Saturday 17 September 2016

(112): Al-Andalus: The Mosque-Cathedral and the conscience of history (II)

One thing you cannot escape noticing in the cities of Spain, is the dual atmosphere that is apparent in the architecture, landscape and historical monuments of the country. On one hand, you notice the European design of its buildings, which is a common sight in the Western World. Some of the buildings resemble parts of London, or even the heart of San Francisco in California.

The other part of the old city, were the restaurant Sobrino de Botin is located represents the cross-cultural nature of Spain, where you see historical traces of other civilizations like the Greek and Islamic civilizations.


The IE Business School assigned a tour guide for us to go through the old city after witnessing the more modern part earlier.  The ancient city comprises of some hilly areas, the old city town hall and restaurants. You can tell from the onset that tourism is important to this country. In fact, I noticed it right from the airport. 

On arrival, I was expecting serious scrutiny from the immigration officials. Interestingly, in all the countries I visited so far, I experienced the fastest clearance from an immigration official in Spain. I handed in my passport, the official looked at my visa, without saying a word, stamped on it, and in no more than 5 seconds, I was on my way out to check for my luggage.

I was traveling together with a friend and colleague from our office. Unfortunately, his luggage did not arrive along with mine, even though we checked our bags together from Jeddah. We were asked to report to the lost luggage office, which we did. They promised to trace the bags and let us know within the next 24 hours. We left our hotel address with them.

The following day, after lectures, we returned to the hotel, and my friend asked at the reception whether he received any message. He was asked to check his room, lo and behold! His bags were brought intact, and placed in his room. I told my friend that I had similar experience back in 2004, precisely on the morning of September 10 at Manchester airport in the UK.  On arrival, I noticed that one of my bags was not there. I reported to the lost baggage office.

Two days later, a man knocked at the house I was staying. Hello, he said, “I would like to apologise for the delay in bringing your luggage. We noticed that the handle of the bag was broken, that was why we could not clear it at the airport. Here is a replacement for the broken one; I hope you will continue to use our airline.”  That was it, and the man left. I was perplexed, remained speechless as I gently took the two bags, wondering what happened to the sense of justice in our countries. Apologies for the digression.  

The tour guide took us to the old city of Madrid, where we visited several monumental places. Among them was the restaurant called Sobrino de Botin, believed to be operating continuously without changing location since 1725. The Guinness World Book of Record awarded a certificate to the restaurant, which they placed at the entrance. “Wow,” exclaimed one of our colleagues; “this is Moroccan architecture,” he said. Many of us turned to Khaled Idrisi, as he explained to us the similarities between the design, sitting arrangements, arts and other features that define this restaurant. It wasn’t surprising at all to hear this from Khaled, as most of the buildings in the area have an element of North African outlook. A testimony to the influence of the Andalus Empire, many of which have been preserved by the Spanish authorities.

Next place to visit was a local market called Alfonso Dube Y Diez. It was a typical market made from steel. Its current design was completed in 1915. The market gives you a feeling of ancient Spain. It was well designed; there are butchers on one side busy selling meat, while smaller fish markets are located in other areas. You cannot lose sight of tourists also enjoying the taste of local dishes. I hope our local markets in Nigeria, like the old Kurmi Market in Kano will one day receive the attention, preservation and promotion that markets like Alfonso have received. In fact, in a period of economic recession, it is a source of income for the state.

Several landmarks in the older part of Madrid still signify the impact of Andalus in Modern Spain. Among these landmarks are the Hammams, originally from the Arabic word Hammam. Although in present times, Hammam is translated as toilet, in those days, the Hammam refers to a bath place, not bath in a literal sense, but a place of relaxation. Hammam Al-Andalus was one of the key areas of tourist attraction, and it has branches in several cities like Grenada, Cordoba and Malaga.

In order to “kill the lice on our eyes,” we visited one of the Hammams in the city Centre. The entrance resembles what in Hausaland we call “Soro,” a waiting area or sitting room in traditional Hausa architecture. The design so much resembles the traditional palaces in Hausa city-states one might think he is in Kano, Kazaure or Daura. This is not at all surprising looking at the historical relationship between North Africa and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

There are small ponds similar to modern day swimming pools, albeit much smaller. The sense of tranquility and calmness in the Hammam creates a feeling of admiration for those civilizations that flourished. It makes you engulfed with nostalgia for the achievements of Andalus. I was curious to know the function of the Hammam in those days. Our tour guide in Hammam Al-Andalus told us that scholars in Andalus frequently used the Hammam, so when they are tired of reading, writing or other forms of studies, they use the pools to take bath, relax and continue with their intellectual activities.

To be continued

7:29pm
08 Dhul Hijja, 1437

10 September 2016

1 comment:

  1. I have just stumbled into this blog and I am overwhelmed by Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u's display of intellectual pre-eminence. His views and avowls, especially on Nigerian national issues portray a high level of objectivity. Having such people at the helm of affairs will do this country a lot of good.

    ReplyDelete