Alhambra

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The Alhambra is a monumental complex over an Andalusian palatine city located in Granada, Spain. It consists of a group of old palaces, gardens and fortresses (alcazaba, from Arabic: القصبة al-qaṣbah 'citadel') initially conceived to house the emir and the court of the Nasrid Kingdom, later as the residence of the kings of Castile and their representatives. Its artistic singularity lies in the interiors of the Nasrid palaces, whose decoration is among the pinnacles of Andalusian art, as well as in its location and adaptation, which generated a new landscape but fully integrated with the pre-existing nature. In addition, it houses a museum of Andalusian art, the main art gallery of the city and an old convent converted into a national hostel.

The complex is managed by the institution Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife. In 2016 it was the second space in number of visitors in Spain, after the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, with 2,615,188 visitors.

In 1984 it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, along with the Generalife and the Albaicín neighborhood.

Etymology

Etymologically, «Alhambra» in Arabic is «al-Ḥamrāʼ» (اَلْحَمْرَاء, 'la Roja'), from the full name "al-Qal'a al -hamra" ('red castle'). In its evolution, Spanish inserts between the m and the r a b, as in «alfombra», which in classical Arabic had the meaning of 'redness', written as 'al-humra'. There are more theories to explain the origin of the name of the Alhambra, since there are other authors who argue that in the Andalusian period the Alhambra was whitewashed and its color was white. The name "red" would come to it because when it was built it was worked at night, and seen at night, from afar, due to the light of the torches, it looked red. Other authors defend that "Alhambra" is simply the feminine name of its founder, Abu al-Ahmar (Muhammad I, reigned 1238-1273), which in Arabic means 'the Red', because he is red-haired.

History

The Alhambra was built on the Sabika hill, one of the highest points in the city of Granada. This location sought a defensive strategic situation and at the same time represent a clear symbol, since the peak of power is very perceptible to the rest of the city, a location chosen to be contemplated.

The Sabika hill was already occupied before, at least since Roman times. The first written references to a military emplacement in the area date from the year 666. Thus, there is evidence of the nuclei of Iliberis (Elvira), in Albaicín and Alcazaba; Castilia, near the current town of Atarfe, and Garnata, which was more like a neighborhood of Iliberis, on the hill in front of the Alcazaba. In 756 there is an Arab population in the nuclei of El Albaicín and La Alhambra.

The extension of the hill made it possible to house the complex, which occupies about 740 m in length and between 180 m and 40 m in width.

From the death of Alhakén II, the third Umayyad caliph, in 976, the political history of the Umayyad caliphate became a series of setbacks. The Christian reconquest became the dominant impulse within the peninsula. In this context, the transformation of Gharnata from a small town to a city of some importance occurred at the beginning of the XI century, when the dynasty Berber from the Zirids formed a semi-independent principality. Under the rulers Badis ben Habus and Abd Allah ibn Buluggin (1025-1090), the city increased in population.[citation needed]

Window of the Hall of the Two Sisters, the Alhambra, by Juan Laurent (c. 1874), Department of Image Collections, library of the National Art Gallery, Washington D. C.

The buildings were concentrated on the hill of the Alcazaba and in its immediate surroundings. For the formation of the Alhambra, the most important event is the construction by the vizier Yusuf ibn Nagrela of a fortress-palace on the Sabika hill. A poem by Ibn Gabirol seems to indicate that the lions in the Fountain of Lions were originally in the palace of this Jewish vizier. There may have been other purely military constructions on the Alhambra hill during the Zirid period, but it is difficult to distinguish them precisely.

The year 1238 marked a second turning point. Muhammad ibn Nasr, called Al-Hamar (the Red) because of the color of his beard, took the city. He accepted a relationship of vassalage with the crown of Castile and thus entered through the Puerta de Elvira to occupy the palace of the Gallo del Viento (the old Alhambra). He was the founder of the Nasrid dynasty. The paradox of Nasrid Granada consists in the fact that a decadent political and military power, actually dying, coincided with an original and surprisingly rich culture. The Alhambra was created in a world that was politically unstable, but economically prosperous.

Court of the Lions, Alhambra par Juan Laurent, 1871, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC

Ben-Al-Hamar built the first nucleus of the palace, which was later fortified by his son Muhammad II. In all probability, the outer walls and aqueduct were completed at the end of the 13th century. The gardens and pavilions of the Generalife appear to date from the reign of Isma'il (1314-1325). But the most important sites in the Alhambra (the Patio de los Arrayanes and Patio de los Leones complex) belong to the times of Yusuf I (1333-1354) and Muhammed V. This Granada style is the culmination of Andalusian art. After three centuries of activity, the three sectors in the Alhambra remain well differentiated: the citadel, the urban framework and the palaces.

In 1492 the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs ended. Hernando del Pulgar, chronicler of the time, recounts: «The Count of Tendilla and the Commander of León, Gutierre de Cárdenas, received the keys of Granada from Fernando el Católico, entered the Alhambra and raised the tower of Comares on top of the cross and flag. The Alhambra thus became a citadel and royal palace of the Christian kings and the complex continued its development: the convent of San Francisco was added in 1494, the palace of Carlos V in 1527 and the church of Santa María de la Encarnación de la Alhambra. in 1581.

On May 6, 1893, the Alhambra was visited by the Empress consort of Austria, Sissi.

Accesses

The different access routes to the Alhambra complex that have been opened since its inception are:

South

Going up from Plaza Nueva by the Cuesta de Gomérez, you have to cross the forest of the Alhambra, entering from the Puerta de las Granadas. This is from the time of Charles V and was built to replace the original door, the Bib al-Buxar or door of the happy news, also known as Bib al Jadaq or of the moat, a defensive tower that protected the valley.

Gate of Weapons

It is the oldest of the entrances to the Alhambra, which is reached from the banks of the Darro, bordering the Torre de la Vela and ending below the Torre de las Armas, in the northern part of the enclosure.

Justice Gate and Wine Gate

Also called the Esplanade. To the south of the enclosure, it constitutes the largest of the Nasrid gate-towers and the main one since Christian rule. It is formed by a pointed brick horseshoe arch. It was built and opened in 1348, under the reign of Yusuf I. In the center of the keystone you can see the relief of a hand (a sign of welcome and to combat the evil eye). Further inside, a second, smaller façade opens, also with a horseshoe arch. Above this second arch, there is a relief of a key and above it a founding inscription that describes the name of the gate and the date of its completion (May 30 to June 28, 1348). Nearby is the Gate of the Cars, only road access, authorized vehicles to the medina. Before reaching the medina is the Puerta del Vino, which also connects the Alcazaba with the area of palaces. From it it ends at an esplanade called Plaza de los Aljibes, because it is above a series of cisterns. This door is one of the oldest buildings, its construction being attributed to the time of Sultan Muhammand III (1302-1309), the decoration of the façade or west portal corresponds to the end of the century XIII or early XIV, and that of Levante is after 1367.

Gate of the Seven Floors

Also called Las Albercas, it is the one that gave access to the upper part of the medina until Christian rule, because it was through it that Boabdil abandoned the city of Granada and the Catholic Monarchs ordered it to be walled up as a sign of respect, nowadays remains closed. She is famous for appearing in some of the adventures of Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra, set in her. Legend says that The Hairy Horse and The Headless Horse are invisible but can be heard in their undergrounds, of which only four have been found under it.

North

Gate of the Suburb

Under the tower of the same name, also to the north, it was reached from the Cuesta de los Chinos, at the end of Paseo de los Tristes and was used to get to the Generalife.

This

Access with input

It connects the Secano with the Generalife and since both can only be visited with a ticket, it is restricted to ticket holders. It is the main entrance from the visitor center since 1988, through the external road network, close to the current cemetery, in order to eliminate road traffic that is harmful through traditional accesses.

Fortress

Exterior view of the Alcazaba of the Alhambra from the north. On the right is the tower of the Sail, on its lower left is the tower of Arms and on the left stands out for its dimensions the tower of the Tribute and in front of it the tower of the Cube.
View in the foreground of the beard and wall of the alcazaba, behind the tower of arms and at the bottom tower of the Sail.
Tower of tribute.

The citadel is the enclosure located in the westernmost part of the Sabika hill, with a somewhat irregular trapezoidal floor plan, it constituted the military zone, center of defense and surveillance of the enclosure and with it it was the oldest building part of the Alhambra. The first Hispano-Arab buildings built correspond to the Caliphate period, in the XI century. As well as the Zirí dynasty, expanding them when Granada became the capital of one of the Taifa kingdoms. With Muhammad I, the first Nasrid king of Granada, this fortress was rebuilt and enlarged, its walls were reinforced and the main towers were raised. His successor Muhammad II finished the reconstruction works of the citadel. Before the construction of the Nasrid palaces, this area also shared a function of royal accommodation. Its main elements are:

North

Moving from right to left

West

Sail Tower

Built between 1238 and 1279, it was the largest defense tower in the military complex, due to its height it dominates the entire plain of Granada. Its name comes from the bell that the Christians placed in the tower after the conquest of the city. It sounded at dawn to notify the farmers of the irrigation of the orchards in the Vega de Granada, therefore, it kept them awake, and hence its name.

South

This

Wider front of the trapezoid that forms the citadel, about 75 m high. On the other side of this wall is the large esplanade of the Plaza de los Aljibes.

Tower of Homage

It is the largest of the towers on this front, it is between 22 and 26 m high and stands on the highest part of the fortress. In the XIV century, it constituted, together with the Torre de la Vela, the main defensive bastions of the Alhambra, offering protection to the enclosure. Inside there are six floors. It is believed that it was in this tower that Al-Ahmar, the founder of the Alhambra, installed his residence when he decided to build his palace. It is located vertically, divided into two well-differentiated zones. A lower area that includes the first two levels, in which access is made under the north wall. The upper zone that includes the rest of the levels has accesses from the north wall and the parapet of the east wall. The highest level could have served the wardens of the compound as a defense operations center, and the lowest, a dungeon, to store grain, salt and spices.

Inside the citadel is the military quarter, where the remains of the walls of the houses that occupied this place can be found, with the typical physiognomy of an urbanized area:

Medina

Plane of the Alhambra.
View of the set

The medina is at the service of the court, an entire city designed to meet the needs of the Palace. There were three main streets, which united and connected all its parts:

Nasrid Palaces

Plan of the Nasrid Palaces and the Emperor's Rooms.
Mexuar -yellow-
Palace of Comares -Red-
Lions Palace -Green-
Rooms of the Emperor -blue-
Main article: Nasrid Palaces

The palatine city of the Alhambra has housed an endless number of palaces, mansions, large houses and tower-palaces, which have been reformed or replaced as each sultan wants to build, or at least redecorate, his own palace, helped by the fragile materials, which seem to follow the Islamic precepts of not building anything that is eternal. The Mexuar, the Palace of Comares and the Palace of the Lions were chosen by the Catholic Monarchs as their residence during their stays in Granada, which guaranteed their conservation, compared to others mistreated, abandoned or mostly destroyed during the brief French military occupation.

Palace of Comares

Patio de Arrayanes.

The palace was built around the Patio de los Arrayanes, work began during the reign of Ismail I who ruled between 1314 and 1325, work continued on Yusuf I of Granada (1333-1354) who was assassinated before seeing it completed and finally Muhammad V was able to finish it in 1370. The central area of this palace is the Patio de los Arrayanes, whose north end leads to the Sala de la Barca and the Salón de Embajadores, one of the largest and most richest buildings in the entire Alhambra.

On the east and west sides were the rooms of the sultan's wives and those on the south side were for concubines and servants.

Palace of the Lions

The Palace of the Lions is located to the east of Comares, and occupies what would be the former garden of the latter. It was erected during the second government of Muhammad V (1362-1391), after recovering the throne with the alliance with the Castilian king Pedro I. The palace, with an approximate area of 1900 m², has its central axis in the so-called Patio of the Lions, which gives its name to the palace, and the rooms are structured from this patio, around whose galleries the bedrooms and private rooms of the sultan and his wives are distributed. It is an example of the integration of architecture and water, in which it is distributed from the central fountain in the courtyard to the entire palace. The four completely different organization buildings are located around the galleries: the Mocárabes room to the west, the Abencerrajes room to the south, the Kings room to the east and the Two Sisters room to the north.

Emperor's Rooms

Main article: Rooms of the Emperor

With the name Emperor's rooms, the six rooms are known, which were built during the reign of Carlos I, between 1528 and 1537 and which make up the Lindaraja courtyard, to one side and the Patio de la Reja, towards the other.

El Partal and other ruins

The entire medina, especially its northern and outer area, close to the Nasrid Palaces, had palaces, many excavated, of personalities close to the Nasrid family.

El Partal

It owes its name to the Arabic word meaning portico, and refers to the remains of the residence of Sultan Muhammad III, the northernmost and oldest. It is oriented from north to south around a large rectangular patio with a pool and a portico on the north side. At the beginning of the Nasrid dynasty, this palace was the main area, but after the construction of the Comares palace, it became a marginal area. Ismail I began the construction phase of palaces and royal dependencies. The alcaicería, the new corn exchange, the bridge over the Darro and the madrassa of the Nasrid Palaces were built.

Partal Oratory

It was built by Yūsuf I as a small oblong mosque.

Palace of Yusuf III

Also called Palace of the Count of Tendilla, located southeast of the Partal palace, it was built by Yusuf III (1407-1417). It had a plan similar to the Comares Palace and the Partal Palace. It had its own bathrooms. It was ceded by the Catholic Monarchs to Mondéjar, and was subsequently used as the residence of the Alcaides of the Alhambra until Felipe V in 1718 stripped the family of their title for their support for the Austrian side in the War of Succession and the building was demolished by Royal Order, although the legend affirms that it was the Count himself.

Palace of the Abencerrajes

Excavated ruins.

Royal Rapid

Attached to the southern flank of the Palace of the Lions, it was the burial ground for the Nasrid sultans, until it was dismantled by Boabdil

Walk of the Towers

With towers-palace

Tower of Peaks

The peaks that protrude from it give its name to this construction from the end of the XIII century or beginning of the XIV. Its interior has three floors.

Tower of the Captive

Sumptuous construction by Yusuf I. It owes its name to Isabel de Solís, who, as the name of said tower says, was a captive there. Among her poems you can read:

In their sockets, of the work of tiles,
And on the ground, there are wonders like tissues.

Tower of the Infantas

The tower of the Infantas was built in 1395. It is the best preserved. A good example of what an Andalusian palace was like with all its comforts. It is a small palace with benches at the entrance for the eunuchs, an interior patio with bedrooms, a corner entrance, a fountain in the center, windows to the flower gardens (in this case, the Generalife), and an upper floor for the ladies. Upstairs, terrace. The ceiling was made of muqarnas and disappeared in an earthquake. Curious entrance vault. It was the residence of the sisters Zaida, Zoraida and Zorahaida, whose story is told by Washington Irving in Tales from the Alhambra.

Water Tower

Where the royal ditch enters the enclosure.

Convent of San Francisco

Main article: Parador de San Francisco
View of the tourist stop.

It stands on the palace built by Muhammad III, in the XIV century, remodeled by Yusuf I and Muhammad V, which had a large courtyard in the center, which gave it the shape of a rustic villa. After the conquest it was donated to the Franciscans, which made it the first convent in Granada. It was demolished the following year, although the old chapel remains, a converted Nasrid work, where the Catholic Monarchs were buried until the construction of the Royal Chapel of Granada. It also has an Andalusian patio, a balcony closed with latticework and a cistern.[citation required]

Currently it works as a hotel, providing lodging services inside the Alhambra. It is managed by the state company Paradores de Turismo de España.

Palace of Carlos V
South of the palace
Palace courtyard

Palace of Charles V

Main article: Palace of Carlos V

If the Daraxa rooms and the Patio de los Leones complex were to be the new private residence of Carlos V, a new palace would be necessary to meet the functional and representative needs of the court.

The initiative for the construction of the palace of Carlos V began in 1526, on the occasion of the emperor's wedding in Seville and his subsequent transfer to Granada that summer. The project was entrusted to the architect Pedro Machuca and the works began in 1533, after some years of disagreements about its design and location. The financing of the construction was made with levies imposed on the Moors, in exchange for preserving some of their customs. Subsequently, other resources from the Seville Trading House and Granada sugars were also used.

Since 1572, due to the Moorish rebellion in the Alpujarras, the works slowed down until they were definitively interrupted in 1637, when the building was still waiting to be covered.

In 1923, the architect and restorer Leopoldo Torres Balbás began a program to recover the palace, which culminated in 1958, in which the building was covered.

It has a square floor plan with a circular interior patio and was designed by Pedro Machuca. It is surprising because of the year it was started (1533), a very early period for its characteristics, which fit it within Mannerism: Doric columns on the first floor, Ionic columns on the second, and a frieze with bull's heads (bucranios) from the Greco-Roman tradition. In some aspects, it repeats or anticipates certain architectural solutions of Mannerism in Italy, which is explained by Machuca's stay in that country and by his ability to develop with his own inventiveness certain features of the incipient Mannerist style.

Its façade is completely Renaissance. The first body is Tuscan style with padding. The second has decorative elements typical of the Baroque. Above the main door, there are two winged statues of women reclining on the pediment. Above, three medallions framed in green marble stand out against the stone. On the sides, scenes from Greek mythology are represented, specifically two of The Twelve Labors of Hercules. The iron rings in the lower part are purely decorative, following the current fashion in Florence and Siena at the time of construction.

Church of Saint Mary of the Incarnation of the Alhambra

The construction of the current temple began in 1581, being Ambrosio de Vico who finished it in 1618 following the plans of Herrera and Juan de Orea. The plant is in a Latin cross and the baroque altar flanked by Solomonic columns, added in 1671 and containing images of Alonso de Mena, stands out.

Likewise, the image of the Virgen de las Angustias stands out, the work of Torcuato Ruiz del Peral between 1750 and 1760. The Brotherhood of Santa María de la Alhambra takes the image in procession during Holy Week on a throne that reproduces the Arches of the Patio de los Leones.

The church is consecrated to Catholic worship and is under the authority of the Archbishopric of Granada.

General Life

Main article: Generalife

The Generalife, the Yannat al-arif in Nasrid times, is the villa with gardens used by the royalty of Granada as a place of retreat and rest. The most important part is constituted by its gardens. The Generalife was a rustic villa or almunia real surrounded by orchards and ornamental gardens that integrally served both for the maintenance and for the holiday of the Nasrid royal family. It was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It is in the Spanish-Arabic Nasrid style and is located on the northern side of the Alhambra. Near the Generalife, and related to it, are various buildings from the Nasrid period, such as Los Albercones, the remains of the Dar al-Arusa palace, the Alberca Rota and the Silla del Moro.

Its construction began at the beginning of the XIV century, in the time of King Muhammed III who reigned between 1302 and 1309. It was transformed by Ismail I.

In its lower part, there is the current pedestrian tourist access, for those with tickets to the Alhambra and/or the Generalife and road, local since 1988 to eliminate harmful traffic through the traditional accesses.

Registration

The tree of life.

There are some 10,000 inscriptions in the Alhambra, most of them poems, sentences, texts from the Koran and ejaculations. They are all in Classical Arabic and many correspond to the poets of the Court of Yusuf I in the XIV century. The apartments of the Nasrid king in the Comares palace are those with the greatest number of texts, 3,116, 35% of the total, collected in the Corpus Epigráfico de la Alhambra, printed by the CSIC; these could be originally composed for the occasion or written in advance. Ibn al-Zayab, Ibn al-Khatib and Ibn Zamrak are the authors of most of them. The three writers made up the bulk of the court poets of Yusuf I.

The Alhambra and popular culture

AlhambraAdolf Seel, 1886.

Music

Literature

Washington Irving Statue in the Alhambra Gardens.

He has inspired authors such as:

Cinema

The monumental complex of the Alhambra and in particular its gardens have served as natural decorations on multiple occasions, among which it is worth mentioning:

Animated films

Television

Architecture

From the XIX century, with the revivals, renaissances or neo movements, the the Neo-Arabic, which brings together all the Muslim arts, including the Nasrid, where plasterwork, tiles, muqarnas and especially, its columns are copied, as we see in the Alhambra Palace, the Casino de Murcia, the Moorish Kiosk, the Great Synagogue of Budapest, the New Synagogue of Berlin, or the House of Crystals.[citation required]

Other characters linked to the Alhambra

Panoramic view of The Alhambra at sunset, in which it is distinguished from right to left, the tower of the Sail, the tower of the Arms, the tower of the Homenaje, the tower of the Cube, the palace of Carlos V, the tower of Comares and the comb of the Queen.