The Alhambra in Granada is an ancient fortress-palace from the time of Spanish Mauritania. In 1984, the architectural and park ensemble was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The centuries-old history of the Alhambra
The first mention of the fortress is in the historical archives of the 9th century. In 889, during the civil war of the Caliphate in Cordoba, the ruler Savvar ben Hamdun was hiding at the top of a rocky plateau. On the hill where the Alhambra Palace now stands, there was an ancient dilapidated fortress - Alcazaba. During the war, its walls were fortified for defense purposes, and the real "golden age" for the fortress came only three centuries later.
In 1238, in the then Muslim state, the rebel Muhammad bin Al-Ahmar declared himself emir and established a residence in the Alhambra castle. This is how the Emirate of Granada was founded, which existed until 1492. During the reign of the Nasrid dynasty, the Alhambra changed its appearance. First of all, the Observation Tower (Torre de la Vella) and the Tower of Hommage were built for defensive purposes, then warehouses and baths were built.
For the first time, the Alhambra fortress turned into a luxurious residence only during the reign of Yusuf I and Mohamed V (from 1333 to 1391). A radical reconstruction was carried out - new baths, gates, walls with golden carvings, which gave the emir's palace a rich look. It was during this period that Lviv Square, the Hall of Blessing and the Gate of Justice appeared, which are now popular with tourists.
In 1492, the Emirate of Granada became the last Arab state in Europe to be defeated by Christians. From this period, the next changes in the Alhambra complex began. The architectural elements of the palace, which reminded of the Muslim culture, were deliberately destroyed - the gilding was covered with whitewash, the furniture and paintings were destroyed.
For several centuries, each subsequent ruler changed the Alhambra for himself, destroying and introducing something new. Under Charles V, the palace was decorated in the spirit of the Renaissance, under Philip V, it acquired an Italian style.
The 19th century was also a watershed for the Spanish Alhambra. By order of Napoleon Bonaparte, the complex was to be blown up, but one of the commanders did not allow this, disarming the explosives. Ironically, after some time, part of the castle was still destroyed, but under the influence of an earthquake. In 1828, restoration work began on the Moorish palace. The reconstruction of the entire complex took over 60 years.
Alhambra site inspection plan
The thousand-year history of the jewel of Moorish architecture in the Alhambra spans many events and participants. Despite all the modifications over the centuries, the Alhambra Palace in Granada is the most striking example of Moorish culture. Studying the territory of the complex, one can trace the path of history development.
Alcazaba
The oldest part of the castle and the main citadel of the Alhambra with all military fortifications, gates and towers.
Nasrid Palace
The rulers of the last dynasty of emirs lived here. It is divided into three main structures:
- Meshoir - a hall where guests were received, the Council of Ministers met and a trial was held.
- The Komares Palace with the Myrtle Courtyard is the official residence of the ruler.
- Palace Lviv - personal apartments of the emir. This is a 14th century building, which includes, in addition to chambers, several rooms, the Lion's Courtyard and the Lviv fountain. It is notable for its harmony and luxury, which has survived to this day.
Charles V palace
A square building with a circular interior patio in the Renaissance style. It houses the Alhambra Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. Music and dance performances are held in the courtyard.
Partal
Former palace of the early 14th century, but very few buildings remain from it. The most notable of the remaining ones is the Ladies' Tower (Torre de las Damas), which includes a vaulted hall, a small mosque and a swimming pool.
Medina
This is a residential area, or as it is also called the Upper Alhambra. This was where the attendants were located in simple houses. Along the main street ( modern name- Royal Street) housed baths, a mosque, workshops, bazaars and several mansions. It also houses the Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra.
Generalife
A country summer residence of the emirs, which is located on the slopes of the Sun Hill a little away from the castles of the Alhambra. The Generalife Gardens is a favorite place for kings to take a break from Everyday life... True, the residence lost its original appearance back in the Christian era, as it was in desolation for a long time.
So, these are the main locations that tourists can go around during the day. In addition to them, on the territory of the Alhambra complex there are many towers, each of which has its own historical name, as well as numerous gardens.
Opening hours and tickets to the Alhambra
The Alhambra complex in Granada is open all year round, except on holidays - December 25 and January 1.
- Day ticket
- Visiting the gardens: from Monday to Sunday - 8:30 - 20:00 (cash desk work from 8:00).
- : from Tuesday to Saturday - 22:00 - 23:30 (ticket offices from 21:00 to 22:45).
- Day ticket
- Visiting the gardens: from Monday to Sunday - 8:30 - 18:00 (cash desk open from 8:00).
- Evening visit to Nasrid Palaces: Friday and Saturday - 20:00 - 21:30 (ticket offices work from 19:00 to 20:45).
There are also tickets for an evening visit to the Generalife Gardens, the schedule is as follows:
- from April 1 to May 31 - from Tuesday to Saturday: 22:00 - 23:30 (ticket offices work from 21:00 to 22:45);
- from September 1 to October 14 - from Tuesday to Saturday: 22:00 - 23:30 (ticket offices are open from 21:00 to 22:45);
- from October 15 to November 14 - Friday and Saturday: 20:00 - 21:30 (ticket offices work from 19:00 to 20:45).
Ticket prices
Day visit*: 14 €; children from 12 to 15 years old - 8 €.
Evening visit to Nasrid Palaces**: 8 €.
Generalife evening ticket: 5 €.
Visiting the gardens: 7 €.
* The day ticket includes a stay in the Alcazaba, Charles V Palace, Nasrid Palaces, Generalife, Mosque Baths, as well as the main gardens of the complex.
** The time of the visit is indicated on the ticket to the Nasrid Palaces. A group of up to 300 tourists is organized every half hour. If you arrived at the wrong time, the ticket becomes invalid, and if at the specified time, then you can stay on the territory of the palaces for more than half an hour.
Attention! The number of visitors per day is limited. You can buy a ticket in advance on the website: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/.
- Discounts apply for schoolchildren, holders of the Euro youth card< 26 и Euro < 30, лиц старше 65 лет, пенсионеров ЕС и инвалидов.
- For children under 12 years old, admission to the Alhambra is free.
You can book on our website, so you will have the opportunity to stay close to one of the main attractions of Spain. You can also go to nearby town Malaga, where several interesting places, for example, on the mountain of the same name.
At least once in your life, you need to go into a real fairy tale, so that there are palaces, and sultans, and caves full of treasures, and colorful noisy markets, and the fragrance of flowers, spices and sweets. And you can start by visiting Alhambra which is now illuminated at night, creating the effect of a dreamlike vision arising on a hilltop above shaded Granada. During the day, the palace complex looks especially majestic against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada, 3400 meters high.
Alhambra palace- the main attraction of Granada in Spain. The Alhambra occupies one of the three hills on which the city of Granada is located. At first it was a small fortress, built in the 9th century on the wooded 150-meter hill of Sabika, and when Granada became the capital of Islamic Spain in the 13th century under Muhammad I, the Muslim Moors turned it into a huge citadel, building the Watch Tower and the Donjon. In the XIV-XV centuries, the Alhambra (translated from Arabic as "Red Castle") was turned into a unique luxurious palace of the Moorish rulers. Throughout its history, the castle was the seat of Muslim emirs and Christian kings. Charles V (1515-1556) rebuilt the castle in the Renaissance style.
Now the Alhambra palace complex is a museum... This includes an ancient mosque, a jagged fortress stone walls and towers (in Arabic "Alcazaba"), a stately palace (in Arabic "Alcazar") and a city (in Arabic "Medina").
The Alhambra is made up of labyrinths of interiors, courtyards and gardens. Tower of Justice- the main entrance to the castle. Across Gate of Justice(horseshoe-shaped arch) tourists get to Mejuaru- the room where the ministers of the Sultan met, and then pass through "The Golden Room"... Here the Sultan conducted solitary negotiations. Inside, all wall space is decorated with lace stone and wood carvings. Ceramic tiles, floral ornaments and Arabic script form the decorative decoration of arches, vaults, pillars and columns.
Of particular interest is Myrtle yard with a narrow pool and neatly trimmed shrubs around its perimeter. The reflection in the pool water of the clear blue Spanish sky, the arches and the crenellated tower of Comares makes everything look like oriental tale... The Hall of Ambassadors is notable for its cedar dome, which symbolizes the seventh heaven in Muslim representation.
Lion courtyard was built under Muhammad V (1362-1391) and became a cult site in the eyes of tourists. The courtyard is surrounded by arcades with 124 marble columns. The galleries are decorated with mosaics, and the arcades themselves are decorated with the finest carvings. In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain flanked by 12 marble lions. They symbolize hours, months and zodiac signs. This is the most intimate part of the palace, where the Sultan was in his harem. Whereas water dominates in the Myrtle Courtyard, the sun plays the role of natural decoration. It sets a shadow that adds an additional pattern to the geometry of the patio.
Several halls adjoin the Lion's Courtyard:
- Hall of the Abenserrags delights with gilding, patterns and an octagonal star on the ceiling.
- Hall of the Two Sisters where two identical marble slabs are driven into the floor. It is famous for its domed stalactite ceiling, which looks brilliant in the rays of light. The Sultan's harem favorite lived in this room.
- Hall of the Kings- main banqueting hall Alhambra with a painted ceiling. Here in 1492 a solemn mass was held on the occasion of the capture of Granada with the participation of Ferdinand, Isabella and Christopher Columbus, who was just preparing to sail to America. A distinctive feature of the hall is muqarnas (richly decorated arches).
Dohar's lantern room. Once upon a time, the sultan liked to observe the city from the balcony of his room. A few are on the sidelines Sultan Baths, which are distinguished by a very variegated, multi-colored finish compared to the rest of the Alhambra. Tower Infant and Tower of Prisoners- the most famous towers of the palace.
The centerpiece of the Alhambra is Emperor Karl's PalaceV, which was built by Michelangelo's pupil the architect Pedro Machuca in 1526-1550. Charles V, for some reason, considered the Moorish palaces of the Nasrid not very appropriate for their greatness, so he made his palace huge. This masterpiece seems alien to everything around it.
Now there are 2 museums inside the palace:
- The Alhambra Museum contains various exhibits found in the fortress, objects from harems, and is considered a recognized hit Blue amphora 132 cm high, which stood in the Hall of the Two Sisters.
- The Museum of Fine Arts contains religious paintings and sculptures of the 16th-18th centuries.
Generalife Gardens adjoin the Alhambra and occupy the slope of the neighboring Cerro del Sol hill. Generalife was built in the XIII century as a summer residence of the Granada emirs. This palace garden is an example of Arabian landscape art. The gardens are divided into lower and upper. In the lower ones - all the attention to the Sultana's Courtyard, which is sometimes also called Cypress. The tallest cypress tree is located here. The Water Courtyard is also charming. It is a garden with many flowing fountains. It is planted with myrtle and orange trees, laurels, century-old cypresses and roses. The center of the courtyard is a narrow channel of the pool that supplies water to the Alhambra. Its mirrored surface reflects the high walls of the palace.
In the Generalife, it is cool even in the heat of the day, because the trees close up overhead with their crowns. Every spring, it hosts an international music and dance festival among greenery, fountains and flowers.
"The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" was written by the Russian poet A.S. Pushkin under the impression of the legends about the Alhambra. Since 1984 The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Having borrowed the experience of Egypt and Rome in the construction of irrigation facilities, the Arabs were able to use the melting snow on the mountain peaks and created a powerful hydraulic system, turning waterless Spain into a flourishing land. A new type of garden was formed here - the Spanish-Moorish one. This is a small courtyard (200-1200 m²) of the atrium-peristyle type (patio), surrounded by walls of the house or a fence, is a continuation of the ceremonial and living quarters in the open air.
The complex of such miniature patios, included in the complex structure of the palace, represent the gardens of Grenada, created in the 13th century. in the residences of the caliphs - Alhambra(650 X 200 m) and Generalife(area 80X100 m).
Alhambra(Spanish Alhambra, from Arab. It was mainly developed during the reign of the Muslim dynasty of the Nasrid (1230-1492), during which Granada became the capital of the Granada Emirate on the Iberian Peninsula, and the Alhambra became their residence (the surviving palaces belong mainly to the XIV century). The vast complex, enclosed in fortress walls with towers, also included mosques, residential buildings, baths, gardens, warehouses, and a cemetery. It is currently a museum of Islamic architecture.
In the Alhambra, the premises of the palace were grouped around the Court of Myrtle and the Court of Lions. The myrtle courtyard (47 x 33 m) is surrounded by walls of buildings with a graceful arcade, richly decorated with ornaments. In the center there is a pool (7X45 m), elongated along the long axis and framed by rows of sheared myrtle. The main effect is the reflection of the tower arcade in the pool water. The courtyard of lions (28 X 19 m) is also surrounded by walls and an arcade, crossed by two mutually perpendicular canals, in the center of which is a fountain of two alabaster vases supported by 12 black marble lions.
Alcazaba(from the Arabic word al-kasba, meaning "fortress") - the citadel of the Alhambra; it was here that the first fortifications were built.
Reservoir area(Plaza de los Aljibes) is located between the Alcazaba on the one hand and the Nasrid palaces and the palace of Charles V on the other. It got its name from the underground cisterns dug in this place by the Count de Tendilla in 1494. From there, tourists enter the Alcazaba.
Nasrid Palace consists of three monumental ensembles: Meshuara - buildings for audiences and courts, the Komares Palace - the official residence of the emir, the Lviv Palace - private apartments.
Partal(Partal, from the Arabic word for "portico") - the area east of the Nasrid Palace. Sometimes it is called the courtyard of the Fig Tree (Patio de la Higuera). A significant part of it was previously the Palace of Partal (Palacio del Partal), or the Palace of Portico (Palacio del Pórtico), built earlier than the Nasrid palaces - at the beginning of the XIV century, under Muhammad III. Very little remains of this palace; the largest of its buildings is the Tower of Dam (Torre de las Damas), or the Tower of the Prince (Torre del Príncipe), built into the outer wall. Its portico with five arched entrances opens onto a rectangular reservoir, like in other palaces.
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| Generalif (garden plan): 1 - entrances, 2 - lower terrace, 3 - courtyard with a canal, 4 - gazebo, 5 - Sultana's garden, 6 - upper terrace, 7 - cascade |
Ensemble General(Spanish Generalife, from Arabic Jannat al- "Arif -" garden of the architect ") - Generalif (Spanish Generalife, from Arabic Jannat al-" Arif - "garden of the architect") - the former summer residence of the emirs of the dynasty Nasrid, who ruled Granada in the XIII-XIV centuries. The Generalif's Gardens is located on the Cerro del Sol hill 100 m above the Alhambra; along with the Alhambra fortress and residential area to the west, and the Albayzin residential area, which form the medieval part of the city, the General is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an invaluable example of royal Arab residences of the medieval period”.
The palace and gardens were built during the reign of Muhammad III (1302-1309) and redecorated shortly after Sultan Ishmael I (1313-1324). The complex includes the Patio de la Acequia (courtyard of the brook), which houses a long pool surrounded by flower beds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, as well as Jardín de la Sultana - "Sultan's garden"), which has a second name - "cypress courtyard". Jardín da la Sultana is considered the best-preserved garden in Muslim Spain.
It is a complex of isolated patio gardens with terraces. The most famous is the courtyard with a canal. It is elongated and surrounded by an arcade; a narrow 40-meter canal is laid in the center, decorated with two rows of fountains. Their thin streams form an arched alley. The garden is freely planted with small trees and shrubs.
In general, the traditions of the Spanish-Moorish garden are characterized by the following features: simplicity of planning and individuality of the solution. The layout is regular, due to the geometric layout of the patio. The garden has a compositional center, most often the pool. The entrance to the garden is often located not in the center, but on the side, thereby breaking the symmetry and enriching the overall picture of the garden.
The connection between the indoor enclosed space of the garden and the open external views is achieved through the arrangement of vantage points, decorated with arcades. This method of interconnection was later widely developed in landscape art.
Water is the main motive of the garden. It is present in every patio in the form of canals, pools, springs gushing out of the ground. The water then flows down the channels made in the railings of the stairs, then it penetrates the plane of the garden in a narrow strip, then it spreads out in an extensive mirror (Yard myrtle), then it forms fountain jets. In all its diversity, one can trace the desire to show the value of each of its drops.
The vegetation is used in such a way as to demonstrate the individual merit of each specimen. Cypresses, orange and tangerine trees, jasmine, almond, oleander, roses were planted freely. As an architectural element, the haircut was rarely used.
The hot climate did not allow the use of the lawn, therefore most of the territory was decorated with decorative paving.
The color scheme is characterized by a combination of the general restrained color scheme of the walls, greenery of trees and shrubs with bright blotches of flowering plants or colored coatings. Decorative paving is one of the most important elements of the Spanish-Moorish garden. Sometimes the retaining walls and garden benches were tiled with colored majolica. Primary colors are blue, yellow, green.
Thus, the Spanish-Moorish style was formed with a complex of its techniques that meet the requirements of the time, nature, and national traditions.
Myrtle courtyard(Patio de los Arrayanes). The center of the composition of the entire palace, almost the most famous place Alhambra (it is he who is shown in the top picture). In the middle of the courtyard there is a marble reservoir measuring 34 x 7.1 m, where water is supplied from two fountains on the short sides of a rectangle, behind which the courtyard is also called Patio del Estanque (Patio de la Alberca). On the long sides it is surrounded by a trimmed hedge made of myrtle, after which the courtyard was named. On the north and south sides, open porticoes are made, each having seven semicircular arches with openwork carvings and columns with square-section capitals (the central arch is higher than all the others). On their walls, on top of tiles that were already laid in the time of Christians at the end of the 16th century, there are Arabic inscriptions praising the emir - in particular, the poems of Ibn Zamrak, the minister of Mohammed V. At the ends of the porticoes there are richly decorated niches where vases with flowers or oil lamps. On the long sides of the courtyard are richly decorated entrances to the women's chambers.
Lions yard(Patio de los Leones) gets its name from the fountain consisting of two pools of different sizes and a large bowl supported by 12 lions. These archaic statues were brought here from the old palace in Albaycín. The lions are sculpted from a special semi-precious marble and are arranged like the rays of a star. The number of lions is not accidental. According to legend, 12 lions supported the throne of King Solomon. Sultan Muhammad al-Ghani was told about this by his vizier Ibn Nagrell. He also advised the Sultan to decorate the fountain with figures of lions. However, researchers attribute this story to legends, since lions at the fountain allegedly appeared only in the 16th century - after the fall of Granada.
By its structure, the Lion's Dvor belongs to the type of Muslim park "chor-bak", which means "four gardens". The principle of its construction is as follows: a rectangular room is divided into four equal parts by two channels stretched diagonally. At their intersection there is a fountain with sculptures of lions. From the mouth of each sculpture, a stream of water flows directly into the canal surrounding the fountain, into which water comes from four reservoirs under the stone floor of the hall.
The openwork arcades of the Lion's Courtyard are supported by 124 marble columns, the smooth trunks of which are the main element of the decor. The size of the yard is 28 × 16 m. Due to the complexity of the decoration, the plot looks more spacious. The columns follow the rhythm of the pattern that covers the entire surface of the courtyard. The pavilions are decorated with stalactites made of wood. An important role in the composition is played by the high tile roof, executed in a rude manner, which emphasizes the elegance of the arcade design. On the western and eastern sides, two gazebos have been erected, from where a beautiful view of the lions opens, whose "jaws spew jets of water".
This post was difficult to write. And I had to, as my brother says, "shove in the unproductive," make a sample of 500 frames and write some kind of minimal text, and not a scientific study on the topic "The Alhambra as it is."
So on November 4, early in the morning, i.e. at about 9 am, we plunged into the ordered taxi and went to the main attraction of Granada - the Alhambra, a majestic architectural and park ensemble, which includes ancient palaces, a fortress and gardens of Muslim rulers and is considered the highest achievement of Moorish architects in Western Europe.
The Alhambra can be reached in four ways:
1) the easiest one is to order a taxi (it cost us 7.50 European money for two)
2) take a minibus on route 30, departing from Cathedral(cost 1.80 money for one soul, or rather a body)
3) drive your (removed) car (the cost of gasoline and a kilometer of your nerve fibers and cells that are not restored and which you will start to spend tangled up in one-way, narrow streets (and you will certainly become entangled).
4) go on foot - it's not worth the money, but from 30 minutes to infinity of time you will spend on it (depending on where you are going to go). It should be noted here that choosing this method of transporting yourself to the Alhambra, you need to take into account that you will have to go up a rather steep hill and the climb can become tedious, especially in summer. And in the Alhambra itself you still have to walk and walk.
Some guidebooks say that it takes 3 hours to see the Alhambra. I don't know how you can do everything in 3 hours, probably only if you jump at a fast gallop. We were there for almost 6 hours and not all went around and looked.
And one more important note. Due to the fact that the Alhambra has a capacity of 8,800 people per day, all guidebooks recommend booking entrance tickets in advance. The site for ordering and phone numbers are in Google without any problems, as well as written in the same guidebooks. We knew this, but not having a clear trip plan (we decided how we would go, so we would go) did not know what day we would be in Granada, and therefore we did not order tickets in advance, hoping that November was far from the height of the tourist season and those who wanted to visit the Red Fortress (this is how the Alhambra is translated from Arabic), there will not be 8,800 people, but a little less, and we will buy tickets on the spot.
True, the night before, I read the reviews of the same gouging tourists who could not buy a ticket on the spot. And the taxi driver, who was taking us to the fortress, asked, “have we ordered tickets?”, And was very surprised when he heard a negative answer. So, on the way to the fortress, I was somewhat worried, and Lida was not at all worried, but discussed with the taxi driver the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. Their dialogue was very entertaining, because it was based on ten Spanish words that Lida knew and five English words that the taxi driver knew.
So we got to the ticket offices, which had very few people, bought tickets without hindrance and briskly galloped to the palaces of the Nasrid. There is another feature that must be taken into account when visiting the Alhambra - it is not enough to get a ticket at the box office and go to the territory of the complex. You also need to pay attention to the time of entrance to the palaces of the Nasrid. This time is printed on the ticket and you can enter the palaces within half an hour from the appointed time. All guidebooks also speak about this.
We arrived at the Alhambra at about 9:30 am. The entrance to the palaces was scheduled for 10:00, but not carefully looking at the map
missed the right turn and went the other way, and when we got our bearings and realized that we were going in the wrong direction, we had to turn around and run pretty briskly to the palace.
Naturally, I was photographing something on the run, but without going into details of what I was shooting.
After 15 minutes of brisk walking, at exactly 10:00, we got up in the tail of an approximately 150-meter queue to the Nasrid palaces.
So - "Alhambra (Spanish Alhambra, from Arabic. the reign of the Muslim Nasrid dynasty (1230-1492), under which Granada became the capital of the Emirate of Granada on the Iberian Peninsula, and the Alhambra became their residence (the surviving palaces date from the 14th century). mosques, dwelling houses, baths, gardens, warehouses, cemetery. At present it is a museum of Islamic architecture. "
While we stood in line looked at the palace of Carlos 5th. Built very close to the Nasrid Palace. We only looked at this palace from the outside, did not go inside. Now it houses the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada (Museo de Bellas Artes de Granada), the Museum of the Alhambra (Museo de la Alhambra), the Museum of Islamic Art, which displays mainly archaeological finds made in the Alhambra itself. This is the only object where we did not go out of all those where we could go. Just by the end of the day, there was no longer any physical or moral strength.
Opposite the palace of Carlos, the walls of the Alcazaba are the citadel of the Alhambra where the first fortifications were built.
And here is our goal for this moment- the Nasrid Palace. From the outside it looks very modest and unremarkable.
And here we are at the entrance.
Now a little digression. Granada was the last stronghold of the "Arab resistance". And it was here in the Alhambra that it was decided to build a royal residence after the displacement of the Arabs from the Pyrenean Peninsula. The Mauritanian complex organically blended into architectural ensemble the new Imperial Palace (the palace of Carlos the 5th) and thus the masterpiece of Moorish architecture was saved from destruction. True, not everything survived. Of the seven palaces, only three have survived to this day - Mejuar, Komares and the Lviv Palace. But even by them one can judge with what luxury and splendor the last owners of the Alhambra surrounded themselves in the era of Moorish decadence.
And the first palace we got to was Mejouar.
Mexuar. The oldest part of the complex, noticeably rebuilt after the Christian conquest. The name comes from the Arabic word maswar - the place where the shura, that is, the council of ministers, gathers.
And the first hall is the Hall of Meschuar (Sala del Mexuar). In the center of the hall, a patterned, inlaid wooden ceiling from Christian times is supported by four columns with Mosarabian consoles. The ceiling was made in the 16th century, before that there was a skylight in its center (there were no side windows). The upper part of the walls is decorated with plaster ornaments, the lower one is decorated with tiles, which are interspersed with panels with images of the coats of arms of Charles V, the Mendoza family, the Pillars of Hercules, etc. During the Christian period it served as a chapel.
Chapel (Oratorio). A small room adjoining Meshouar, from where you can see the Albaycín (one of the oldest Aribal quarters of Granada). The walls are covered with quotes from the Koran and praises of Muhammad V.
view of Albjacin
In the eastern part there is a mihrab - a niche in the wall pointing to Mecca (so that the worshipers do not accidentally make a mistake in which direction to pray).
In 1590 an explosion took place here; in 1917 the room was restored.
Then we moved to the Patio del Mexuar, or the Patio del Cuarto Dorado. Located between Mejuar and the Comares Palace. Here we stopped to let the big crowd of "organized" tourists pass and not to step on their heels, but at the same time to admire such beauty.
well, I am under these arches in the crowd of tourists.
It also houses the "Golden Chamber" - the last hall in the Mejouar palace, so named because of the gilding on the original artesonade ceiling. Its finest carving, restored during the time of the Catholic kings, in addition to the Aarabs, also carries Gothic motives.
The crowd of tourists has thinned out a little and in front of us is the Facade of the Komares Palace, restored in the 19th century. “Created to commemorate the capture of the city of Algesiras by Muhamed 5 in 1369, it was conceived as an Arc de Triomphe, as evidenced by the inscription and the façade uncharacteristic of Islamic architecture with two separate entrances.
The Comares Palace (Palacio de Comares) was the official residence of the emir. Built in the middle of the XIV century. under Yusuf I and his son Muhammad V. Different versions have been expressed about the origin of his name; perhaps it comes from the Arabic "gamariya" - that was the name of the colored stained-glass windows in the windows of the main hall of his tallest tower, also called the Komares tower.
We enter it and first we go along the corridors
and soon we find ourselves in the Myrtle courtyard.
"Myrtle courtyard (Patio de los Arrayanes). The center of the composition of the entire palace, almost the most famous place of the Alhambra. In the middle of the courtyard there is a marble reservoir measuring 34 × 7.1 m, where water is supplied from two fountains on the short sides of a rectangle, behind which the courtyard is also called The patio of the pond (Patio del Estanque, Patio de la Alberca). On the long sides it is surrounded by a trimmed hedge of myrtle, on which the courtyard was named. On the north and south sides there are open porticoes, each with seven semicircular arches with openwork carvings and columns, with square-section capitals (the central arch is higher than all the others) .On their walls, on top of the tiles laid already under Christians at the end of the 16th century, there are Arabic inscriptions praising the emir, in particular, the verses of Ibn Zamrak, the minister of Muhammad V. At the ends of the porticoes there are richly decorated niches where vases with flowers or oil lamps were placed. On the long sides of the courtyard there are richly decorated entrances to the women's chambers. "
he's on the other side.
walls and arches
We look into the Boat Hall (Sala de la Barca). "An elongated rectangular hall with an entrance from the northern portico of the Myrtle courtyard, which connects it with the Komares tower. According to various versions, its name comes from either a cylindrical vault resembling an inverted boat, or from a distorted Arabic al-baraka - a blessing (this word is often found among arabesques on the walls). The walls are covered with plaster moldings, tiles at the bottom. "
And from it we get to the Komares Tower and the amazingly beautiful Ambassador Hall. (Salón de Embajadores), "18.2 m high, the most majestic hall of the Alhambra. The floor there is tiled, in the middle is the coat of arms of the Alamar family (XVI century). In three walls, in addition to the entrance, very thick (2.5 m thick), niches are made with three arches inward and a window outward.Windows, covered with patterned lattices, go along the second tier.All walls, niches, arches, passages are abundantly filled with inscriptions, carvings and stuccoes.Extremely richly decorated wooden inlaid ceiling, symbolically depicting the seven heavens of Muslim paradise with the throne of Allah in the middle, the ceiling is surrounded by a stalactite frieze. On the top floor of the tower was the emir's winter bedroom, and from there there was an exit to the terrace. "
I am against the background of "thick walls with niches". The backpack is on the belly for a reason, but on the insistent recommendation of the caretakers. Apparently, pickpockets have plenty of space here.
my hand is here for scale. To make it easier to appreciate the subtlety of the plaster molding.
The next and last palace on our way is the Lviv Palace (Palacio de los Leones) - the private chambers of the emir. "Built in the XIV century. Under Muhammad V after he came to power; there is also a version that Muhammad built it as a palace, completely independent from the palace of Komares. The style of this building feels the influence of Christian art, apparently explained by the friendship of the emir with the Castilian king Pedro Cruel. "
The Lviv Palace was built on the principle of grouping premises around an open courtyard.
We entered there, as usual, with a huge crowd
But gradually the people scattered and it became possible to consider everything.
So, the Lions Court (Patio de los Leones). The central courtyard of the palace, surrounded by arched galleries along the perimeter, similar to the galleries of the Myrtle courtyard, but mostly with double columns, the total number of which is 124. Entrances to the apartments are predominantly highlighted by protruding porticoes. The surrounding houses are covered with gabled tiled roofs. In the middle of the courtyard is the Fountain of Lions (Fuente de los Leones), depicting twelve stylized lions holding a twelve-sided bowl on their backs. For a long time, there was a version that the figures of lions were made in the XI century. and come from the house of the vizier Shmuel ha-Nagid, and since he was a Jew, they allegedly symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. However, during the restoration of the fountain at the beginning of the XXI century. it turned out that both the lions and the bowl were made during the construction of the palace, that is, in the second half of the XIV century. The bowl is also decorated with verses by Ibn Zamrak.
Hall of Stalactites (Sala de los Mocárabes). Served as a lobby for the entrance to the palace. It owes its name to the ceiling of muqarnas (Cell vault, muqarnas, muqarnases (Spanish muqarnas, Arabic مقرنص), stalactites are a characteristic element of traditional Arab and Persian architecture; a kind of folded vault made of closed partitioned folds in the form of rhombic faceted hollows-hexagons, pyramidal depressions similar to wax honeycombs or stalactites), badly damaged by the explosion of a powder magazine in 1590 and replaced; from 1863 the remains of the original ceiling can be seen. It is framed along the ceiling with a rich plaster stucco frieze with the inscriptions and mottos of the Nasrid. It has three arched entrances to the Lion's Courtyard.
mukarnas. They are everywhere in the Lviv Palace.
Hall of Abenserraches (Sala de los Abencerrajes). "Located in the building on the south side of the Lion's courtyard. It owes its name to the legend, according to which 37 representatives of the noble family of Abencerrajs were killed here during the festival after being denounced by a hostile family: allegedly one of the Abenserraches was close to the sultan's wife The rusty spots in the dodecagonal central fountain are associated with their blood. The most noticeable thing in this room is the star-shaped dome, consisting of muqarnas, with windows giving soft light. The walls are decorated with plaster moldings, the lower tiles are decorated with tiles from the 16th century. "
opposite a similar hall - the Hall of the Two Sisters (Sala de las Dos Hermanas). The central room of the Sultana's quarters. It owes its name to two large marble floor slabs separated by a fountain. Especially expressive here is the octahedral dome with mukarnas, which rests on tromps, also covered with mukarnas. The walls are covered with the finest knock carvings, where you can see the mottos of the Nasrid.
Hall of the Kings (Sala de los Reyes). Closes the Lion's courtyard from the east. Perhaps it was a living room and a lounge. Divided by paired arches into three square sections
The central box, according to a special position, was intended for the sultan and his entourage.
A few more pictures of the Lion's Courtyard and move on.
We pass through the hall of the Two Sisters and find ourselves in the Mirador de Daraxa. Covered balcony of the Hall of the Two Sisters overlooking the Patio de Lindaraja. The first in the suite of rooms in the harem. The name is from the distorted Arabic "I-ain-dar-aisha" ("The eyes of the sultana"). It has low-lying windows (based on those sitting on the floor), the central one is double arched, the side windows are single. Initially, before the construction of Charles V's chambers, it overlooked the valley of the Darro River (now the gaze rests on the blank wall of the gallery). Plaster moldings with poems by Ibn Zamrak, black-white-yellow tiled base, coffered ceiling.
the windows overlook the courtyard of Lindarahi
one more mechouir
We pass through the gallery built under Carlos 5th. From above we look at the Courtyard of the Lattice (Patio de la Reja), or Cypress (Patio de los Cipreses). Created between the wall, the building of the baths and the chambers of Charles V at the same time when the latter were being built; got its name from the lattice of the balcony on the south wall, made in 1654-1655 for the passage between the palace of Komares and the chambers of the emperor. In the middle there is a marble fountain, in four corners there are century-old cypresses.
The lattice, or rather the unremarkable handrail, are visible in this window
The roofs of the baths are also visible from the gallery.
And on the other side to the ancient fortress wall of Granada
neighborhoods of Granada
one of the towers
We go down and find ourselves in the courtyard of Lindarahi
And so we leave the Nasrid Palaces
But while we are walking in the park next to the Portal, we look at the palaces from the outside. As I said, the outer walls do not in any way speak of the inner splendor.
As I said, we went out to Parthal.
The name "Partal" (Partal, from the Arabic word meaning "portico") is the zone to the east of the Nasrid Palace. Sometimes it is called the courtyard of the Fig Tree (Patio de la Higuera). A significant part of it was previously the Palace of Partal (Palacio del Partal), or the Palace of Portico (Palacio del Pórtico), built earlier than the Nasrid palaces - at the beginning of the XIV century, under Muhammad III. Very little remains of this palace; the largest of its buildings is the Dam Tower (Torre de las Damas),
Its portico, with five arched entrances, opens out to a rectangular reservoir, like in other palaces. At the top is a turret (mirador), from where you can see the Darro Valley, as well as from the lower square hall. According to legend, it was from this tower that the future emir Boabdil fled to his rebellious supporters.
We huddle a little in the gardens of Partal
We look at the Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra (Iglesia de Santa María de la Alhambra). Built in 1581-1618. on the site of the Great Mosque according to the plans of Juan de Herrera and Juan de Orea by the architect Ambrosio de Vico, who somewhat simplified them. It has the shape of a Latin cross.
We walked past the walls of the palace of Carlos
We go towards the Alcazaba
We pass through the Wine gate. According to the generally accepted opinion, since 1554, a tax-free wine trade was carried out under these gates, hence their name.
Alkazaba (from the Arabic word al-kasba, meaning "fortress") - the citadel of the Alhambra; it was here that the first fortifications were built. The Alcazaba has 9 towers connected by several-level fortress walls.
I will not list the names of all the towers.
"Plaza de Armas, the space between the walls of the Alcazaba. Here are the foundations of the houses where the garrison lived and the population serving it, the remains of a water cistern and the entrance to the underground prison is visible."
I don't know where the entrance to the prison is, but the nucleoli are good!
Adarve, the sentinel path on the north face. And the highest one is also visible - the Watchtower (Torre de la Vela), the highest tower of the citadel (about 27 m high), square in plan, four-story. It was on it in 1492 that the conquerors raised the flag of the Order of Santiago and the royal banners. Later it was used as a dwelling (until the middle of the 20th century, members of the War Invalids Corps lived here, ringing the bell on holidays). It had teeth, but in 1522 they were destroyed by an earthquake. The bell was installed in 1492 (which is why it was also called the Bell Tower, Torre de la Campana), but the current belfry dates back to 1840 (in 1882 it was destroyed by lightning and restored).
We naturally climbed on it (oh my poor knees) but the views were worth it.
Rooftops of granada
Cathedral
View of the Alhambra Hotel ( historical value not representative but picturesque.
The fortress walls of the Alhambra (Lida is set for scale).
Under the walls, already in the Christian era, a small park was laid out.
In this park we leave the Alcazaba, we pass the gardens of Partala
What these two are doing remains a mystery to us.
we go by the dwellings of the Arab nobles
The path leads to this snow-white palace on a nearby hill.
This is the Generalife - the former summer residence of the emirs, located to the east of the fortress itself and connected to it by several roads. The complex includes a palace, gardens and a number of other structures.
First, we walked along the "Lower Gardens", which were laid out here in 1931 and have no historical significance, but no less beautiful from this.
The gardens are beautiful in themselves, and they also offer absolutely stunning views of the Alhambra.
And the scent of flowers around.
The Generalife Palace (Palacio del Generalife) was built in the XIII century. and rebuilt in 1319.
Its façade is deliberately simple and modest, contrasting with the rich interior in the style of the palaces of the Alhambra.
The strongest impression in it is made by the Patio de la Acequia, through which the same canal passed, the traces of which are visible in the Alhambra; here it is framed by two rows of water jets, and flowers, bushes and trees are planted along the banks.
It leads to the observation deck (mirador), which offers a beautiful view of the city.
So named after a lonely dry gigantic cypress tree. Otherwise, it was called the Court of the Sultana, for here, according to legend, secret meetings of the Sultan's wife with one of the Abenserrahs took place, which cost the life of a whole family of nobles. (killed in the hall of the same name in the Palace of Lions).
here are a couple more views of the cypress
I don't remember what this window refers to - I just really liked it.
In the 19th century, a little higher on the slope, the "upper gardens" are laid out
And in 1836, the Mirador Romántico was built in a neo-Gothic style that contrasts with the rest of the buildings.
Climbing there, you can see the following pictures.
Like that window, I also liked this tower, but I won't say that. I can only say that it was the last building we looked at in the Alhambra.
After that, along a shady forest with cunningly shaped trees, we went to the gate and on that our six-hour walk along the Alhambra ended.
We went down to the city by minibus, which I wrote about at the beginning of the post, and what we saw in the afternoon, I will tell you in the next post (for this, I think, there is enough information).
- This is a fortress-castle from the time of the Moorish domination in Spain. Delightful architectural complex after restoration in the 19th-20th centuries, it was transformed into one of the most famous Spanish landmarks.
(Alhambra) is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture and attracts tourists from all over the world. More than two million travelers visit the oldest castle in Granada every year. 
History of the Alhambra in Granada
On the hill where the Alhambra in Granada is now located, stood an ancient, dilapidated fortress. It is mentioned for the first time in the annals in 889. Only in the XI century, the citadel was annexed to the medina - a quarter that was able to exist separately from the city during the blockade.
In 1238, Muhammad ibn Nasr, Caliph of Granada, chose the Alhambra as his residence. He ordered that the palace be fortified. This is how the Ommazha and Observation Towers appeared. The work was continued by his successors, Muhammad II and Muhammad III. During the reign of the Muslim emirs, the river direction around the hill underwent a change. And on the vacated territory, warehouse and bath rooms appeared, with the help of which it was possible to wait out the long blockade.
A real palace and rich royal residence the Alhambra fortress became in the XIV century under Emir Yusuf I, and then his successor - Muhammad V. During their reign, Granada was built Lviv Palace, new gates and baths, and the walls were decorated with carved ornaments on plaster.
After the reconquest in 1492, Granada and the Iberian Peninsula were liberated from Moorish rule. And the Alhambra was already transformed by the representatives of the Spanish monarchy. In the 16th century, Charles V became the owner of a personal palace built on its territory - for which some of the original buildings were demolished. The Alhambra ensemble itself was also damaged, as many decorative elements were lost or deliberately destroyed.
The desire to exterminate Islam in the appearance of the palace led to the fact that even the decorative plaster was painted over. And one of the buildings was rebuilt into a palace with Italian features. The restoration of the Alhambra, left to collapse, began in the 19th century. But the result was not very successful.
In the next 60 years, the dynasty of architects J. Osorio was engaged in a kind of reconstruction of the Alhambra Palace in Granada. But much for the image of the castle was simply invented. Therefore, in the 20th century, the architect-restorer Leopoldo Balbas needed to correct the mistakes of his predecessors on the basis of a thorough study of historical documents.
What to see in the Alhambra
Today's Alhambra in Granada is an architectural and park complex with a fortress, palaces (which house museums) and gardens. The Alhambra is divided into several spaces corresponding to the stages of its transformation.
The oldest part of the Alhambra - the Alcazaba (name in Arabic for the reinforced city residence of the ruler) at first it was the abode of the first caliphs from the Nasrid clan. Then she served as a military citadel of the complex, and the caliphs settled in the newly built palace.
The towers remained intact in the Alcazaba:
- The Ruined and Honorable Towers that stand in front of the entrance of the fort.
- Broken tower, so named because of the crack that cut it from top to bottom. The cores lie in the middle niche of the building.
- Ommaja - the 26 m high tower partly served as a prison and food storage.
- The four-storey Watchtower tower with a height of 26.8 m. It is decorated with arches mounted on pylons. The bell on its western façade was restored after a lightning strike in 1882.
- Cubic and Semicircular, on which observation platforms are located.
The Alcazaba's Armory Square houses the grounds of the military barracks, the remains of a water tank, and the entrance to the underground prison.
The Nasrid Palace consists of three large complexes.
- Meshouar is a reception and court building.
- The Komares Palace is the government seat of the Caliph. The walls of the building are faced with tiles. Together with the filigree wall carvings, a wonderful atmosphere is created here. In the Myrtle Courtyard in the Nasrid Palace, a reservoir is equipped, bordered by a hedge of myrtle.
- The Lviv Palace with the lion's courtyard was the chambers of the Caliph Mohammed V. In the style of the building, features of Christian art are visible. The courtyard with a fountain, surrounded by 12 sculptures of the kings of the forests, is surrounded by arches with 124 pylons. The entrance hall to the Lviv Palace, the Hall of Stalactites and the luxurious texture of the castle walls with records from the Koran preserve the Moorish style of architecture. Hall of the Boat in the Lviv Palace - with walls decorated with stucco molding with the image of the emblem of the Nasrid. Mosarabian bowls and muqarnas (honeycomb vaults) are also used as decor. At the entrance to the Hall of Abenserrachs, there are two arches with a transition between them. The hall walls are decorated with arches and tiles in the Renaissance style, and the pylons are made of blue beams. Painted ceilings and a honeycomb vault add beauty to the space.
The building in the style of the Italian Renaissance took a long time to build and got its current look in the 20th century. The ground floor houses the Alhambra Museum, which displays artifacts found by archaeologists during excavations. The second floor of the castle is converted into the Granada Fine Arts Museum. The Temple of Santa Maria has been located near the Palace of Charles V since 1618, when its construction was completed on the site of the previous mosque. The castle has a Round Courtyard, its diameter is 30 meters.
Upper Alhambra in Granada
This part of the attraction mainly consists of gardens, planted where the city quarter once was. It is worth mentioning the gardens of Adarve, Partal and Generalife (the latter with the official country residence kings).
Useful information about the Alhambra
6 interesting features of the attraction
- Alhambra translated from Arabic means "red castle". According to some reports, this name is inspired by the similarity with the tonality of building clay, dried under the sun. According to another version, this name of the sight was given by the "red flames of torches" that illuminated the castle during the construction period.
- The names of the buildings of the Alhambra are also full of eloquence. Thus, the Hall of the Two Sisters received its designation as a result of 2-dimensional white marble slabs built into the floor.
- Poets of the Middle Ages presented the Alhambra in their works as an "emerald pearl", emphasizing its beauty in the green of forest plants, blue skies and snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains.
- The first liturgy was held in the church of Santa Maria after the deliverance of the city from the Moors.
- The Hall of Abenserraches in the Palace of Lions in the middle has a marble sink with rust-like stains. According to legend, they arose soon after the guillotine of all the rulers from the Abenserrach dynasty.
- The Komares Tower behind the courtyard of Myrtle is the highest of its kind in the Alhambra. It reaches a height of 45 m.
The price includes a visit Alcazaba, Nasrid Palace and Upper Alhambra... A visit to the Palace of Charles V, the Alhambra Museum and the Muslim Bath is free for everyone.
Tickets to the Alhambra better to buy in advance... V tourist season tickets for the current and upcoming dates may not be available. The average time to visit the Alhambra is 3 hours.
When buying tickets, you must select the date and time of your visit. If you do not arrive at the appointed time, then the tickets will be lost, while the cost is not refundable... You can buy tickets online or see their availability on the official website: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/
Other options for tickets to the Alhambra:
- Visiting the Alhambra without the Nasrid Palace: 7 euros
- Night visit to Nasrid Palaces: 8 euros
- Night visit to the Gardens and Generalife: 5 euros
- Visit to the Alhambra without the Nasrid Palace + Night visit to the Nasrid Palace: 14 euros (for two consecutive days)
- Visit to the Alhambra + Rodriguez Acosta Foundation: 17 euros
How to get to the Alhambra:
- Walking distance from Plaza Nueva along the historic beautiful streets (about 1150 m to the entrance to the Alhambra)
- Walking from the slope Cuesta del Rey Chico between the walls of the citadel and beautiful panoramas
(about 860 m to the entrance to the Alhambra) - By bus: line C30, C32, C35
- By car: via the Ronda Sur (A-395) of the city, as private transport is prohibited from accessing the Alhambra from the city center
