Morocco and Andalucia

We start our exploration of Marrakech with the Kutubiyya Minaret, which is decorated in typical Almohad style and akin to the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. We proceed to the 16^th century Saadian Tombs, which includes a medieval necropolis. We end the morning with the Dar Si Said Museum, an elegant 19^th century Hispano-Islamic residence which today includes a museum of artisanal art works. After lunch, we venture to the 16^th century Baddi Palace, a sumptuous residence designed to showcase the power of the Saadian Sultans. The day ends with a visit to the famous Yves Saint Laurent Museum in the Jardin Majorelle, which includes a botanical garden and the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech. In the evening there will be a lecture on Roman and medieval Morocco.

This morning we travel to Rabat, taking in the countryside and stopping en route for lunch. On our arrival in the capital city we visit the Museum of History and Civilisation, which contains the most extensive collection of archaeological artefacts found in the country. The museum holds prehistoric and pre-Islamic collections, including objects uncovered by archaeologists working on the Roman sites of Volubilis, Banasa and Thamusida. Following this we have a walk around the thriving metropolis of Rabat and settle into our hotel.

Founded by the Almohad dynasty in the 12^th century, Rabat is becoming increasingly recognised as an important cultural destination. We start our exploration of the city with the Hassan Tower, a minaret of an incomplete mosque by the third Almohad Caliph in 1195, whose ambitions to build the largest minaret and mosque in the world were thwarted by his death. The tour continues to the UNESCO listed Medina and Kasbah of Rabat, which is smaller than the medina in Fez, though perhaps more authentic. The afternoon is spent in Chellah, starting out as a Phoenician emporium, and later colonised in the Roman period and was important enough to be located on one of the major arteries of the province. It was made a holy necropolis in the Marinid period when it was fortified.

Today we venture to Meknes, another of the so-called imperial cities of Morocco. Founded in the medieval period by the Almoravids and made a capital of Morocco in the 17^th century by Sultan Moulay Ismaïl, the son of the founder of the Alaouite sect, who transformed the city in Spanish–Muslim style. Upon our arrival in Meknes, we visit its UNESCO listed Medina. Here we will see the Bab al-Mansour constructed in the 17^th century using zellij tilework and Roman columns. Walking along its winding streets past a symphony of colours, street vendors and madrassas, we admire the façade of the 12^th Great Mosque. There will be some time in the afternoon for you to explore the wonders of this city.

We spend most of the day in the most famous archaeological site in Morocco, Volubilis which is near Meknes. The ancient city developed from the 3^rd century BC, largely because it is in a fertile area, but really came to its own in the 1^st century AD when it became capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. Many of the city’s most photogenic ruins, including temples, a basilica and a magnificent triumphal arch of Caracalla, date to this period when the city grew wealthy from the olive oil trade. This opulence can be seen in the scale of the elite residences which are decorated by exquisite mosaics, many of which are still in situ. On our return to Meknes, we stop at the town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun which developed in the 11^th century after inhabitants abandoned Volubilis.

We travel this morning to Fez where we spend the rest of the day. We begin our visit with the UNESCO listed Medina, whose twisting streets are dotted with historic monuments and mosques. Entry rules here are still traditionally strict so we cannot enter the mosques, but the architecture is stunning from the outside. We will look at the Bou Inania Madrasa, which was founded in the 14th century and is considered the epitome of Marinid architecture. From there, we study the exterior of the 9th century Andalucian Mosque, built by refugees from Andalucía, fleeing the repression of the Umayyads. Our last stop of the morning is to the Qarawiyyin University built in the 9th century and becoming one of the most important didactic centres of the Muslim world. The mosque associated with the university is like a smorgasbord of Moroccan architectural styles, including elements from the Almoravid and Almohad periods. The afternoon is free for you to explore this iconic Moroccan city.

Today we visit two little visited archaeological sites, starting with Banasa, known in antiquity as Colonia Iulia Valentia. Founded by Augustus in order to house veterans from the civil war, it is one of 3 colonies in Mauretania Tingitana, all of which became prosperous from the production of olive oil. The ruins we see today include a forum and Capitolium as well as a bath complex. We proceed to Lixus whose material remains suggest it may have originally been a Carthaginian site, or at least a site which traded with Carthaginians. It was perhaps more famous in antiquity for being the supposed locus of the Gardens of the Hesperides. On the site we will see remains of temples, a Paleochristian church, as well as bath complexes. Following our visit, we transfer to Tangiers where will be based for the remainder of our time in Morocco.

The tour has reached the northern tip of Morocco where Spanish influence is most felt. We start the day at Tetouan, which is about 40km from Gibraltar. The city, which is near Tamuda, a colony founded by Augustus, flourished in the Marinid period before coming to its own at the end of the 15^th century when Ali al-Mandri fled from Granada during the Spanish Reconquista and developed the city. The city became known as the daughter of Granada because it became the home of thousands of fleeing Moriscos who were said to have even brought the keys to their houses in Andalucía with them. We will spend our time admiring the Andalucian flavour of this city in the UNESCO listed Medina. On our return to Tangiers, we will visit the Kasbah Museum, which houses a collection of archaeological artefacts from the region.

Today we cross continents, making our way to Spain, where we explore the vibrant blend of cultures in Andalucía. We spend the morning crossing the straits of Gibraltar on a ferry from Tangiers. Upon arrival we make our way to Cadiz, known in antiquity as Gadir or Gades.

Cadiz is one of oldest continuously inhabited cities in European, being settled since at least the 2^nd millennium, and we are going to explore the panoply of its history. We begin with the Cadiz Museum, which houses a collection of artworks and archaeological pieces from the Phoenicians to contemporary art, including stunning 5^th century Phoenician sarcophagi. We continue to the Roman Theatre, originally built in the 1^st century BC and seating 10,000, though it was built over in the 13^th century. Our last visit of the morning is to the Cathedral built at the height of the city’s power. After lunch, we explore the archaeological site of Gadir located in the centre of the city where we discover a wealth of history, including 9^th century dwellings and precious remnants of the Phoenician city, as well as a Roman fish processing factory. At the end of the visit we travel to Seville.

This morning we explore the city’s famously rich history. We start with the Seville Archaeological Museum which houses the priceless Tartessian or Phoenician El Carambolo treasure dating to the 8^th century BC, as well as stunning artefacts from Italica. We proceed to the Palacio de Lebrija, which contains an important collection of Roman mosaics. After lunch we visit the wonderful Seville Cathedral, built in the 15^th century on top of an Almohad mosque and one of the largest churches in the world. Its campanile, the Giralda Tower, was the minaret of the previous mosque, built in imitation of the Koutoubia minaret in Marrakech. The end of the day takes us to the Real Alcazar, first built in the 11^th century on top of a Visigothic church, modified by the Almohad caliphate and rebuilt after the Catholic Reconquista with wonderful mudejar architecture.

Today we explore the most important and impressive archaeological site in Spain, Italica, the birthplace of Trajan, Hadrian and Theodosius. The site dates back to the 3^rd century BC, though its apogee dates to the Hadrianic period, when it was lavished with imperial munificence. On the site, we will visit one of the largest amphitheatres in the Roman empire, a wonderfully preserved theatre and a plethora of elite houses adorned with mosaics. After lunch, we continue to Ronda where we explore the city’s melange of architecture, including the Puerta de Almocabar which pierces the city’s massive walls, as well as the Iglesia del Espiritu Santo which was begun in 1385, the year of the Catholic Reconquista. Finally, we see the façade of the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor the late 15^th century church built on top of a mosque which has a wonderful Mudejar bell tower.

We spend the morning in Ronda, where we first visit the Mondragon Palace Museum, a 14^th century palace built by the Muslim Abomelic in a typically Moorish style, with stunning courtyards and gardens, which today houses important historical artefacts, including remains from the nearby Roman site of Acinipo. We continue to La Casa del Rey Moro, a 14^th century residence, and to the Arabic Baths, which closely resemble its Roman counterparts and which includes an almost intact hydraulic system, providing us with previous insights into everyday life in Al-Andalus. After lunch we travel to Malaga where we will visit the famous Alcazaba, a massive palatial fortification built in the 11^th century and the best preserved one of its kind in Spain. It is a massive double walled Kasbah built using Roman spolia which contains a palace and a number of Andalusian gardens.

This morning we explore the stunning city of Malaga, first founded by Phoenicians and described by Ibn Battuta as one of the most beautiful cities in Al-Andalus. We start with the Malaga Museum, which contains a fine archaeological collection, including a section on the finds from the excavations near the Alcazaba. We continue a short distance to the Roman Theatre, built in the age of Augustus and in use for several centuries, ultimately being dismantled in order to build the Alcazaba. Our last visit of the morning is to the Church of Santiago Apostol, built in the late 15th century on the place of an old mosque. The tower is of Mudejar style, reflecting the city’s continued Moorish influence. It is in this church that Malaga’s most famous son, Pablo Picasso, was baptised. In the afternoon, you will be given free time to explore this magical Andalucian city.

We spend the entire day in the extraordinary city of Cordoba, which exemplifies perhaps more than any other city the blend of cultures found in Andalucía. We start with the Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral, built on the site of an 8^th century Umayyad mosque and an even earlier Visigothic church and regarded as one of the most accomplished examples of Moorish architecture. It was converted into the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, though its retains much of its Islamism. We continue to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a fortress which was built on a Visigothic structure and which includes stunning Moorish gardens, including reflecting pools and geometric spaces. We end the day with the stunning Medina Azahara, built in the 10^th century by the first Caliph of Cordoba who wanted to build a complex to match the magnificence of the Abassids and Fatimids.

We have saved one of the most remarkable sites for our last full day. Granada, Muslim until its defeat in 1485, was the last bastion of Moorish history and culture in Andalucía. We start with the Cathedral built in the century of the old Muslim Medina and containing the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. We continue to El Banuelo, the site of Arabic baths dating from the 11th century. One of the oldest and finest examples of Moorish architecture surviving from Al-Andalus. The day ends with the extraordinary Alhambra, originally constructed in the 9^th century and rebuilt as a royal palace in the 13^th century. Described by Moorish poets as a pearl set in emeralds, the Alhambra encapsulates the faded grandeur of the last Muslim Emirs. Its magnificence bore a lasting influence on Mudejar art in Spain as it did in the Maghreb.

Today we make our independent onward journeys.