Maegan Stanley
In Andalusia, orange trees were everywhere. They were most present in Cordoba and Seville, but we saw them throughout the region, although Seville itself is said to have more than 14,000 of these ornamental trees. They truly are ornamental – some of us ventured to try a fallen orange and were amazed by the fruits’ unpleasant, sour flavor. After a little research, I learned that interestingly, the oranges are collected by the city when they fall to the ground to avoid them rotting, and are sold to the United Kingdom to be made into bitter orange marmalade, which is a common English breakfast condiment. On the tree they are certainly beautiful, however, and they themselves are another remnant of al-Andalus’ Muslim past.
The first oranges were brought to Spain by Muslim traders around 1000 AD. They flourished in the hot climate of southern Spain, and provided ample shade in public and private courtyards, and along city streets. The oranges were exotic rarities in Europe, and their bold color added greatly to the lush, ornamental gardens that were carefully cultivated in Muslim Spain as places of retreat and reflection. These fruitful and lush gardens were made possible by Muslim advancements in irrigation during the medieval period. The Andalusian oranges and their springtime blossoms were often featured in Islamic poetry for their beauty and lovely smell, which was often made into perfumes.
