The scorching sun, the dry wilderness, the bullfights, the endless olive sea,
A gypsy dancer dancing flamenco, swinging her bright red skirt.


These are the images that come to mind when you think of Spain.
And in fact, all these images are not from Madrid, the capital of Spain, nor from Barcelona, ​​famous for Gaudi.
All of these are the culture of the southern part of Spain, the region called 'Andalusia'.
Orange trees, a refreshing sangria, a plate of tapas, paella.
All of these things are also part of Andalusian culture.
In other words, the most Spanish Spain, the Spain we dream of, can all be found in Andalusia.
So, for those who vaguely yearn for the image of 'Spain', Andalusia is a region that can show everything they dream of.


Andalusia is also attractive to those who simply admire Spain, but also to those who want to delve a little deeper into its history and architecture.
Because southern Spain was where the last Islamic kingdom in Europe was located.
While European kings were competing to organize crusades and wage war against Islam to prove their faith to the Pope, Spain had no need to do so.
Because there was already a fierce war going on against Islam within the country.
Queen Isabella, a Catholic monarch, was finally able to complete the Catholic kingdom by overthrowing the Nazari dynasty, the last Islamic kingdom to resist in Granada, after a fierce battle.
The famous Alhambra was the last stronghold of the Nazrid dynasty.


Alhambra.
Isn't that a name that excites even the slightest sound? But it seems religious conflict didn't always lead to the brutal destruction of opposing cultures.
In addition to the Nasrid Palace, which preserves the essence of the Nasrid Kingdom, there are also the 'Palace of Charles V' built by the Catholic monarch Charles V, and the 'Generala Lipe', a summer villa built in the 20th century, which is an interesting mix of traces of the fallen Islamic kingdom and the traces of the conquering Catholic kingdom.
And this fun is a common pleasure not only in the Alhambra but throughout most of southern Spain.


When talking about Spanish architecture, most people will immediately shout out 'Gaudi'.
But Gaudi does not represent Spanish architecture.
Rather, it is so unique that it could be said that Gaudi was completed as Gaudi.
The true essence of Spanish architecture lies in the harmony and intermingling of cultures between Islam and Catholicism.
There are even places where a Gothic cathedral is located inside an Islamic mosque.
The Giralda Tower, which Seville is proud of, is a minaret (Islamic tower) decorated with a typical Islamic style sepka at the bottom, and a Gothic style at the top.
Major cities in southern Spain, including the Alhambra in Granada, the millennium-old capital of Seville, Cordoba, Jaen, Malaga, and Cadiz, all boast unique architecture that blends Islamic and Catholic styles.


This book explores the nature, culture, and people of Andalusia by traveling to six cities: Granada, Jaen, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, and Malaga, as well as nearby small towns.
Through this book, readers will learn more about the architecture of southern Spain, the center of European Islamic civilization, and the unique food culture that blends Islamic and European influences.
There is no need to read everything in this book thoroughly and digest it all.
I just want to tell you stories about this beautiful place in an easy and fun way, like following a guided tour.

The unique and bizarrely curved red earth carved by nature over a long period of time, the green sheen of trembling leaves in the poplar forests along the winding riverbank, and the long shadows cast by the last rays of the sun setting over the mountain peaks intersecting each other to create a magnificent yet delicate symphony.
--- From "Guadix, a city in the suburbs of Granada, one with the land"

As you climb the winding road, Segura appears and disappears before your eyes, tempting you.
A brief stop at the observation deck and a look across the sky, the white skyline perched atop the high mountain peaks, stimulates the traveler's imagination.
...
The walls surrounding the village are an umbilical cord connecting the white farmhouses clinging to the pointed cathedral and the castle at the top of the village.
Behind the village, a dizzying cliff slides down a thousand meters into a valley that leads to the blue Yelmo.

--- From "Sierra de Segura, the town of music and poetry"