The Alhambra

History & Heritage
Protected by the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Nevada, Granada was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. The Christian rulers of the rest of the country had re-taken Córdoba in 1236, and Sevilla in 1248, but were reluctant to negotiate the difficult terrain which would have to be crossed to get to Granada. So it was not until 1492 that the armies of Isabel de Castilla and Fernando de Aragón, who had married in 1469 and thus united Spain's largest kingdoms, drove the Moors toward the Mediterranean and reclaimed Granada as their capital.

From a pass through one of these spectacular rocky vantage points above Granada, legend has come down to us of El Ultimo Suspiro del Moro... The Last Sigh of the Moor. The land had been so loved by Muhammad Abu-Abdullah-Boabdil, the last muslim ruler, that he paused to look back as he abandoned the city of Granada, for one final grieving glimpse of the home he would never see again. His insensitive mother, Aisha, is reputed to have scolded, "You do well my son to weep as a woman for the loss of what you could not defend as a man."

Alcázar Palace

Best Sights
Granada’s most outstanding sight, the Alhambra, was originally a walled city of 2,000 inhabitants built to defend the city of Granada below. The fortified hill-top constructed by King Alhamar, the first of the Nasrid rulers in the 11th century, was initially a series of brick towers which formed the Alcazaba or fortress. You can climb the Torre de la Vela, or watchtower, for a fantastic 360' view of Granada and the surrounding mountains.

The Alcázar, or Palacio Nazaries, is the exquisite 14th century royal palace within the Alhambra complex. Begun by the Moorish ruler Yusef 1 and completed by his son Muhammed V., Benjamin Disraeli called it, "...the most imaginative, the most delicate and fantastic creation that ever sprang up on a summer night in a fairy tale." Containing ceremonial halls and private royal quarters where many of the ceilings are vaulted with 'stalactites', the Palacio Nazaries is a collage of gardens and courtyards and arched loggias adorned with delicate filigree and painted tiles.

Don't miss the Patio de los Arrayanes (Courtyard of Myrtles), a large reflecting emerald pool full of goldfish, surrounded by myrtle hedges. Also the spectacular Patio de los Leones (Courtyard of Lions), flanked by 124 columns, the fountain with its twelve marble lions was originally a clock... a different lion would spout water every hour.

*Book your tickets for the Alhambra as far in advance as you can. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Andalucia.

The Palace of Carlos V., built by Emperor Charles two generations after Isabel and Fernando, is an incongruous edifice next to the elegance of the Alcázar. Carlos planted his palace in the middle of the Alhambra complex in much the same way as the conquering Christians built a cathedral in the middle of Córdoba's great mosque. Opinions on its merits have been tempered somewhat since the 1960's when James Michener dubbed it "...an undigested cube of rock." These days, you are more likely to hear it called "Spain's most impressive Renaissance building," which it may be, or "a Renaissance masterpiece," which it is not.

Alhambra Gardens

© photo Dainis Derics; Dreamstime.com

El Generalife
From the Alcázar, cross a bridge and walk the shaded avenue to El Generalife, the Alhambra's magnificent gardens. They were created in 1313 by Muslim engineers who altered the flow of the Rio Darro to create a series of pools, flowing waterways and fountain spouts, thus turning a lush collection of terraced gardens, arbors and tall cypress trees into every nomadic Mohammedan's idea of heaven. El Generalife is without peer, the most expressive and beautiful garden complex in Spain.

The Alhambra is the epitome of Moorish artistic and architectural achievement. It represented the zenith of Moorish refinement and grandeur at a time when northern Europe was still floundering under the inertia of centuries of medieval feudalism. It would be another hundred years before Columbus would come here, to the future court of Isabel and Fernando, to petition for their support for his great voyage of discovery. The Renaissance, which would give rise to the greatest creative surge in christendom's history, was still several generations away.

Across The Rio Darro from the Alhambra

... is Spain's best old Moorish quarter, the atmospheric Albaicín. On the Calle Agua de Albaicín, a street once lined with public baths, you can see remnants of the guttering which was part of the Moorish plumbing system and included drains leading to clay and lead pipes. Climb up to the vista point from the San Nicolás Church for a magnificent view of the Alhambra and the surrounding countryside, particularly splendid at sunset as the fortress turns deep red.

In the center of the city, Granada's Cathedral is the second largest in Spain after that of Sevilla, and one of only two entirely Renaissance churches in the country. As is so often the case, the cathederal was erected on the site of a former mosque, and was 180 years under construction. Spacious and airy inside, it boasts impressive Corinthian columns supporting a bright, vaulted nave and side chapels which are gilded in ornate baroque style.

Adjoining the cathedral is the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). Built by Ferdinand and Isabel at great expense to ensure a lavish final resting place, is a fitting tribute to their momentous reign and vast resources. Their daughter Juana La Loca (Juana the mad) and her husband Felipe el Hermoso (Felipe the fair) are also buried here. The four royal tombs were carved in Italy in 1521, from Carrara marble... the same region of Italy where all of Michelangelo's marble was quarried.
 
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Map kindly provided by Map of Spain  
 

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