Considering Spain was ruled for – in some parts – up to 800 years by the Moors, it’s no surprise that lasting remnants of Spain’s Islamic past are present in everything from gastronomy to music, language and architecture. Even when the Islamic empire finally succumbed to the Reconquest, the dazzling architectural forms and styles lived on for centuries.

Islamic architecture is considered to be Spain’s most captivating architectural trend and certainly gives the country an exotic edge- especially considering the fact that Islamic architecture is the only style that Spain doesn’t share with the rest of Europe!