Nur

Andalusia

Cahaya mu bagai sabitah
Doa ku kau sejahtera
Biar warna kubah-kubahmu kian pudar
Untuk mu setanggi ini kubakar
Cahaya mu sediakala
Aku rindukan zaman kebangkitan
Pabila nurani bersulamkan fikiran
Seganding dan bersatu
Lafaz niat ku bertemu
Cahaya mu tiada tara
Pohon salam ku pada fakir-fakir mu
Andalusia
Pohon izinkanlah aku menyelami irama asyik mu
Pohon ku dipinjamkan gabus dan ghazalmu jadi azimat
Supaya dapat aku tari menongkah arus
Sahutlah Andalusia
Apakah sudah kering lautan darah
Yang tertimbus di bumi Alhambra
Ataupun masih bergelora menanti saat
Melimpah mengikut mata air
Antal hadi antal haqqu Laisal hadi Ilaahu

Today, we visited Toledo.

It was an hour ride from Sur Estacion de Autobuses . The weather was fair and crisp and just nice for walking along the labyrinth of streets and lanes inside the old fortified city.

There is public buses (route no5) that would bring tourists and locals alike from the Toledo bus station to the main square in the old city. The majestic fort beckons tourists regardless seasons. Even during the 10 minutes bus ride, we were mesmerized by the beautiful scenery.

The fortress itself is the main attraction. Sitting majestically atop the Castillian plateau with rio Tajo (Tagus river) divided the two most important cities - Talavera de la Reina and the capital itself.

Walking and getting lost in the maze of small cobblestone lanes, we stumbled into many old mosques that have been converted into churches and basilicas, synagogues that have been used by the people living there thousands of years ago. Houses with beautiful and intricate mosaics are still wellkept and inhabited by the locals so it is no wonder that the UNESCO declared Toledo a World Heritage in Dec 1987.

It is quite difficult to find our way eventhough we are equipped with maps. The only way is, to purposely lost ourselves and hope that the roads and lanes would not bring us farther and farther away from the Alcazar - our point of direction.

Today's aim is to find the mosque, like the one we look for in Granada. Saw one in the map - Mezquita de Cristo de la Luz. Of course along the way, we were distracted with the small shops selling souvenirs. Bells are a must!

The mezquita is a tiny tenth-century mosque, one of the oldest Muslim
constructions in Spain, built on the site of a Visigothic church and reclaimed
as a church later, so the nearly square nave is actually the only Muslim part,
and is quite interesting and charming enough to warrant the visit, though the
apse is said to be the earliest Mudéjar construction in Toledo.

It is one of the most important monuments and the best example of Islamic
art in Toledo. Erected in the year 999 by the architect Musa Ibn Ali, it has a
square ground plan with the aisles and columns forming nine architectural spaces
covered by caliphal vaults. The Romanesque-Mudéjar apse was added in the 12th
century, comprising a semicircular apse and a straight presbytery. Inside, it
was decorated with Romanesque frescoes with a view of adapting it to Christian
worship. The exterior is decorated with blind horseshoe arcades. Unfortunately,
visiting hours are very irregular, and it is not easy to find it open.

It was not easy to find the mezquita actually, but we managed to find it among the labyrinth of lanes. Although there are a few signs, they are very confusing. You may thought that you are in the right direction, but then you may end up at the other part of the city entirely.

Toledo, was once a city where all Muslims, Jews and Christian (Mudejar) live in peace, but after the reconquisition, this harmonious balance between these religions fall apart. What was left is only the history...