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| Andalucia,
the largest of Spain's seventeen regions, receives some 12 million visitors every
year. They enter and leave again, quite freely through numerous gateways, by road,
air and sea. But this was not always so. In ancient times lines of communication
were restricted and there was a tariff or levy to pay.
In fact. the word tariff
originates in Andalucia. It comes from tarifa, the town located at europe's southern
most point. Tarifa commands the narrow straits between Spain and Africa, the mythical
Pillars of Hercules where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean and in Roman
times the town's name became synonymous with the tariff charged to passing ships.
The Romans, however were relative latecomers to Andalucia. they were predeceded
by Greeks, by Phoenicians and by Carthaginians to name but a few. The region,
a veritable cradle of civilisation, has been populated for upwards of a million
years and by the time the Romans took control a lot of water had flowed between
those Pillars of Hercules.
The great seaport of Cadiz was founded by the Phoenicians
in the year 1,100BC, making it the earliest known city, pre-dating even Rome.
Seville, the capital of Andalucia, was founded in 700BC. Julius Ceasar fought
battles in Andalucia winning a famous Roman civil war victory at Monda near Marbella.
the Emperor Hadrian, who would later give his name to a wall dividing England
and Scotland, was born in Andalucia at Italica. After the Romans came Goths, Vandals
and Visigoths who were expelled by the Moors who invaded through Gibraltar in
711AD.
The Moorish occupation lasted well over seven centuries and gave the
region its name and much of its rich historic and cultural heritage. The Caliphate
of Cordoba under which Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in harmony became the
centre of learning and wisdom and by the eleventh century the city was the largest
in the western world with a population of nearly one million. The magnificent
mosque (mezquita) built by Abderrarnan the First in 755AD bears witness to a truly
glorious age and is today, one of Spains most visited historic momuments.
In Granada located at the foot of the towering Sierra Nevada mountains the Moors
gave free reign to an architectural style which clearly reflected their passion
for water, plants and trees. In the 13th century the splendid Generalife gardens
were laid out in the grounds of the fabulous Alhambra Palace and were irrigated
with sophisticated techniques still wondered at by today's visitors. The Moors
left their mark all over Andalucia before their final expulsion by King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella in 1492. At around this time Christopher Columbus persuaded
the king and queen to finance a voyage of discovery which set sail from Huelva
in western Andalucia. By 1503, Seville had claimed a monopoly on trade with Americas
and in no time at all the city became the nerve-centre of the Spanish Empire as
ship aftyer ship ,leaen to the gunnels with gold and silver, beat a course up
the Guadalquivir river. their cargoes were registered at the "Torre de Oro",
tower of gold, which remains today, one of the city's most famous landmarks.
Sir Francis Drake, who attacked the port of Cadiz in 1587, was one of England's
greatest historic heroes but he was seen differently in Spain where he was labelled
"Drake the Pirate" for his harassment of Spain's bullion ships in the
Caribbean. The golden century (17th) with the great works of Andalucian artists,
Valazquez, Zurbaran and Murillo; the capture and occupation of Gibraltar (1704);
the Battle of Trafalgar (1805); Napoleon's invasion of Andalucia (1808); the War
of Independence (1884); the birthplace of Picasso in Malaga (1881) all contribute
to the rich historic tapestry of a proud region which will add, in 1997, yet another
milestone, the Johnnie Walker Ryder Cup | |
