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This is the Google Earth Tour for Cultural Group 1. For our first stop, we will travel
to the Alhambra Palace in Spain. It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left
bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods
of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba. Alhambra was given its name from the Arabic word "Al
hamra," meaning "the red castle." This palace encompasses a set of buildings which represent
the Arabic influence upon Spain's architecture and language. The Arabic influence on the
Spanish language has been significant due to the Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula
between 711 and 1492 AD. The buildings are filled with Islamic patterns made of mosaic.
The modern-day Spanish language first appeared in the small Christian kingdom of Castille
in Northern Spain during this period of Islamic domination over most of the Iberian Peninsula.
As a result, the language is greatly influenced by Arabic. Arabic imprint on the Spanish language
increased as the Kingdom of Castille expanded into Muslim lands where the Castillian language
had never been spoken. It also increased as Arab Christians from the Al Andalus emigrated
to the north during times of sectarian violence, particularly as a result of the Almoravid
conquest in the 12th century. Arabic was used among local elites, and while local Arabic
influenced Romance dialects, known as Mozarabic were more prevalent as the vernacular language.
Only the Kingdom of Granada under the Nasrid Dynasty was totally Arabized after many centuries
of Muslim rule. Modern Spanish is thus a mixture of old Castillian and Mozarabic dialects from
which it was cultivated from. The mixture of language explains why Spanish has both
Latin and Arabic derived words for the same meaning. The Alhambra Palace contains many
Islamic trademarks, greatly linking Spanish and Arab cultures. For our next stop, we will
be visiting the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. It is the Mother Church of the Armenian
Apostolic Church and the main building of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The cathedral
of Etchmiadzin is the first church building in Armenia and is considered to be the oldest
cathedral in the world. The original church is believed to have been built between 301
and 330 by Gregory the Illuminator, following Armenia's adoption of Christianity by King
Tiridates III, which signifies Armenia as the first country in the world to adopt Christianity
as a state religion. According to History of the Armenians by Agathangelos, Armenia's
patron saint, Gregory the Illuminator had a dream of Jesus Christ descending from Heaven
and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built.
Hence, the patriarch gave the church the name of Etchmiadzin, which translates to "the descent
of the "the Descent of the Only-Begotten, or [Son of God]." Inside the church were early
frescoes that were later restored in the 18th century. Armenian painters created these frescoes
from scenes from the Old Testament and Armenian saints. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral was later
seriously damaged and almost completely rebuilt in its current form in 483 by Vahan Mamikonian.
Etchmiadzin was the scene of the Catholicos until 484. It was restored as a Catholic state
almost a millenium later in 1441 and remains as such to this day despite its constant renovations.
During the Armenian Genocide, the cathedral of Etchmiadzin became a major center for the
Turkish-Armenian refugees. At the end of 1918, there were about 70,000 refugees in the Etchmiadzin
district. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral was diminished during the early Soviet period, as the Armenian
Church was persecuted by the Soviet state. Etchmiadzin revived again under Vazgen 1 in
the second half of the 20th century. Etchmiadzin has been one of the most important locations
in Armenia since its foundation. The cathedral complex is called the "Armenian Vatican" due
to its religious significance and
its ties to early Christianity.