To Al Andalus, from StuiChicanne Darkstone, on its firt anniversary

On a Spring day in March 1829, Washington Irving, the American writer and inveterate traveller was ending a 5 day journey by mule across Southern Spain taking him through the heartland of what had once been the muslim empire of Europe. His destination was the old Moorish city of Granada, and the great fortress which dominated it; the Alhambra.
He had come in search of the dream of a long lost palace waiting to be rediscovered. The Alhambra is one of the finest legacies of the 800 year long civilisation of the Moors.
The Moors invaded Spain from the North of Africa in the 8th Century, they dreamt of spreading the islamic faith across this christian continent. There arabic roots were the foundations of building the most sophisticated culture in Europe, centred on a life of refinement and romance.

Once through the awesome gate of Justice, Irving found himself in a dream world:
"The transition was almost majikal, it seemed as if we were transported into other times and another realm and we were tracing scenes of Arabian story."

Irving was allowed by the Govenor of Granada to move into one of the former royal apartments, and under the moonlight he became bewitched:
"I am so in love with this apartment that I can hardly force myself from it. I sit by my window until late at night, enjoying the moonlight and listening to the sound of the fountains and the song of the nightingales."

On one occasion, he caught sight of a Spanish lady and her escort in the gardens below, speaking softly her whispers drifted through the night air. The scene was so memorable that Irving was to capture her words in his diary:
"The hand of love enveloped us by night, in a robe of embraces, which was torn away by the hand of dawn."

When Irving entered the Alhambra or Red Castle he was immediately struck by the balance between the exquisite gardens and the palacial interiors. To the Moors, the garden was the symbol of Paradise realised on earth. This idea was extended to embrace all the elements of nature, water irrigated gardens cooled palace rooms and lifted the spirit.

Washington Irving had discovered a world of pure poetry as echoed in Samuel Butler's elegant words:
"The Moors believe Granada lies directly under Paradise and that they differ both no more than the upper rooms do from the floor."

Visitors to the court of these Moorish monarchs were recieved with high esteem and prestigious ceremony in the Hall of the Ambassador's housed within the Tower of the Comares.

Built in the 13th Century, the Hall of the Ambassador's was the principal audience chamber of the Moorish sultans. Delegations from Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire alike were welcomed with indulgent hospitality. For the Moors were enlightened in embracing all knowledge irrespective of faith or denomination. Here lived tolerance and romance.

As Islam forbids the depiction of the human form, Moorish artists searched for alternative paths to express their genius. They wove abstract patterns which spiral and zigzag with maze-like complexity across the walls of the palace.
Their love of decoration achieved it's highest form in the art of Islamic calligraphy. It was used to render texts from the Qu'ran including one that admonishes:
"Only God knows Peace".

The beauty of the Hall of the Abencerrajes disguises a brutal event for it was here that the ruling Sultan Boabdil in a desperate bid to hold onto power, slaughtered an entire delegation.
The neighbouring abencerraje clan were tricked into attending a banquet and upon entering this room were put to death one by one. The red stain of Iron Oxide mixing into the central marble fountain was said to be the blood of the victims.

Despite such brutal feuding the Alhambra remains a palace of sublime beauty. Irving wrote that no part of the Alhambra gives a more complete impression of it's original magnificence than the Court of the Lions:
"When one looks upon the fairy tracery of the peristyles and the apparently fragile fretwork of the walls, it is difficult to believe that so much has survived the wear and tear of centuries, the shocks of earthquakes, the violenc of war and the quiet, though no less baneful pilfering of the tasteful traveller. There is a mood of delicious langour among these beautiful remains of arab magnificence, the delightful tranquility and beauty of the place have combined to fix me here as with a spell. I wander by day and night through great halls decorated by beautiful reliefs yet where there is everything to delight the senses, there is not a living bing to be seen."

But, the romance of the Alhambra is not without it's tragic phase. The delicate beauty of the Hall of the Two Sisters, conceals a tale of unrequited love.
The legend relates that these two sisters would gaze upon lovers who would meet in the garden below their latticed balcony. Distraught at not being able to taste these forbidden pleasures, the sisters grieved for the love they would never know, and lost the will to live.

The Moors, lovers of legends, were also great engineers, they built sophisticated aqueducts to collect rain water from the snow-clad Sierra Nevada, to irrigate their glorious gardens in Granada's baking summer heat. Nourishing flower beds and trees and feeding gently bubbling fountains and fishponds.

Living within this earthly paradise, the Moors were insensitive to growing Christian might building up beyond their fortified walls.
In 1492, the armies of the catholic monarchs of Spain, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand surrounded Granada. Born from the belly of conflict, Moorish rule ended in surrender.
A witness to the collapse of the Moorish capital was Christopher Columbus:
"On the 2nd day of January, I saw the royal banners of your highness placed by force of arms upon the towers of the Alhambra, and I saw the Moorish King kiss the royal hand of your highness."

Sultan Boabdil, the last muslim ruler of Granada, left the Alhambra through a little used gate.
He preferred to preserve this Moorish jewel rather than to risk all for the glory of a holy war.
He met the christian king outside the city, before going into exile, he handed over the keys:
"These are the last relics of the arabian empire in Spain, such is the will of God."

Boabdil turned for a final look at his beloved Alhambra, he could not hold back the tears:
"When did misfortune equal mine?" he mourned.
His mother was unforgiving:
"You do well to weep like a woman, for what you failed to defend like a man."

400 years later, When Washington Irving left the Alhambra for the last time, he was determined to revive the dream of Moorish Spain. His parting reflections echo his love of the Moors:
"The Alhambra, a muslim palace in a christian land, an elegant memorial of a brave, intelligent and graceful people, I will carry away a recollection of it clothed in all it's beauty."

Source: Readers Digest. Splendours of the world : Imperial Splendours.

It is my hope that with the above gift, I have given to Al Andalus on the occasion the completion of it's first year, something that will serve as a reminder to all who come here to seek whatever path, whether it be the path to wisdom or towards the appreciation of beauty, that all wisdom and experience is the product of the past as much as the present. There must also be a consideration to the future. To this end, let us go forward with an understanding of the great debt of gratitude we owe to people seen and unseen who shaped the world we know, and to know better the duty we have to respect and protect the world and it's people from damage. To educate, and illuminate, to make not only the great and the good, but to see that the small and the weak are as important to the whole structure as the strong. We are all part of a very important projekt, Life, and what we learn in our second life, will live on in our first life and both will be more rich for the experience. It is my dream, as I hope it is yours, that we may live to know a better world than we found when we were born, and that when we leave it, we leave it having left kind footprints, and that people may see that we walked together and not alone.

SC Darkstone.

photos from Conference on the Future of Religion

here are photos from the conference

Press release, Religions of the Future, Future of Religion

To the publishers of SL,

Extropia and Al Andalus sims are co sponsoring the conference, The Future of Religion on June 4 & 5. While we realize it may be too late for much advance notification, we thought you might be interested in covering the event. More information can be found at the website: http://zones.extropiacore.net/religion/index.html or by contacting Sophrosyne Stenvaag of Extropia, or Rose Springvale, of Al Andalus.

Thank you for your interest and service to the communities of Second Life.


The Future of Religions/Religions of the Future is a two-day conference examining how two of the 21st Century's driving forces, religion and technology, will continue to re-shape each other and, in the process, re-cast our understanding of "humanity" in the Third Millennium. Centered on, but not limited to, virtual worlds and social networking technologies, speakers and panelists will also examine changes precipitated by the biotechnology revolution, cognitive science, information technologies and robotics.

Citizens meeting agenda, 5/28/08

1. events:
--Cindy Eksol, Thursday at noon slt, waltz party in Al Zahra
--Ongoing Bayt al-Hikmah Events
--Chess tournament?
--Notice policy review and comments

2. Committees

Agenda, June 18,2008

summer is here, so that means Rose is away more than normally.
Items to discuss this week:

1. What does it mean to be a citizen

2.Events:
- Flamenco parties in the market
- Belly dance in the plaza
- Concerts(Joaquin Gustav) and salsa in the theater.
- Chess tournament

3. Citizens concernts

Press release, David Orban, Tolerance as a Guiding Principle

PRESS RELEAS
AL-ANDALUS, Monday, April 21, 2008

The Inaugural Ibn Khaldun Lecture

DavidOrban Agnon
“Tolerance As A Guiding Principle For Societies And Technologies: The Rise of Robust Information Systems”
Sunday, 27, April, 2008 at 2:00 pm slt

Preceded by:

Kelvinblue Oh, Electric Blues (Live Performance)
Sunday, 27, April, 2008 at 1:00 pm slt

Also Featuring This Week:

Chat in Al-Andalus

Ashcroft Burnham: “The Metaverse Republic”
Friday, 25, April, 2008 at 3:00 pm slt

Preceded by:

Winters Kanto, Piano Recital (Live Performance)
Friday, 25, April, 2008 at 2:00 pm slt

We are pleased to announce that the Inaugural Ibn Khaldun Lecture will be held this Sunday, 27, April, 2008 at 2:00 pm slt in the Abd-Ar-Rahman III Auditorium of Al-Andalus Alhambra. The Lecture is entitled: “Tolerance As A Guiding Principle For Societies And Technologies: The Rise of Robust Information Systems” and will be delivered by DavidOrban Agnon.

http://secondlife.com/events/event.php?id=1419295&date=1209330000

David is particularly interested in the birth of new social organizations in online-worlds. Therefore, in his lecture, he will analyze the analogies between the tolerance and resilience of healthy societies as they recognize the value of the contribution of different cultures and people, and the fault-tolerance of networks like the Internet, which keep working even if their parts behave in an unexpected manner.

David Orban is a Hungarian-born physics enthusiast and Information Technology professional who lectures widely throughout Europe on issues related to physics, technology, the internet and Second Life. He studied physics at Padova University, in Italy -where he read books such as “Godel, Escher, Bach” by Douglas Hofstadter, and others by Dennett, Penrose, and the likes. He then moved to Milano where he pursued his work. Today, he is CEO of Questar, a software firm in Milano. He is described by one of his former classmates as an individual with “a broad scientific culture and very clear ideas - a better word would be “vision” - on several fundamental issues on science, computing, and technology”. David has his own website, blog and wiki (http://www.davidorban.com )where he discusses issues that interest him and shares his activities with a wider audience.

The Ibn Khaldun Lecture series is a bi-monthly event held in Al-Andalus, showcasing a distinguished speaker on an issue which explores various aspects of the interaction between culture and the public sphere across real and virtual worlds. It is named after Abu Zayd ‘Abdu r-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Khaldun) (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) - a famous historian, scholar, theologian, and statesman born in present-day Tunisia. He is considered the forerunner of several social scientific disciplines: demography, cultural history, historiography, the philosophy of history, sociology, and modern economics. He is sometimes considered to be a "father" of these disciplines, or even the social sciences in general, for anticipating many elements of these disciplines centuries before they were founded. He is best known for his Muqaddimah (known as Prolegomenon in Greek), the first volume of his book on universal history, Kitab al-Ibar.

The Lecture will be preceded, from 1 pm slt to 2 pm lst, by a live concert with Kelvinblue Oh, spinning his unique Electric Blues tunes. Ain't nothin' like it in Secondlife! Kelvinblue's reputation as SL's best blues performer in well known: no one lights the fires of his audience like he does. Once you hear his deep voice and amazing acoustic guitar, you too will become convinced there ain't nothin' wrong with the blues!

The Al-Andalus Caliphate Project is a SecondLife attempt to reconstruct 13th Century Moor Alhambra and build around this virtual space a community of individuals willing to explore the modalities of interaction between different languages, nationalities, religions and cultures shaped by authentic Islamic principles.

Those principles include political participation, separation of powers, justice and the rule of law. Membership in the community is open to all, regardless of sim land ownership, second life premium status, species of avatar, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or any other traditionally separatist classification, either real or apparent. The plan is to create a system of political and legal governance, based on notions of community self-governance, active citizen participation, equality, dignity, social justice, democracy and human rights.

As part of its commitment to provide high-quality educational and entertainment events, Al-Andalus also features a weekly discussion series, entitled the Chat in Al-Andalus, where members of our extended community leads a discussion centered around their SL and RL activities as they relate to the general aims of the Al-Andalus Project. This week, our Chat in Al-Andalus features Al-Andalus Citizen and English Barrister Ashcroft Burnham, who will talk about the progress of his ground-breaking SL project, ‘The Metaverse Republic”.

http://secondlife.com/events/event.php?id=1419040&date=1209160800

The Metaverse Republic ( http://www.metaverserepublic.org/ ), currently work in progress, will be a legal system for Second Life, with real powers of enforcement originating in user-created tools, and a democratic parliament. There are many disputes and potential disputes in SecondLife that could benefit from formal resolution: disputes about broken agreements, land use, alleged griefing, extortion, etc. The Metaverse Republic aims to provide an effective and fair system for resolving such disputes. After the presentation, Ashcroft will answer questions from the audience and lead a discussion on related topics of interest.

Immediately prior to this, well-known Argentinian pianist Wnters Kanto will perform a live piano recital. Winters Kanto is a professional RL pianist with over 14yrs experience.. playing the 'houses' and 'halls' throughout South America.. Winters has a huge following throughout the continent.. Playing classical as well as Tango ballads, Bossa Jazz, and Boleros... Winters is a master of 'craft' and composition. He’s been playing Second Life a relatively short period of time but has already created a huge following and with soft mellow tunes and a smooth approach.

The Al Andalus Magic Carpet Guided Tour Text

This is the text of the Guided tour that begins in the Fortress in Alhambra. The tour seats 5 per carpet, the AA Express, and takes about 27 minutes, depending on lag. It is available in English, Spanish and German, so far.

As an outstanding example of the dialogue between different religions, cultures and civilizations, Andalusia represents a lesson for us today as we confront globalization, which needs to take place against a background of enlightened social relations and the universal ethical values in which humanity has its roots and without which it cannot survive. Al Andalus is the perfect background for this discussion, but it is also a fascinating, and beautiful place to visit.

Cisterns’ Court - Abd Ar Rahman III Auditorium
JUST within the fortress of the Alhambra, in front of the royal palace, is a broad open esplanade, called the Place or Square of the Cisterns (la Plaza de los Algibes), so called from being undermined by reservoirs of water, hidden from sight, and which have existed from the time of the Moors. While there was no state of the art auditorium in this location in the 13th centure, Al Andalus in Second Life has one! The auditorium is available for discussions, presentations, lectures or whatever creative uses the citizens dream up. This facility also houses classrooms and meeting rooms.

2. Embassadors Entrance – Khalifah’s Palace
There are three independent areas in the Nasrid Palaces (Palacios Nazaríes): the Mexuar, which corresponds to the semipublic part of the palace or selamlik, for justice administration and State affairs; the HYPERLINK "http://www.alhambradegranada.org/historia/alhambraPComares_en.asp" Comares Palace (Palacio de Comares), which was the official residence of the king; and the Palace of the Lions (Palacio de los Leones), which was the private area of the palace, where the HYPERLINK "http://www.alhambradegranada.org/historia/alhambraHaren_en.asp" Harem was located
3. Lion’s Fountain – Consultative Assembly
Not only were these areas different because of their functions, but also because of their artistic characteristics. The Comares Palace (Palacio de Comares) was decorated in a typically Muslim way, but the Palace of the Lions (Patio de los Leones) presents Christian influences, probably as a consequence of the friendship between Mohammed V and his Castilian counterpart Pedro I, the Cruel.
4. Great Mosque (Mezquita) – Patio de las Naranjas The Mezquita (Spanish for " HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque" \o "Mosque" mosque", from the Arabic "Masjid") was originally built to be a warehouse/temple/lighthouse. It was the most magnificent of the more than 1,000 mosques in the city and was at one time the second largest mosque in the Muslim world.
Please note: While the concept of holy places in a virtual world may stretch the imagination of some, tradition is a major part of history. There is an active Muslim community associated with the Mezquita in Al Andalus. They have placed a basket with complimentary veils for ladies to cover their hair, and ask that all visitors to the mosque remove their shoes before entering. If you choose to honor this request, you may find your experience enhanced. However, this is strictly a personal decision and there is no requirement that you do so.

5. Albaycin Village - Cadi Bridge –Darro River--The Albaicin was directly connected to the Alhambra by a fortified bridge called Puente del Cadí - the "bridge of the judge". All that is left of it today is the stump of a tower on the left bank and part of its single arch. The Romans called The River Darro the River of Gold - aurus - because of the panners who, until recent times, made their meager living searching for the precious mineral in its bed.

6. Jinnah Al –‘Arif Summer Palace and Gardens. Wander the beautiful halls of the summer palace, rest in the gardens among roses, citrus trees and flowers. Experience a second life poetic moment. Inscription found on the walls of the Garden: “How beauteous is this garden, where the flowers of the earth vie with the stars of the heaven! What can compare with the vase of yon alabaster fountain filled with crystal water? Nothing but the moon in her fullness, shining in the midst of an unclouded sky!” Al-Andalus Jewish poetry

7. Al- Zahra Entertainment Complex. A continuation of the Generalife Gardens, the Al-Zahra hosts events, music, dancing, and even romance. Don't miss the scenic mirador of the waterfall.

8. Al-Garnata Village - South Gate, Gate of Pomegranates--Al'-Garnata (Spanish: Granada) Village is situated at the foot of the HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_(Spain)%22%20%5Co%20%22Sierra%20Nevada%20(Spain)"Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of two rivers, HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darro%22%20%5Co%20%22Darro"Darro and HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genil%22%20%5Co%20%22Genil"Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea level. The HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate%22%20%5Co%20%22Pomegranate"pomegranate (in Spanish, granada) is the HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldry%22%20%5Co%20%22Heraldry"heraldic device of Granada

9. Al-Kairuwan Souk (Caravan Market) One of two retail areas in the Al Andalus Sims, the Souk Market features regional costumes, furniture and accessories. It's also a great place to meet people!

10. Muhammed Al-Ahmar Plaza
Here you will find the Baths and washhouse as well as another entrance to the Great Mosque and fountain. Water was a prized luxury in the arid climate of Andalucia; you will see many fountains, canals, cisterns and aqueducts throughout the sims.

The Moorish bath, or hammam, followed the Roman model: a hot room, a warm room and a cold room, with ovens under the floor to heat the paving stones. Bathers had to shod wooden clogs to protect them from the heat of the marble floor.

11. Dar-al Islam (Muslim) Residential Quarter. One feature that made Al Andalus unique was the peaceful co-existence of Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities, and these three neighborhoods are represented in the SL version. If you choose to buy a house here, there is NO restriction on who can live where! Here is the Muslim Quarter; as a progressively higher proportion of the Andalucian population became Muslim, institution's and activities of Islamic orientation came to dominate the culture.

12. El Partal Plaza - Abencerraje Palaces El Partal comes from an Arabic word meaning "the portico", and is the name given to the remains of the residence of Sultan Yusuf III. The plaza is a favorite location for SL events, and the two wings of the Palace house retail, and are the site of future museums dedicated to peace and democracy.

14. Alcazaba (Fortress) Bastion - Walled Garden--The Alcazaba, or fortress, is the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was built in the mid-13th century by the Sultan Alhamar, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, after he fled from northern Andalucia and established what was to be the last Moorish stronghold against the Christian crusaders.

The first impression of the Alhambra is of a fortified enclosure, some 2,200 meters in perimeter, whose peculiar shape is obviously determined by the contours and defensive possibilities of the terrain. The impressively thick walls are of hard rubble faced with stone and brick masonry and covered with plaster. There are twenty-two towers, rather irregularly spaced in plan but adapted to the needs and requirements of the terrain. The towers have several notable peculiarities, which you can read on the notecards provided by the information points around the sims.

Top ten things to do in Al Andalus:

Visit the magnificent Majid (Mosque);
Shop in the Abencerraje Palaces located in the Al-Partal Plaza;
Explore the inner walls, rooms and passages of the Fortress;
Walk through the City Bazaar, and Muslim, Christian and Jewish Quarters;
Discover the stunning houses of the Al-Garnata Village;
Wander through the Generalife Gardens and Entertainment Complex (still in construction);
Check out the lamps and fountains of the clothes’ washhouse located next to the Majid (Mosque);
Walk out the Gate of Iron (by the majiid / mosque) and take the scenic route down the mountain all the way past the Bridge of the Cadi and the river Darro;
Find the cannons on top of the Towers and shoot a bullet – or two; and
Discover the history, legends and poetry of Alhamra and Al-Andalus by reading the Al-Andalus Info Points notecards – or some of them, at least!

Thank you for your interest, and enjoy your stay!