Andalusia

Depending on your point of view, Andalusia's origins lie in its fortunate, or unfortunate, location.

The climate is mild, the land is fertile and the living is easy. So much so that it has acted as a magnet for just about every adventurer and opportunist that graced early Europe.

It was, however, during the domination of the Moors, between the 7th and the 15th centuries AD that the character of Andalusia, or Al andalus as called by its Moorish rulers, was primarily formed; the golden era of which was the rule of the Caliphate of Córdoba between the 8th and 10th centuries AD.

At the end of it all, enemies waiting in the wings were gathering like darkening storm clouds and Moorish domination was finally brought to an end in the year 1492 with the capture of the last emirate, Granada, by the Catholic Kings (Los Reyes Católico), Fernando and Isabella.

However, during this culturally rich and fertile episode, the Al andalus character had been indelibly impressed on its population. It survives today in the dark complexion of its inhabitants and the distinctive cultural diversity of its regions.

Andalusia is the largest of the autonomous regions of Spain covering some 17.6% of Spanish soil. It consists of 8 provinces and includes Ceuta and Melilla, remnants of Spanish expansion into Africa.

As if emphasising the cultural diversity of its inhabitants, Andalusian topography is a raucous cacophony of mountains sweeping down to gentle plains girdled with golden beaches that merge into untamed, impenetrable marshland. In these remote and lonely places, some of Europe's rarest and most fragile biosystems cling precariously to tailcoats of existence.

On the east coast, the imposing majesty of the Sierra Nevada forms a ragged backdrop to the seemingly endless golden Mediterranean coastlines enjoyed by millions of annually migrant sunseekers.

Andalusia boasts both the wettest and the driest regions of Spain, the coast of Cádiz with more than 2,000mm of rain annually and Almería, with less than 250mm of annual rain, respectively. It is also the region of Spain with the highest annual temperature; an area incorporating a large part of the provinces of Seville and Córdoba earning a reputation as 'the frying pan of Andalusia'.

In high summer, heat falls like a leaden blanket on the village of Ejica, white buildings hugging the ground as if attempting to conserve moisture against the naked earth, in a dust-bowl where summer temperatures can reach more than 50ºC.

Routes and places worth a visit

Andalusia is filled with variety and difference based on a past that is as culturally rich as it is temperamentally varied. A few suggestions would include:

The Sierra of Cazorla in Jaén is not only one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in Andalusia it is also the birthplace of the mighty Guadalquivir river. The river rises close to the town of Cazorla in the heart of the Natural Parklands of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas, the largest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Natural Park is dotted with whitewashed villages that have an ancient story to tell and where the exquisite olive oil is made from the thousands of olive trees that populate the slopes of rolling hillsides.

Obligatory visits include Cazorla, home to the spectacular and forbidding Yedra castle, and the ancient roman town of Bruñel.

The Renaissance Route of Úbeda and Baeza is a must for those who are looking for architectural excellence surrounded in a sea of olive trees. Again the province of Jaén, these two unique towns are beautifully preserved vestiges of a golden age that have been almost frozen in time.

Between Córdoba and Granada is the route known as the Route of the Caliphates, a road that takes in some of the most ancient towns that formed part of a communications chain that supplied the heart of Arabic Al-Andalus. Towns such as Lorca, Aguilar de la Frontera, Lecena, Alcaudete and Castillo de Locubín all provide glimpses of a distant past that has formed the character of modern Spain.

Fiestas Worth Experiencing

In Cazorla the fiestas in honour of San Anton is an insight into traditional Spain.

Seville hosts the world famous and monumental Semana Santa that runs during Holy Week and the Feria of Seville, declared a festival of Great Touristic Value. This runs from the end of April to the beginning of May.

The carnival in Cádiz kicks of f the carnival season at the beginning of the year and is one of the most extravagant of its kind in Europe.