Over a thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its greatest periods of cultural enlightenment – a century long period when Muslims, Christians and Jews inhabited the same  corner of western Europe and thrived….

The lemon tree, the waterwheel, Aristotle`s lost philosophy …. all arrived in Europe through Islamic Spain… Algebra, Mathematics,  the beginning of modern medicine, science and poetry as well…

Here began the initial roots of the European Renaissance. You might be surprised to learn that Islam, at least in its beginning and initial rapid expansion through Northern Africa to Spain, was a model of intellectual inquiry and cultural assimilation ; not so much conquering people as convincing them that it had something truly spectacular to offer.

8-10th Century Muslims expanded our knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. It´s simply undeniable that while in Europe others were rejecting outer influences, stuck in archaic thought, repeating traditional knowledge with little change, Muslims adopted and gathered knowledge from the Greeks and the Romans establishing Universities called ¨Madrasas.¨

                                  » We´ll lounge beneath  the pomegranates,

                                                  palm trees, apple trees,

                                           under every lovely, leafy thing,

                                               and walk among the vines,

                                      enjoy the splendid faces we will see,

                                     in a lofty palace, built of noble stones.

                                                                                    -Ibn Gabirol. 11th Century

About The First Nasrid and Inauguration of The Nasrid Kingdom

It was the year 1238 when the Nasrid leader, Mohammed Ibn Nasr known as ¨ibn-Alhamar¨, with brilliance conquered the city of Granada, after almost six years of battles and great strides in diplomacy… one warm evening in May he made camp with his troops in La Vega de Granada. As the call of prayer sounded at Sunset, he made his way into the city and went to the mosque to pray. Afterwards, escorted by torches of fire he entered the palace. As Arabic sources report he appeared like a  groom on his wedding day. In this way  the First Nasrid began the first chapter of a two hundred and fifty year long Dynasty.

A year later he climbed to a red hill called ¨La Sabika¨ and chose a strategic  location which marked the foundations of  the city of his dreams, a slice of Paradise called  Al-Hamra.