Andalusia in the 1833 territorial division of Spain. Each of the Andalusian provinces bears the same name as its capital: Andalusia is traditionally divided into two historical subregions: Upper Andalusia" or "Eastern Andalusia ("Andalucía Oriental"), consisting of the provinces of Almería, Granada, Jaén, and Málaga, and Lower Andalusia" or "Western Andalusia ("Andalucía Occidental"), consisting of the provinces of Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva and Seville. Within the various autonomous communities of Spain, "comarcas" are comparable to shires (or, in some countries, counties) in the English-speaking world. Unlike in some of Spain's other autonomous communities, under the original 1981 Statute of Autonomy, the "comarcas"
Al-Andalus Ensemble Bondy and Martin Zarzar, Anthony Jones, Joe Heinemann, Ranjani Krishnan and Margarita Bruce. and Pink Martini members Martin Zarzar and Gavin Bondy as well as Moroccan musician Noureddine Chekara, Spanish singer Virtudes Sanchez, American singer Emily Miles, Basque flamenco dancer Laura Dubroca and Spanish flamenco dancer Maria Jose Franco. The Al-Andalus Ensemble takes its name and much of its inspiration from Al-Andalus, Spain. Historically, "Al-Andalus" refers to Moorish Iberia, or parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims between 711 and 1492. During these eight centuries, Andalusian Spain witnessed cultural cooperation and innovation between Africa, the East and the West