into the guardian of Andalusian Arabic historical, artistic, and musical traditions. These cultural traditions and their artifacts then mixed and melded with indigenous Berber and other mahgribi (North African) traditions to create the unique identity and culture that we will observe and explore.

Our first destination, Marrakech, is known to Moroccans as the "Pearl of the South." Here we will visit Jemaa-el-Fna Square and its busy marketplace, the Koutoubia Mosque with its immense, 222-foot-tall minaret, the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Arts, the Bahia Palace, chief residence of the chief vizier to Sultan Moulay el Hassan, and the fine Majorelle Gardens.

From Marrakech we'll cross the spectacular Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, arriving in Ouarzazate, a desert city famed for its Berber-style castles, pottery, and carpets, and the Taourirt Kasbah, built by the powerful Glaoui family. From Ouarzazate we'll cross the Vallee du Dades to Erfoud, where we'll head out for unforgettable Sahara desert sunset views across pink dunes that stretch to the horizon.

From Erfoud we'll continue along the caravan route to minaret-studded Fez. This will be a day of great contrasts, as we pass from arid desert into a region of rich agricultural land, alpine meadows, and fragrant cedar forests. Fez is a marvel. We will explore each of its quite different sections: medieval Fez el Bali, founded in 789 C.E.; Fez el Jdid, or "New Fez," begun in the thirteenth century; and the modern New Town, built by the French.

From Fez, we'll drive to Tangier, stopping at the town of Chefchaouen, which was founded at the end of the fifteenth century by Muslim refugees from Spain. Boarding the ferry at Tangier, we'll sail the Strait of Gibraltar to Algeciras, make the short drive to Gibraltar for a good look at the Rock, and continue on to Malaga for dinner and an overnight stop. Bright and early the following morning, we'll head off to Granada, our first Andalusian destination.

Christians, Muslims, and Jews once shared the belief that Spain was singularly blessed. From the eighth century until 1492, Spain was a uniquely mixed, complex land where Arabic, Latin, and Hebrew languages, cultural traditions, religions, and voices coexisted—and indeed prospered—side by side. Ross's abiding affection for and knowledge of Andalusian Spain will guide his lectures and our discussions and conversations as we explore two of its great centers: Granada and Cordoba.

In Granada, we'll visit the simple, beautiful tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, the old Moorish quarter (the Albaicin), and the Generalife, the splendidly set summer palace of the Muslims. Literally and figuratively, the high point of Granada will be the Alhambra. This hilltop fortress and palace of the caliphs is probably the most famous architectural monument in all of western Islam, peerless in its forms, colors, geometry, scale, and ornamentation. Before leaving this magnificent site, we'll take time to recount the legend of "The Moor's Last Sigh," the melancholy tale of the surrender of the Alhambra's keys in 1492 by the last of the Muslim kings.

Cordoba, our final destination, was, from the eighth through the eleventh centuries, the political and cultural seat of Muslim Spain and the largest, most opulent city in Europe. Falling to the Christian armies of the king of Spain in 1236, Cordoba became their court city as well as the launching site for the ultimate Christian conquest of Granada. We will explore the exquisite and haunting Mezquita (the Great Mosque, now Cordoba's cathedral). We will visit Cordoba's ancient Jewish quarter with its beautifully restored synagogue, the only medieval Jewish house of worship in Andalusia to survive the expulsion of the Jews in 1492.From Cordoba, we'll take the high-speed train to Madrid for our closing evening, valedictory dinner, and overnight before heading home.

The program fee of $7,290 (per-person, double-occupancy) includes all lodging, most meals, all transportation in and between Morocco and Spain, all site visits, escort services, taxes, gratuities, emergency medical-evacuation insurance, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy is $1,280. A group air package between the U.S. and Morocco, and Spain and the U.S., will be offered at additional cost (the current fare is $710), but you are free to make your own international air arrangements if you prefer. This will be a moderately strenuous trip. We'll be walking a mile or more over uneven terrain, climbing many steps, and driving in various types of vehicles on occasionally less-than-perfect roads. Temperatures will be quite warm, but not oppressive, during the day. Evenings should be quite comfortable. Rain is unlikely.