Buy Al-Andalus

A Spiritual and Historical Journey Through Spain and Portugal

Tariq Leeuwestein (1985) grew up in North Holland. In the summer of 2005, he completed an extended internship in Huelva. An isolated province in the then completely unfamiliar southern Spanish region of Andalusia.

For nine weeks, he was surrounded by Andalusians, the warm summer sun, bulls, oranges, and pure flamenco. Yet somewhere along the way, he was captivated by a mysterious force in this almost North African part of Europe. The soul of Al-Andalus.

That first encounter never truly left him.

Al-Andalus is a spiritual and historical journey through Spain and Portugal. Richly illustrated with beautiful photography, the book invites the reader to explore the visible and invisible legacy of Al-Andalus – a remarkable Andalusian heritage that shaped the Iberian Peninsula for centuries and left a lasting imprint on North Africa.

More than a book about history, Al-Andalus is a personal search for beauty, memory, identity, and the Islamic soul that still echoes through Spain and Portugal. A legacy that continues to inspire people across cultures and generations.