Photo Friday: Don’t knock the doors
Posted by Caitlin on 07 Nov 2008 at 07:00 am | Tagged as: Europe, Photo post
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain; October 2008
Doors are a big deal in Spain. Perhaps it’s the Moorish influence as doors seem to be a central feature of architecture in Morocco and Tunisia as well. We saw beautiful doors everywhere we went in Spain, from Catalonia to Andalucia, from medieval fortresses (or alcazars) to suburban homes. Many of the doors were oversized and very grand and imposing, while others were highly decorated.
This brass door knocker is from an unknown building in Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia - the home of sherry. The door is otherwise quite simple and I’m pretty sure the knocker is modern, indicating that Spanish door culture is alive and well. I really liked the way it looked - it gave the door personality, especially with the quirky little details such as the ring on the middle finger. [EDITED TO ADD: Read on to the comments to find out more - the best thing about my readers is they're smart and curious and they know things like the fact that this is a "Fatima door" and what that means].
We stopped in Jerez for lunch on our drive from Sevilla to Arcos de la Frontera, one of the White Towns in Andalucia. It was a public holiday so nearly everything was closed. We found Tio Mateo, a café in a leafy square by the library, and the food turned out to be really good - especially the pork in sherry sauce. Then we strolled through the town, admiring the city walls and the cathedral from the outside.
This post is part of Photo Friday hosted by Debbie at DeliciousBaby.
Fun that you picked this without knowing the story behind them!
It is called the hand of Fatima and is quite a famous legend in southern Spain and Morocco. We have seen them in other areas in Europe from time to time ( like Mykonos, Greece), but they are very popular in Andalucia and must be given as gifts to bring luck.
I must have a thousand pictures of different Fatima hands. I love them now! They are good luck charms if someone gives you one.
It is really an odd story, but you can read about it here:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/2007/02/a-thought-provo.html
Wow! I had no idea - I just liked the way it looked. It’s a fascinating story - love the pancake batter! As you say, what fun! Thanks for sharing. - Caitlin.
[...] post for NaBloPoMo is over at my travel blog Roaming Tales. It’s a photo post on Spanish doors and is part of Photo Friday hosted by Debbie at Delicious Baby, a blog about travel with [...]
I tried getting a decent shot of one of these when we saw them in Spain, but we were on a walking tour and I was just too rushed to keep up with the group (one reason we rarely do group travel, but we made the exception to take a week’s walking tour of Basque villages–great trip, but I really wanted a little more time to myself to take photos and do a little shopping!!).
I love knowing more about these hand door knockers!
Thanks for the photo, and thanks for the info.
We saw these a lot too… how great to learn the story behind them!
Thanks for sharing.
Debbie
I actually bought one of these - cast iron and a bit rusty - in a junk shop near the Alhambra and it remains one of my favorite souvenirs. It’s amusing to know so many other people were enchanted by those things.
My folks just got back from spain. they are avid travelers, but they are always saying it’s great to visit, but it’s always great to come back home. when they came back from spain, all they keep on saying is that they want to move there, cause they have never been to anything that spectacular in their lives, and they want to feel it! rahter than just visit it.
MuchaCostaRica
I have GOT to get one of these!
You know, I was very intrigued by these hands.. we saw quite a few of them in Sevilla. After leaving Spain, we headed down to Morocco - ironically enough, here, I was told on multiple occasions that I had the eyes of Fatima.. which was an honor, but also a bit eerie as I had plenty of eyes on me at all times throughout our duration there!
Best,
Suz