Five centuries after its extinction, Al Andalus continues to radiate fascination in the Islamic world. Hundreds of millions of Muslims from Morocco to Indonesia still codify that amazing mixed-race civilization in the heart of Europe as al yenna al mafquda or lost paradise of medieval Islamic culture. In their collective imagination, Al Andalus is part of their own history and, therefore, they feel an enormous urge to know its archaeological, patrimonial and anthropological footprint on the ground.

All this growing tourist potential is what the Medina Network aims to capture. Medina Network through the design of specific cultural itineraries for the muslim-friendly sector, whose global turnover could reach 300,000 million euros in 2026, according to some studies. The Medinas Network is a project promoted by the Las Fuentes Foundation and has been working for three years to highlight the extraordinary architectural and cultural heritage of the ancient Andalusian cities of Spain and Portugal, which still preserve priceless artistic treasures.

The aim is to attract Muslim tourists, who are increasingly dynamic in the global travel industry, and to offer them halal accommodation and catering suited to their cultural and religious needs. “The priority is to attract Muslim visitors interested in the Andalusian legacy of the Iberian Peninsula, that is, Spain and Portugal, although the itinerary is also aimed at the general public,” reports Asier Albistur, guide of the routes.

The itineraries are not yet fully defined, but the first to be implemented will certainly be the south of Al Andalus, with Cordoba, Seville and Granada as the main axes of the route. We are talking about three prominent capitals of the Andalusian period, ranging from the origins of the Umayyad Emirate to the extinction of the Nasrid Kingdom, with the Almohad Seville symbolized by the Giralda.

The purpose is to open the angle of each city and offer a deeper and more current vision of enclaves with an enormous historical weight. “We don’t want visitors to come just to see the Mosque of Cordoba and then leave,” Albistur stresses. The first group is already closed. They are a group of between 20 and 30 Muslims from India. The trip is estimated at eight days and will include, in addition to the most relevant heritage attractions, different experiences related to the Islamic legacy.

Close-up of the pond at the Al-Qasr (Alcázar de los reyes cristianos) in Cordoba (Photo: A. Albistur)

The Andalusian circuit of the south is a must because it integrates the three essential capitals of Al Andalus and its main architectural icons. architectural icons: the Mosque of Cordoba, the Alhambra in Granada and the Giralda in Seville. However, the medieval Andalusian civilization goes far beyond the confines of present-day Andalusia. Therefore, the Network of Medinas has designed other itineraries of unquestionable attraction throughout practically the entire Iberian Peninsula.

Aragon is a highly attractive destination in Al Andalus, thanks to its history and the exceptional heritage treasure preserved in the region. Zaragoza was conquered by the Arabs in 714, just three years after setting foot on the Iberian Peninsula. The Islamic presence lasted at least until 1118 when Alfonso I, at the head of the Christian army, defeated the Almohads and put an end to the Andalusian period in Aragon. Islamic culture, however, maintained its influence for a few more centuries, thanks to the valuable contribution of the Mudejars, Muslims who had become a minority under the new Christian order.

“It is what was known as the Upper March in Caliphate times,” argues Albistur. “Later in that area a taifa was created, that of Zaragoza, and another smaller one in Albarracín“. The Andalusian route that the expert will design for Aragon will not be limited only to the Islamic period. It will also incorporate many elements of the Christian Aragon that took shape from the 12th century onwards. Asier Albistur explains the reason: “There is a type of tourist from Indonesia and Malaysia, who love the whole Crusades theme. And the Maestrazgo area has a lot to do with the military orders”.

Aragonese Mudejar art will be, logically, the guiding thread of the itinerary. Aragon has an extensive and superb Mudejar heritage, scattered in a good number of small towns, much of which is still unknown to the vast majority of visitors. The tourist-cultural program will foreseeably include an immersion in the artisan fabric that still today maintains Mudejar reminiscences in its way of working.

The Spanish Levant, that is, the sharq Al Andalus, will also have a specific itinerary in this ambitious project of Muslim-friendly tourism . Castellón, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia, which this year celebrates the 1,200th anniversary of its foundation by Abderrahman II, exhibit a very rich Andalusian gastronomic, artistic, architectural, cultural and even hydrological legacy, thanks to its millenary irrigation system that gives life today to the powerful Levantine orchards.

Another region that will also have an Andalusian cultural route is Extremadura, with the Kingdom of Badajoz at the forefront, which in Almohad times reached a relevant position given its border situation with the Christian Kingdom of León. The Central March, with its epicenter in Toledo, one of the main Andalusian capitals, also deserves a specific itinerary.

Sevile Al-Qasr (Alcázar) (Photo: A. Albistur)

The Andalusian civilization is not only limited to the territory identified today as Spain. He also left his influence felt in Portugal, mainly in the regions of the Algarve and the Alentejo, in the south of the country, where architectural traces are still noticeable . The same Lisbon was a remarkable Andalusian city in the peninsular Middle Ages.

The design of the itineraries will take into account the multi-religious identity of Al Andalus. “We want to give a global vision. Al Andalus was not only the Muslims”, emphasizes the guide of the routes. Christians and Jews were two essential religious communities of the Andalusian civilization. In fact, they received a legal status of protection as ahl al kitab or people of the book, in relation to the explicit recognition contained in the Quran. The legal shielding was called dimma and the protected communities dimmíes.

“There are experts who say that the Mozarabs were the majority until the 10th century,” says Asier Albistur, referring to the Christians who lived under Islamic rule after the Arab conquest. From that century on, the process of Islamization and Arabization intensified. The Andalusian footprint extended until practically the 17th century through the Morisco communities, that is, the Muslims forced to convert to Christianity by order of the Catholic Monarchs at the beginning of the 16th century.

Beyond the conventional tourist offer, the project also wants to offer thematic cultural packages aimed at educational institutions, with whom the Medinas Network has already opened channels of collaboration. “We also want to offer a product based on training experiences, such as lectures and debates with specific experts,” Albistur explains. “For example: if a group of students from Malaysia comes to Cordoba, we can organize a talk for them with experts in Andalusian culture, archaeologists or researchers.”

The cultural project does not want to limit its offer to heritage tourism, but also seeks to establish collaborative networks with artists, craftsmen or researchers who “try to revive the Andalusian legacy”. The routes will start this coming spring. And they will propose a a new vision of Al Andalus that is deeper, more conscious and more comprehensive of an exceptional period in European history.

Red de Medinas is a project promoted by Fundación Las Fuentes. For more information: proyectos@fundacionlasfuentes.org