We recently hosted a visitor who, like John, had never been to Spain before. So we decided we would all visit the mother of Spanish sites, the Alhambra. It’s in Granada, about two hours from Seville. Getting there was sufficiently difficult that we booked a tour, which was super-easy and worked out really well!
The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I (1195-1273), the founder of the Nasrid dynasty and the most powerful Muslim ruler in Iberia. From its small beginnings as a fortress, the Alhambra grew into a knock-your-socks-off series of palaces. During the reigns of Yusuf I and Muhammad V in the 14th century, the Alhambra expanded greatly. And when the Christian reconquest of Spain ended with the defeat of Granada (1492), the Alhambra became the court of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella. In fact, it was here that Christopher Columbus received his royal commission to seek the western passage to the Indies. (He got lost, but that’s another story.)
Alhambra means ‘the red fortress’, possibly (but not certainly) because of the reddish colour of the stone. And it’s one of the most impressive monuments of Moorish architecture, certainly the greatest in Europe. The Alhambra actually consists of a number of separate palaces. The Alcazaba (‘Citadel’) is the oldest surviving part. Roughly triangular in shape, three towers at the corners and a series of defensive walls protect it. Inside, there is a small military quarter; today only the foundations of the soldiers’ living quarters and the hammam (bath complex) remain.
The main complex consists of the Nasrid palaces. (Charles V also built a European palace in the Alhambra in the 15th century, but it’s not nearly so nifty.) The three main palaces are the Comares, the Mexuar, and the Palace of the Lions. Of the three, the last is the most famous and the most impressive. A beautiful portico with single columns alternating with groups of two or three columns flanks its central courtyard, a design unique in Islamic architecture. At the centre of the courtyard is the famous Fountain of the Lions, with twelve lions carved from marble. This was among American author Washington Irving‘s favourite bits of the Alhambra, and we like it a lot too!
It is difficult to summarize the splendors of this complex. We were overwhelmed at every turn by the baroque-like detail on every surface, all of it designed to awe and impress visitors. We don’t quite have the vocabulary for all of these azulejos and wood inlays and stuff, but we hope the pictures will give you a sense of how lovely the whole is.
Just a 15-minute walk or so from the main palace complex stands the Generalife (‘hennera-LEE-fay‘). Despite its name, it is not an insurance conglomerate, but derives from the Arabic Jannat al-‘Ārifa (meaning unknown). In any case, this was the summer palace of the Sultans, where the breezes provide relief from the hot summer sun.
On our tour, we learned about the impressive hydraulic system which provided water to the palace complex. Water came from the Darro river, below the palace. By a series of water wheels and other contrivances, it flowed to the Generalife and thence there via aqueducts to the main palaces of the Alhambra. You can still see that water today.
To sum up: if you’re anywhere within a thousand miles of this place, take the detour!
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