500 years later, Islamic call to prayer echoes inside the walls of Alhambra Palace

Lifestyle

Published: 2017-09-12 11:28

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 16:20


The palace is famous for its red walls.
The palace is famous for its red walls.

Tourists wandering Granada’s Alhambra Palace in Spain were in for a surprise when they suddenly heard the Islamic call to prayer (adhan) inside the walls of the beautiful red building.

This was the first time in 500 years that the adhan was heard at the historic Qalat Al-Hamra, the Arabic name given to the fortress by the Muslim rulers who built it in the 1330s.

But who was behind the beautiful gesture? Syrian Islamic musician Mouaz Al-Nass.

The artist posted a video on his Facebook page which showed him reciting the adhan in full, much to the joy of fellow tourists, who quickly captured the moment on their cell phones.

More than 1.4 million people watched the video, and 28,000 shared it, since it was first posted on Thursday (7 September).

What inspired the Saudi-born musician to do this? Al-Nass told Ilmfeed.com that he felt the walls had missed “hearing the call to Allah.”

Brief history

The Muslim rulers of Granada built the red palace during the end of Muslim rule of Spain by Yusuf I during the 1330s. In 1492, the Spanish Reconquest took place, as Granada came under Christian rule and Alhambra became a final place of refuge for the intellectuals and artists of Spain and Christians eventually won victories over Al Andalusia.