Call to Prayer in Granada

Throughout our travels in Al-Andulus, we have encountered several small towns that, at one time, (i.e. The 7th-12th century) boasted an all Jewish or all Muslim population. The stories of those towns were all unique, of course, but also very similar. When Christianity came to power, there was an initial attempt to co-exist with person's of other faiths, but alas, eventually one had to either convert, be exiled or killed and all one's property confiscated. Such was the case of the Muslims in Granada, whose power and artistic beauty was expressed through the creation of Granada's premier site: The Alhambra. It sits on one of the highest plots of land in Granada, as if to remind the entire town of what it once was before Ferdinand and Isabella took the keys from the last Muslim prince, Baobdil, who, along with his nagging mother, was banished to exile in Africa

Sunday evening found us on a pilgrimage. We had heard that in 2003, a functioning Grand Mosque had been built on a hill opposite the Alhambra. We were determined to find it before the evening call to prayer. We got lost, finding ourselves, ironically, in the parking lot of Iglesias Isabella Catolica, which was closed for renovations. As twig light deepened, we despaired of ever being able to find the Mosque amidst the winding streets and clots of tourists everywhere.

Somehow, we set our feet in the right direction and climbed the hill that led to the gates of the Great Mosque of Granada. From the garden of the mosque, we could see the evening lights illuminating the Alhambra. As the sky deepened in color from yellow to pink to azure blue, we heard the imam calling the faithful to prayer. "Allah akbar" he called out into the twilight. Just at that moment, the cathedral bells began to ring. They did not drown out the imam, but they did remind us of how these two great traditions co-exist side by side, even to this day. We were filled with a profound sense of history finally righting itself, after centuries of damage done to the Muslim faith in Granada.

The court yard was now empty. Everyone else had gone into the mosque to pray. We were the last ones there, and the gatekeeper had waited for us to leave. Bowing low before leaving, we said a silent prayer of our own-- for the presence of the mosque; for the beauty of Granada; for the majesty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and for the scent of oranges and jasmine that filled the night sky. We felt ourselves truly blessed.