The theme was integrated into the Council of Europe programme in June 1997 and the route is awarded certification as a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” on 16 June 2004.
Al-Andalus means the land of the vandals in Arabic and is the name that was given to the part of the Iberian Peninsula which was occupied by the Muslims from the early 8th to the late 15th centuries. The arrival of the Muslims did not cause a complete break with the Hispanic culture that had grown up in these lands. In fact the alliance of the two peoples was a remarkable one, clearly making the distinction between the eastern and western branches of Islam.
The organizers of the Legacy of Al-Andalus Cultural Route have succeeded since in setting up physical European and African routes highlighting the cities and heritage and landscape sites but also the writing and music which provide living testimony to this period during which Muslim culture contributed so much to Europe.

European Institute of Cultural Routes
Information source: The Council of Europe Cultural Routes brochure, 2004
Photo: Itinerary Mudejar; © Al Andalus Foundation