Perhaps I don't quite share the same enthusiasm as my predecessors because we were less lucky? We had decided to stay at the municipal campsite in Zaragoza, which was nice in itself, and to reach the city by bike, which was less so due to the lack of infrastructure. Probably because cycling is less common among the Spanish: a policeman made us dismount in the old town.

Since the Seo was closed, we took the opportunity to have lunch in the Plaza de Nuestra Senora del Pilar where the atmosphere was festive: the people of Zaragoza were celebrating their children's first communion. Then we cycled around the Seo before visiting the Aljaferia. The problem with the Seo is that there is not enough space to admire it in its entirety; it is crammed into a dense building, even though only certain parts of the cathedral are listed: the apse, the wall of the "Parroquieta" and the Cimborio according to the official UNESCO website. Note that the church of Santa Maria Magdalena and its bell tower, a stone's throw from the Seo, are interesting and not listed, but there too there is not enough space to fully admire it.

I am a fan of Islamic art, but I must admit that I felt less enthusiasm at the Aljaferia than in Andalusia, such as Seville, for example, or in Cordoba or Granada.

Jean-Paul Roux gives the following definition in the dictionary of Islamic arts, ed. Fayard, 2007, Mudejar art "designates the composite art that developed in Christian countries after the reconquest of Spanish territories occupied by Muslims and which was influenced by Islam." This style is situated +/- between the 12th century and the 17th century. This definition presupposes a fusion between Islamic art and Christian art.

I have a problem with composite architecture in general, perhaps because it requires an effort to decode while I prefer to let myself be lulled by emotions?

Be that as it may, the authors of the art book Moorish Architecture in Andalusia published by Taschen in 1992, M. Barrucand and A. Bednoz, clearly distinguish between the Islamic part of the palace and the Christian parts that followed one after the other. In the book, a plan of the palace is limited to the Moorish part: the ramparts, the water features, the porticoes, the audience hall and the mosque. The rest that can be visited is therefore later but not without elegance, like the grand staircase (the photo) and the reception room upstairs (the other photo). The decoration of these places made me think of Manueline art rather than Islamic art! Note the contemporary intervention in the last exhibition room, made of concrete, glass, and steel.

Yet the purpose of the classification is unclear at the Aljaferia: is it a fusion or a juxtaposition of styles? And this adds to my unease. All that remains is for me to return to Teruel, Spain, to get a clearer idea.

Finally, note that about 100 km to the northwest along the Ebro river is the La Bardenas biosphere reserve, a sort of mini-desert not to be missed.