Perfect blending

Art knows no bounds. An oft-repeated axiom is more than reflected in the Mudajar art of Spain, mainly witnessed in its southern part, the Andalusian region. It is a style of architecture and craftsmanship that have fused Christian art sensibilities , call it European if you like, and Islamic art. In these times when in many pockets of the world intolerance and refusal to recognize diversity are escalating, a look back in history of art development, like Mudejar, is perhaps not overdue.

If you are from the subcontinent and while visiting this corner  of Europe, you could  well be struck by a sense of familiarity as you encounter the architectural styles and decorations  in many palaces, even churches, and in the well laid out gardens because they remind of  those many back home highly influenced by Islamic art under the Mughals.

Far away in Spain, the influence of Islamic art  can be traced to its medieval history. The Moors from Morocco conquered the Iberian peninsula i.e. Spain and Portugal, step by step beginning in early  8^th century and  reigned there for almost seven hundred years. Some dynasties were tolerant, allowing  Christians and Jews to practice their faith as in  Seville and Toledo, and the constructions even  in  synagogues  showed Islamic  style embellishments.

The Reconquista-  reconquest of the so-called Christian lands by the Catholic kings and supported  by the papacy began  sometime in the mid 12^th century and continued  for  another two hundred years or so. Moor citadels fell one by one; the last great city to fall was Granada. But the remnants of such a long rule remained, if not among  the ruling class, in the cultural motifs.

In Seville, for example, the great cathedral was built where the huge Almohad mosque existed and where people of other faiths congregated too in the wide courtyard from time to time. Today, the minaret- Giralda, el giraldillo so called by the local people because of the weathervane atop the bell tower, is all that remains of the Muslim legacy. With its beautiful brick panels it is regarded as one of the finest examples of Almohad dynasty architecture. The minaret was used by the muezzin to call the faithful for prayer.

Nearby, the Alcazar (palace) is an astounding example of the fusion of Christian and Islamic architectural art in Mudejar style. Many Muslims  stayed behind after the Christian reconquest , some even converted (Moriscos) and they were often hired by the new lords to decorate their homes. The evidence is there to see- in the brick work, plaster coatings, wooden ceilings, glazed tiles, and inlay furniture.

 Mudejar art of decoration lays special emphasis on the techo artesonado, or ornately decorated coffered wooden ceiling. The spaces within the beams were covered with wood carvings, using geometric designs and plant motifs, or calligraphy. One of the finest examples, experts say, is this palace in Seville.

The Alcazar’s trelliswork,  the blue tiles, the fountains in the patio reflect a time of co-existence too. King Peter I was a friend of the still ruling Muslim emir of Granada of the Nasrid dynasty.  He sent some of his top artisans from his Alhambra palace to work on Peter’s palace.

The amazing Alhambra palace of Granada, a Unesco heritage site like the Seville Alcazar, has some of the finest Mudejar art ceilings and panels. The sunken gardens, hamams,  the Lion square  in the inner court, are more Muslim than Christian  style in architecture. The Catholic kings, even after conquest, valued them and did not destroy. Today it offers an apt introduction to medieval art in the Iberian peninsula.

Segovia is another place, an old Spanish centre of power  91 km from Madrid, where the Alcazar shows off a richly embellished coffered ceiling in Mudejar style. The ceiling in the Pinecone room displays 1392 pine cones, each different from each other. Well-maintained,  the golden  ‘carpet’ of pinecones up above would surely  dazzle your eyes.

Even in the north, Zaragoza has in its beautiful Aljafería palace many samples of Islamic art and Mudejar panels and ceilings.

Toledo, old capital of Spain, is  a great centre of Mudejar art too.  Its two synagogues, Santa Maria la Blanca (13th century) and the Transito synagogue (14th century) are in Gothic-Mudejar style where  Christian and Arab heritage are merged with its Jewish heritage in  a perfect jugalbandi.

(Photo by author)