[slab_happy]

It's not, you know? It's really not. The mosque in the cathedral is OK but only that; the Jew-stuff (the most important, natch) is really disappointing. Heaven knows how many times I read the 'thirteen articles of faith' and Maimonides' commentaries. So was excited to visit only to be met with that crap statue of Rambam. An hour would be stretching it.

Stick to Seville.

My apologies, I wasn't clear, I meant the history of the Caliphate of Cordoba and the way different religions got on well and how arts and science flourished under their Islamic rule....probably the greatest intellectual flourish of any medieval empire. There are also good talks on the subject from Jim Al Khalili  on YouTube (the Iplayer copies are sadly no longer available)

You may have read it already, but I remember really enjoying Maria Rosa Menocal's book on Al-Andalus, The Ornament of the World.

[blaciqui]

Any opinions on Villanueva del Cauche?  Has the benefit of being in the rockfax guide, looks good?
Considering heading to this area after Christmas for a bit but, having spent a lot of time in/around Chorro in the past, looking at staying Antequera-ish and focussing more on Rosario, Archidonna  and Loja.  Looks like there's still a decent section of Loja open (Perros de Presa in particular sounds great).  Where's best to check for bird ban status for these crags?

Check the regulations here. https://montanaregulada.org/ is only in spanish but pretty straight forward. Please keep in mind that these are the official enforceable regulations from the goverment. The andalusian mountaneering association might have some panel boards with some regulations. Those are not enforceable, but you should follow them to maintain access and to not make things worst.

Those regulations can be found here: http://escaladoresandaluces.com/regulaciones.html only in spanish and a little bit more tricky. But again 90% of the crags will not have any kind of regulations.

Also, in relation to Villanueva de Cauche, I like it, is not world class but for a day it can be good, although I prefer Alfarnatejo, a little bit down the road from Villanueva de Cauche. I suppose it all depends on your grades and the style of climbing. Another really nice place to climb not to far from Antequera and off the radar is Cuevas de San Marcos. (this one it has a bird ban but I think is only during the summer)