Inner Sanctum
This is the other side of the screen I showed you in my first upload today. The light is more subdued because the direct sunlight which we saw in my previous photograph was almost completely shaded from this beautiful wall. Now this is a place to lift your spirits!
I mentioned today that I believe the influence of Muslim architecture is present here. The screen in particular is quite a move away from the typical Gothic revival arches of the Victoria era. This is no Alhambra, but you get a similar sense of sacredness of space. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra
I wish we could recapture the vision that once existed in Andalusia, when under Moorish rule, Muslims, Jews and Christians created a beautiful expression of a tolerant world. It began in 750 and ended in 1492. While Christopher Columbus was claiming the Americas for the Spanish crown, Jews and the Moors were being driven out of Spain by the Catholics from the north.
This beautiful and tragic story is magnificently told by historian Maria Rosa Menocal in her book aptly named, "The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" (Back Bay Books, 2002).
This exciting book has now been made into a superb film. theornamentoftheworld.com/
Here is a short preview. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaodAP-i-sg
Inner Sanctum
This is the other side of the screen I showed you in my first upload today. The light is more subdued because the direct sunlight which we saw in my previous photograph was almost completely shaded from this beautiful wall. Now this is a place to lift your spirits!
I mentioned today that I believe the influence of Muslim architecture is present here. The screen in particular is quite a move away from the typical Gothic revival arches of the Victoria era. This is no Alhambra, but you get a similar sense of sacredness of space. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra
I wish we could recapture the vision that once existed in Andalusia, when under Moorish rule, Muslims, Jews and Christians created a beautiful expression of a tolerant world. It began in 750 and ended in 1492. While Christopher Columbus was claiming the Americas for the Spanish crown, Jews and the Moors were being driven out of Spain by the Catholics from the north.
This beautiful and tragic story is magnificently told by historian Maria Rosa Menocal in her book aptly named, "The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" (Back Bay Books, 2002).
This exciting book has now been made into a superb film. theornamentoftheworld.com/
Here is a short preview. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaodAP-i-sg