By: Cecilia Butini | May 14, 2025 | Hyphenonline.com
Today, the 2.5 million Muslims living in Spain are concentrated in big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona — but in almost every corner of the country, you’ll find hidden and flamboyant Islamic architecture.
For almost a millennium, the Iberian peninsula was part of a flourishing Muslim kingdom whose heritage runs deep in modern Spanish culture. The settlement of North African Muslims began in 711 AD, leaving not just culinary and linguistic roots (common Spanish words such as algodon and aceite, meaning cotton and oil, are derived from Arabic), but also architectural ones. Islam, in short, is built into Spain’s heritage.
