‘Olé!’ I could not have found a better spin to conclude this long series of ‘Turkish’ observers and travellers with a text that went exactly in the direction of what I wanted to prove. Starting from almost total ignorance of what Andalusia represented from a historical and cultural point of view, they had gradually discovered – mostly through Western sources – a narrative and references that promised to bring a new dimension not only to their perception of the past, but also to their relations with an increasingly invasive Europe. Then, a third and final period of disenchantment, or even disappointment, was characterised by a notable decline in their initial enthusiasm, soon to be replaced by a more aesthetic, almost touristic, perception of the charm and exoticism of Andalusia. Yahya Kemal and his ‘dance’ represented a sort of peak in this turnaround, as embodied in the castanets and the flamenco dancers spinning on a stage in Jerez.

Of course, I can always be accused of having made an easy choice and consciously left aside the highly traditional side of Yahya Kemal's oeuvre, filled with frequent poetic references to the past glory of the Ottoman Empire, with a strong Islamic undertone. After all, if flamenco dancers triggered his senses in Jerez, in Istanbul, it was the call to prayer of the muezzin that echoed in his ears. That being said, I believe that it is precisely on this point that Turkish intellectuals stood apart from their Arab peers, given that even when they embraced a more conservative – and sometimes Islamic – ideology and political stand, their vision of the past still remained deeply anchored in an essentially Turkish geography and culture. One will always find cases of Turkish authors whose perceptions of Andalusia go against the examples I have listed earlier. While this is always a possibility, I firmly believe that even the most laudatory texts one might find in some obscure periodical or publication would still be heavily tainted with a national(ist) bias that would set them apart from not only those of Arab authors and thinkers, but even from the popular culture of Arab countries up to the present. I must admit, however, that such an analysis would by far exceed my competences, my ambition, but also my concerns.