The Alhambra

I've started classes here in Granada for my actual semester, and as I write this I am counting down the minutes until I need to head to my class, "Islamic Culture in Spain," in which I was told the other day that we will be learning more about Spain's Islamic culture than even the Prince of Spain knows.   Okay, perhaps that is an exaggeration, but our professor explained to us that although the history of Spain is well covered in a typical high school education here, the text books always seem to skip over a particular 800 years of history when Spain was under Muslim rule, so that what could be chapters of history, end up being only a few paragraphs soon forgotten.  I just wanted to throw that little tidbit of information in here, as one of the main reasons I chose Granada for my study abroad was exactly because of the Islamic influence still lingering here.  Of course, there is no greater example of what the Arab world left behind in Spain than the ancient city, palace and fortress that sits above modern day Granada, and so what better way to explain to you what I have experienced here so far than with a walk through of the great, unforgettable Alhambra?

 If you've been following along, you may have noticed that I've actually visited the Alhambra twice already in one month...which was not my plan, but I'm not complaining in the least!  My first visit to this ancient Muslim city was with my friend Danny, during our first weekend in Granada.  After just settling in and spending our first Friday night out on the town, Danny and I met Saturday morning for what I thought was to be a casual stroll beneath and around the cliff side of the looming Alhambra, but to my surprise we ended up buying tickets and spending the rest of the day strolling through the ancient rooms and peering over the towering walls to the city below with absolutely no knowledge of where we were or what we were seeing (as there are no signs to guide you on your tour).  It was a wonderful experience to take it at our own pace and snap as many photos as we wanted, but at the end, I felt like I had missed a vital amount of historical information (basically all of it, in fact).  Fortunately, two weekends ago my study abroad group offered us another chance to return, and this time with a professional guide to tell us about all the history and mystery that the Alhambra holds. 


How to describe the Alhambra?


This ancient fortress sits above the city of Granada on a "root" of the Sierra Nevada so that no matter where you are in the city, you always can find a good view of the tan-colored stone walls that stand sturdy, facing any offense coming from the valley below (now covered in apartments, university, cafes, one Burger King (frown face here) and Spanish shops galore).  What you don't see from the street view, unless you're walking in the Albaicín, is the Nasarid palace hidden behind the austere, but intimidating fortress.  Nor do you see the Museo de Carlos V, which was built after the Nasarid dyanasty came to and end (when Isabel and Fernando made their final victory - here in Granada - to reconquer all of Spain under Christian rule).


Our tour consisted of four parts: The gardens of Generalife, the Nasarid Palaces, the Palacio de Carlos V, and finally the Fortress. 


Generalife is the royal garden that overflows to the north of the Alhambra on another cliff ledge and it served as the "retreat" from the Nasarid palaces, when the sultans needed a break from living within their lavish palace walls.  The gardens vary from vegetable plots, to fruit trees, to walkways carved under shrubberies, to what used to be Arab baths until the reconquest - at which point they were turned into fish ponds.


Our next part of the tour was to the Nasarid Palaces, where the sultans that once reigned over Al-Andalus (Andalucía) resided in the utmost refinement of their time.  A detail I remember from our tour that really stuck with me was a comment made about the difference in architectural style between Muslim and Christian buildings, which is that while Christian (specifically in Romanesque design) focuses very much on the outward appearance as a sign of status, the Muslim architecture is often seen as plain and humble from the outside, while the inside of the buildings are where the true beauty lies.  Nothing could be more true for the Nasarid Palaces.  Walking through the various rooms and courtyards was like stepping through the frame of a painting and becoming a part of the artwork.  The walls of every room are a mixture of marble, tile patterns of blue-green and orange, and mold designs that intertwine and flow around Arabic scriptures. Within these walls are marble and tile floors that are split by small channels of water that run throughout all of the palace.  One of the biggest feats accomplished by the ancient people of Granada was when they redirected the water from the Sierra Nevada to flow all throughout the Alhambra - so much so that the river Genil that flows below through the modern city is narrower now than before the Alhambra was constructed.  It is amazing to think that pools that rest within the palace, not showing a single ripple, are filled with water that is rushing down from the mountains above.


The most famous courtyard of the Alhambra, El Patio de los Leones, which boasts a heafty fountain that sits on the backs of twelve stone lions, was unfortunately under construction during our visit.  However we were able to see the reconstructed lions in a separate room (after years of weather and water damage).  A side room to this courtyard, Sala de los Abencerrajes, is said to have brown stains on the floor from the blood that was spilled there when a sultan had 37 men murdered because he knew that one of them was having and affair with his favored wife (favored because she had bore him a son), but to be honest, I can't tell what I thought about the blood stains because when I entered this room, all I could do was look up!  I've added a picture below to show you just why I was a little distracted.  Across from this room, and on the other side of the Lion Fountain, is the Ambassador's Room, which first served as the sultan's meeting room (with a dark interior so that the Sultan would see the face of those entering from the sunlit courtyard before they could see him), and then later it served as the room in which Christopher Columbus first presented some craaaazy plan to Queen Isabel about sailing across the ocean to uncharted waters... what ever happened to that guy anyhow?


Goodness! This is turning into quite the history lesson.


After finishing our tour through the palace, we next took a short pause in the Palacio de Carlos V, which is a large, two story lecture hall-like building built in Romanesque style like a miniature Colosseum with amazing acoustics so that if one stands in the very center, they can be heard in every corner of the very large, open-ceiling room.


Our last part of the tour was through the fortress that braces itself against the descent of the cliff into the city below.  This part of the Alhambra is certainly more plain and practical, as such luxury was kept for the Nasarid Palaces, but from these towers you most certainly get the best view of the city and the valley below. 


It is hard to imagine the type of hustle and bustle that used to go on within the walls of this amazing structure when it was in the hands of its creators, as now the Alhambra sees hundreds of tourists pass through its walls instead, but its likely because of a saying that goes something like this,


"If you die without seeing the Alhambra, then you have not lived."


Looks like I've done what I need to in this life, twice!  But I think I have a few more things planned...

The fountains of Generalife

With my yoga girls above Generalife and looking out at the Alhambra

Sitting in El Patio del Cuarto Dorado - although it is a small and simple courtyard, I believe it really is my favorite, with such a beautiful mix of textures and designs, like you can see behind me.

A close up of the beautiful tile designs in the Mexuar

With Lexie in El Patio del Cuarto Dorado

Tranquil waters within Patio de los Arrayanes.  The water that enters this pool is slowly channeled into a smaller and smaller stream so that when it enters the pool, you hardly notice a ripple of change.

Other side of the Patio de los Arrayanes

Intricate moldings found throughout all of the Alhambra.  The most common phrase written on the walls is, "There is no victor but Allah" which was the motto of the Nazrid dynasty to demonstrate their humility.

Intricate, heaven-like ceiling in Sala de los Abencerrajes.  If I understood correctly, the Muslim faith believes that there are seven levels of heaven that you need to pass through, and so many of the ceilings within the Nasarid Palaces were designed to represent these celestial realms.