The region of Andalusia is often thought of as "typical" Spain, and the association seems natural enough since flamenco music comes from Andalusia, as does gazpacho soup as well as the most of famous of Spanish wines, sherry. It is therefore somewhat ironic that the name Andalusia comes from a group of Germanic invaders, the Vandals.

In Arabic the term al-Andalus has long meant the entire country of Spain, not just the southern part, and some Arabs have the family name al-Andalusi, which evokes the period when Muslims ruled and lived in many areas of the Iberian peninsula. Many Arabs likewise know that some of the most famous attractions of Spain such as the Alhambra and the cathedral of Cordoba date to Islamic times.

In the foreground of the above picture are parts of the famous palace of the Alhambra, and in the distance lie the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada.