Prayer in the shadow of Alhambra, the sad heritage of Cordoba, and the contemplative silence of the White Villages... Peaceful routes where you will discover your Islamic roots with your family.
Hosting the Alhambra Palace, one of the most elegant examples of Islamic architecture in the world, Granada is the capital of spiritual routes in Spain. After spending the day in the fairytale gardens and water channels of the palace, you should cross to the old Muslim quarter Albaicín, located on the opposite hill. Walking through the narrow and white-painted streets, you feel like you are in Morocco or an old Ottoman neighborhood. The Granada Grand Mosque (Mezquita Mayor de Granada), located on the Albaicín hill, is an immense worship area with a view overlooking the Alhambra directly from its garden. An afternoon prayer you perform as a family here will take away your fatigue. Moreover, it is extremely easy to find wonderful halal restaurants, tea houses, and halal butchers belonging to Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine around Calle Elvira (Elvira Street).
Cordoba, once the center of science, culture, and art in Europe, gives one both a great pride and a subtle sadness while walking in its streets today. At the center of your route should, of course, be the Cordoba Mosque (known today as Mezquita-Catedral), built as one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the world, known for its famous red-white arches. Although praying inside is not allowed, walking among those giant columns is the liveliest history lesson to tell your children about the value Islam gives to science and art. In the old streets of Cordoba, you can visit Andalusian courtyards (Patios) decorated with flowers and take a family walk along the Guadalquivir river. Thanks to Moroccan and Arab immigrants living in the city, there are small but delicious halal establishments near the old city center where you can eat safely.
If you are tired of the tourist crowds of big cities and want to enjoy nature and silence with your family, 'Pueblos Blancos', the White Villages scattered in the mountainous regions in the south of Spain, are just for you. Villages like Ronda, Mijas, or Frigiliana are wonderful weekend retreats with their whitewashed houses, narrow flowery streets, and plans bearing the traces of old Islamic architecture. In order not to worry about finding a halal restaurant, you can prepare your own travel food, pastries, and tea when leaving home and have a family picnic on the hills with immense views of these villages. Breathing in the mountain air and contemplating the beauties created by Allah in that unique silence of nature will bring your family even closer.
Spain is not an ordinary European country for Muslims; it is the host of Andalusia, which was the cradle of Islamic civilization for 8 centuries. If you want to travel safely with your family on the weekend and teach your children a glorious history by living it, these 3 routes are just for you.
Living in Spain or traveling here is not just about swimming in the sea or eating tapas. That tremendous heritage of Andalusia is a treasure that every Muslim family should see with their children and contemplate the greatness of our civilization while walking in those streets. That moment you show your children the inscription 'Wa La Ghaliba Illallah' (There is no victor but Allah) engraved on the walls of Alhambra is the most valuable spiritual lesson you can give them. Do not worry about finding halal food or arranging accommodation suitable for your privacy during your trip to Spain. As HalalWorld.com, we are always with you with our Muslim-friendly and alcohol-free boutique hotels all over Spain. We wish you peaceful weekends with your family in the heart of Andalusia!
