From the Andalusian land (1)

I decided to take my grandchildren to a trip to the Andalusian lands during the Eid holidays, 33 years after my last visit to Malaga (a city in southern Spain). At this time of the year, the weather is still cold, and tourists’ and beachgoer’s numbers are still low. I outlined the trip map for them a month ago and explained to them where we would go and what we would do. On this trip, I am trying to instill history in their minds, as our educational curricula are at odds between the weak government curricula and the foreign curricula that instruct our children from a westernized perspective. I totally know that they are not interested in that, but I deliberately put an eye away from that, hoping that their minds will gain something new as this generation is hard to handle. There are many stops on this trip, and every day has a station with which I will conclude this trip. My honorable reader, I will present you with five articles in which I will share with you what I have seen and the goals I have achieved, trying to get a little bit away from the flamboyant Kuwaiti political atmosphere and the hassles of construction problems, which I am trying to summarize for the Kuwaiti citizen who has never built in the "To all Al-Mutlaa residents, Be careful" articles. I will start the first stop with the beautiful city of Malaga, which I personally prefer over all other Andalusian cities and villages. It is safer and more diversified as a tourist point. It is a city that many nations have succeeded in, the most important of which, in my view, is the "Islamic era." While the city of Malaga played a major historical role in the political and economic construction of the Islamic State in Andalusia. It reached the pinnacle of glory and civilizational prosperity during the Almohad era. The fall of Malaga city and the control of the Spaniards over it led to a historical bloody massacre. The fall of Malaga was the last step to the fall of Granada (the last stronghold of Muslim rule). My grandchildren were confused in comparing what the Spanish tour guide said to what we thought here in Kuwait. As for that, he said, "Muslim invaders and pirates," while we say, "the conquests and Islamic civilization." I will leave the answer to such a contradiction to the conclusion of that tourist series. Malaga is also the birthplace of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. There is a beautiful museum in the city center bearing his name, and it is worth a visit as well. One of the most beautiful tourist sites is to climb to the Kasbah, or the Muslim-ruled castle, which is next to the Roman amphitheater. Of course, I stood at the bullring there, and I took some pictures next to it with my daughter when she was two years old. I had attended one of the shows out of knowledge and experience, and I remember, at the time, I was cheering for the bull against his wrestler. Recently, these wrestlers have decreased and are on their way to extinction under the pressures of civil society and opponents of animal torture. These arenas are now used for parties, open markets, and other useful activities. You cannot visit Malaga without making a trip to the beach of the sun. So, we went to the villages of Ibn al-Madina, Mijas, and Marbella. Of course, Marbella was the worst, and in my opinion, it is not worth a visit. Many Marbella lovers may disagree with me, but it is an anachronistic village and should not be compared to other cities in France, Turkey, Greece, and Portugal. As I heard from Spanish people whom I met, the mafia and organized crime began to overshadow that rich place. The Spanish people have not changed. My experience with them was the same as it has been since more than three decades ago. The problem of language is still present, unlike their neighbor Portugal, where you feel as if you are in Britain, as most of the population in Portugal speaks English fluently and they are kinder and gentler. We will continue our journey with the next article to Seville, where Ibn Al-Abad, the writer of the poem, begins with this first line: "Alas, strangers’ tomb, visited by the commons." (Where he was lamenting what had happened to him at the end of his life).

Stay Safe.