Andalucia travel guide

Andalucia's human past dates back to prehistoric times, evidenced by the cave paintings of Nerja (near Malaga) which are among the oldest expressions of human thought. Romans and Carthaginians fought over the region at various points, with the emperor Justinian I founding the province of Spania here in the 6th century. A brief period of Visigoth rule ended when Muslims invaded in 711, created a territory dubbed Al-Andalus that became a leading light of European learning and culture for centuries to folllow. While most of Europe endured the Dark Ages, Al-Andalus enjoyed universities, mosques and palaces, thermal baths and exotic gardens. The Alcazar, Alhambra and Mezquita remain as brilliant reminders of this glorious heyday. It wasn't until 1492, that the Moors' final outpost of Granada fell to Christian forces – the same year, Columbus set sail on the first of his voyages to the New World, setting out from Cadiz.

Andalucia's next prominent role in Spanish history came in the early 19th century, when it was the final holdout in Spain against the invading forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. Cadiz became the effective capital of 'free Spain', and it was here on 19 March 1812 that the country's first constitution was drawn up to enshrine the rights of Spanish citizens. Cadiz repeated its role as a final bastion of Spanish freedom in the 1930s, when it was the last city to fall to the forces of fascist dictator Francisco Franco.