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Granada Spain: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God - Explore Andalusia's Historic City for Cultural Travel & Mediterranean Vacations
Granada Spain: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God - Explore Andalusia's Historic City for Cultural Travel & Mediterranean Vacations

Granada Spain: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God - Explore Andalusia's Historic City for Cultural Travel & Mediterranean Vacations

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Description

Granada is one of the iconic cities of the world. It stands for the culture of Al-Andalus, composed of Moslems, Jews, and Christians, who lived together in the legendary convivencia of the Spanish Middle Ages. Al-Andalus gave rise to an intellectual vanguard whose achievements can be compared only with those of classical Athens, Ming China, or Renaissance Italy.Granada resident Steven Nightingale excavates the rich past of his adopted city and of Al-Andalus, finding a story of utopian ecstasy, political intrigue, religious exaltation, and scorching anguish. Granada witnessed a flourishing of poetry, and constructed the Alhambra, one of the most celebrated buildings in Europe. Al-Andalus brought to Europe the first modern translations of Greek philosophy, advanced mathematics, science, medicine and music, as well as transcendent mystical texts. Yet Ferdinand and Isabel’s conquest of Granada in 1492 meant the end of the culture whose achievements would empower and enrich the rest of Europe.In the story of Granada, Nightingale finds our story, all its violence and possibility and beauty, its spiritual longing and artful dreams. It is a story that shows how we can work together, and what we can create together. And how our best work can be destroyed.

Reviews

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- Verified Buyer
Granada is a grand mix of travel, adventure, and history. It includes one family's experiences living in Andalusia/Granada, interspersed with historical details about not just politics, but advances in science, math, medicine, and music over the centuries.The author is a poet and it shows in his writing, whether he's describing the glorious Alhambra or his 3-year-old daughter kicking a soccer ball into a lingerie shop.Spain's history comes to life as he takes you on journeys to see a judge/philosopher in Seville in the year 1169 or to Toledo in 1486 for the Spanish Inquisition.Favorite lines of mine:"Conversations and gardens belong together. Both are forms that, rightly used, bring into view what otherwise is hidden.""One thing is certain; we will get lost, and we will be glad""It felt as if a gust of good luck had borne us from the one evening to the next."I learned a new word: Convivencia (or Coexistence). Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in peace in Granada for some time. How that ended is tragic, but somehow convivencia gave me hope for the future.I recommend this book to folks who like adventure travel stories, history books, even historical fiction because this non-fiction book reads like a novel.