Eight hundred years on the road

Author: Zhang Yao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: A book about perfection, destruction, and solitude. From the Spanish plateau to the southern coast, across the sea to Africa, and to Lisbon, it seems to travel in the "past tense," chasing the eight-century-old mountains and rivers of the once mysterious and declining Moorish dynasty. A cross-century pursuit, traversing the submerged history on the red plateau—, palace intrigues, and wandering at large, recreating a turbulent yet magnificent era, the cradle of the Spanish spirit. Moors, a name destined for wandering, a nation always on the move, forever unrestrained. Only the Alhambra palace on the hillside, a masterpiece, witnesses those long-lost years, becoming "a dream standing in the air and light, a sanctuary for all dreamers." On the red plateau of Spain, the sea breeze is strong, but the sea is invisible. Endless stones. The light seems to be cut out, full of edges. Spain is not what many imagine—dancing, sunshine, and guitars. For centuries, knights fought on the medieval battlefield, while behind the scenes, palace intrigues led to wandering at large. Killing without hesitation. Ready to die with a sense of magnanimity. This soul has half come from the Moors, this overseas ethnic group that crossed the sea, reached the pinnacle of civilization in Spain, and then, like the wind dispersing, even their descendants did not know who they were. Track the Moors' eight-century elusive traces with Zhang Yao, traveling through a grand and dramatic story of time.
In 622 AD (001 AH in the Arabic calendar): The Prophet Muhammad left Mecca, the holy city, and went to Medina, establishing Islam. The Arab tribes of the desert rose, forming a powerful religious alliance. The Arabic calendar begins from this year.
From 634 to 644 AD: The Arab Omar, who raised the banner of Islam, swept across Syria, Palestine, and Persia. The renowned Amr Bin Al-As captured Egypt with lightning speed and established a vast Arab empire ten years later.
In 644 AD: Othman of the Umayyad family was chosen as the caliph (king), ruling over a prosperous state. During the reign of his family, the Arab empire entered its prosperous phase, with its territory surpassing the peak of the Roman Empire.
In 1491 AD: Queen Isabella met Columbus in a military camp outside Granada and later approved his adventurous plan.
In January 1492 AD: The last Moorish king, Boabdil, retreated without fighting and left the Alhambra palace, marking the end of the Moorish dynasty. That same year, in July, Columbus prepared to set sail, while the king and archbishop had just ordered the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Jews, causing all Spanish ports to be crowded. With the departure of the Moors and Jews in large numbers, Spain's era of multicultural coexistence and prosperity also came to an end.
In 1516 AD: Karl V, a descendant of the Habsburg family who knew no Spanish, became the king of Spain. He gained the throne through the marriage of his parents and was also the Holy Roman Emperor. He was enthusiastic about colonizing Latin America, Africa, and Asia, establishing what was called the "Sun Never Sets Empire" in the West.