| GRANADA |
A visit to Andalucia would not be complete without a visit to Granada and its
most famous heritage Alhambra. Granada is the jewel of Spain, the long time
capital of the Moorish Andalucia (Al Andalus).
Located at the foot of Sierra Nevada, Spain's highest mountain, Granada is
about 70km from the coast and its position makes it a town where you can
go skiing and sunbathe on the beach the very same day.
History
Granada's history dates back from the Roman time
when the city was then called Illibris. When the
Arabs invaded it in the eighth century, they gave it its
current name of Granada (Gharnatah). The city owes
most of its history to the time of the Moors revealing
the brilliance of their life and culture. In 1492,
Granada was the last Muslim City to fall to the
Christians, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile
and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon. The Muslims
and the Jews were then forced to leave the country
or convert to Christianity. Much of what the Moors
had built in the city disappeared with them. The
short-lived flow of gold from America that made Spain
rich, led to the replacement of many of Granada's Moorish monuments with
baroque constructions. Nevertheless, the most insensitive destruction of all,
was that of a whole wing of rooms in Alhambra by Emperor Carlos V in order
to build a Renaissance Palace. This, and Alhambra itself were then completely
ignored by his successors and by the eighteen century, the Royal Palace was
used as a prison. In 1812, Napoleon's forces looted and damaged most
sections of Alhambra even attempting -unsuccessfully - to blow up the entire
complex.
Alhambra
One of the most outstanding jewels that makes Granada the place to visit is
Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in
the 14th century.
The Moors devoted their skills, knowledge
and gold to build the most lavishly appointed
palace Spain had ever seen.
The name Alhambra comes from the reddish
walls that characterise it and refers to the
colour of the mountain, on which it is built:
Al-Hamra (the red in Arabic). Alhambra has
three different groups of buildings: the
Casa Real (Royal Palace), The Palace gardens of the Generalife and the
Alcazaba. The latter is all that existed when Ibn Ahmar came to power and
made Granada his capital. He decided to rebuild it and put walls and towers
all around it. Then within the walls, he built a palace supplying it with running
water by diverting the river Darro. Water is an integral part of Alhambra and
this feature was Ibn Ahmar's greatest contribution. In the Koran, heaven is
described as a shaded, leafy garden refreshed by running water. It is an
image, which perfectly describes the Generalife, the gardens and summer
palace of the sultans. With Generalife, the Moors have created "heaven on
earth". They inspired many important musicians and authors, among them
Washington Irving ("Tales of the Alhambra"). The Royal Palace is essentially
the work of its successors Yusuf I and Mohammed V. the latter built and
redecorated many rooms in celebration of its accession to the throne in 1354
and his conquest of Algeciras in 1369.
Visiting Alhambra
In an attempt to cope with the drastic overcrowding
of recent years, it is essential to book tickets well in
advance. A reservation system allows you to book a
time for your visit prior to arrival. When booking, you
will offered a time to visit the Casa Real section.
Tickets are stamped with a half-hour time slot during
which you must enter the Casa Real section. You will
not be allowed in before or after the time on the ticket,
however once inside, you may stay for as long as you
wish. Reservation phone number 958 02 7900.Tickets
have tear-off slips for each part: Casa Real, Portal and
Torres, Generalife and these must be used on the
same day. Please be aware that reservation over the
telephone, can be a tricky business for those that do
not speak Spanish. Although, there are English
speaking personal, it would be much easier if a
Spanish speaking person did the reservations, as you may have to wait a
long time before getting through to a English speaking operator.
most famous heritage Alhambra. Granada is the jewel of Spain, the long time
capital of the Moorish Andalucia (Al Andalus).
Located at the foot of Sierra Nevada, Spain's highest mountain, Granada is
about 70km from the coast and its position makes it a town where you can
go skiing and sunbathe on the beach the very same day.
History
Granada's history dates back from the Roman time
when the city was then called Illibris. When the
Arabs invaded it in the eighth century, they gave it its
current name of Granada (Gharnatah). The city owes
most of its history to the time of the Moors revealing
the brilliance of their life and culture. In 1492,
Granada was the last Muslim City to fall to the
Christians, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile
and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon. The Muslims
and the Jews were then forced to leave the country
or convert to Christianity. Much of what the Moors
had built in the city disappeared with them. The
short-lived flow of gold from America that made Spain
rich, led to the replacement of many of Granada's Moorish monuments with
baroque constructions. Nevertheless, the most insensitive destruction of all,
was that of a whole wing of rooms in Alhambra by Emperor Carlos V in order
to build a Renaissance Palace. This, and Alhambra itself were then completely
ignored by his successors and by the eighteen century, the Royal Palace was
used as a prison. In 1812, Napoleon's forces looted and damaged most
sections of Alhambra even attempting -unsuccessfully - to blow up the entire
complex.
Alhambra
One of the most outstanding jewels that makes Granada the place to visit is
Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in
the 14th century.
The Moors devoted their skills, knowledge
and gold to build the most lavishly appointed
palace Spain had ever seen.
The name Alhambra comes from the reddish
walls that characterise it and refers to the
colour of the mountain, on which it is built:
Al-Hamra (the red in Arabic). Alhambra has
three different groups of buildings: the
Casa Real (Royal Palace), The Palace gardens of the Generalife and the
Alcazaba. The latter is all that existed when Ibn Ahmar came to power and
made Granada his capital. He decided to rebuild it and put walls and towers
all around it. Then within the walls, he built a palace supplying it with running
water by diverting the river Darro. Water is an integral part of Alhambra and
this feature was Ibn Ahmar's greatest contribution. In the Koran, heaven is
described as a shaded, leafy garden refreshed by running water. It is an
image, which perfectly describes the Generalife, the gardens and summer
palace of the sultans. With Generalife, the Moors have created "heaven on
earth". They inspired many important musicians and authors, among them
Washington Irving ("Tales of the Alhambra"). The Royal Palace is essentially
the work of its successors Yusuf I and Mohammed V. the latter built and
redecorated many rooms in celebration of its accession to the throne in 1354
and his conquest of Algeciras in 1369.
Visiting Alhambra
In an attempt to cope with the drastic overcrowding
of recent years, it is essential to book tickets well in
advance. A reservation system allows you to book a
time for your visit prior to arrival. When booking, you
will offered a time to visit the Casa Real section.
Tickets are stamped with a half-hour time slot during
which you must enter the Casa Real section. You will
not be allowed in before or after the time on the ticket,
however once inside, you may stay for as long as you
wish. Reservation phone number 958 02 7900.Tickets
have tear-off slips for each part: Casa Real, Portal and
Torres, Generalife and these must be used on the
same day. Please be aware that reservation over the
telephone, can be a tricky business for those that do
not speak Spanish. Although, there are English
speaking personal, it would be much easier if a
Spanish speaking person did the reservations, as you may have to wait a
long time before getting through to a English speaking operator.
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