Building Islamic Spaces during the Spanish Civil War

During the Spanish Civil War hospitals, mosques, and cemeteries were created to accommodate the needs of the Muslim soldiers who fought with the rebels to overthrow the government of the Second Spanish Republic. While Spain’s history includes centuries of leadership by Muslims who commissioned Islamic architecture no Islamic spaces had been constructed for centuries. The rebels, led by Francisco Franco, supported a Catholic national identity for Spain however this did not preclude the recruitment of Muslim soldiers. The rebels quickly began to designate hospitals and cemeteries for the Muslim soldiers and to create spaces for prayer. This essay examines the construction of Islamic spaces in rebel-controlled zones of Spain during the Civil War, considering not only the styles of the spaces but also motivations and messages conveyed through these spaces

Civil society · Islam · Spanish Civil War · Architecture and Cultural Influences · Hispanic-African Historical Relations · Historical Studies of Medieval Iberia