Spanish Holiday Day 11

 Day 11:  Granada and the Alhambra

We woke this morning to a threat of rain (again), but fortunately, the weather forecasters here are equally adept at weather prediction as ours.  It started overcast which was perfect for our climb (roughly 500 foot climb) up to the Alhambra. 

Entrance to the park surrounding the Alhambra

The Alhambra takes its name from the Arabic al-qala'a al-hamra, the Red Castle.It was the palace-fortress of the Nasrid sultans, the rulers of the last Moslem kingdom in Spain.  The complex was started in 1238 by the first Nasrid sultan, Mohhamed I ibn al-ahmar.  The palace was modified by later sultans until the fall of Granada in 1492.  It was then taken over by Ferdinand and Isabella as the royal court.  It was here that Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his quest for a trade route to the east.

There are four distinct areas on the Alhambra's hill, the Palace of Charles V, the Palace of th Nazarids, the Palace and gardens of the Generalife, and the Alcazaba.

In 1526, Charles (Carlos) V commissioned a Renaissance style palace to be built adjacent to the old Moslem palace, but the project was never completed. The facade is beautiful, but inside is just empty space. 

At one point, bullfights were held in the central courtyard.

Outside Carlos V's palace are the remnants of the town, surrounded by the Alhambra's walls, that was home to a population of about 40,000.

To get into the palace, we were required to show our passports to which they had to match your picture and name.

The rooms of the palace are adorned with beautiful mosaics and wood carved ceilings.

There are multiple different areas, each with lush courtyards with fountains surrounded by several rooms.

Some areas were for conducting the business, of the court, some were living quarters for the Sultan  and others for his harem.  

One particular area of great interest, was the Patio de Los Leones (Courtyard of the Lions).  It was built in the 1300's by Muhammed V.  A prominent, wealthy Jewish courtier of the Sultan, gave him this mechanical fountain that kept time.  It is comprised of 12 lions (for the twelve tribes of Israel.

In the harem section, there was a steambath, allowing the woman to bathe more frequently than the usual once a year.

Roof of steambath from outside with "sky lights"

Interior of steambath

One interesting note about the Alhambra was that Washington Irving, author and Ambassador to Spain lived in the Alhambra for a period of time, finding it extremely peaceful.  He got inspiration as well as many stories from the caretakers for his book "Tales from the Alhambra"

The Alcazaba was the oldest section of the fortress..

At a slightly higher elevation, is the Generalife (Arabic jinan-al arif, the overseer's garden).  The gardens were a peaceful retreat from the main castle

After completing our tour of the Alhambra, we descended back into town.  Along the way, we saw the site of the main church of the Inquisition, in front of which heretics (ie Jews) were given "salvation" by being burned at the stake, flayed, etc.  What a great time to be a Jew!

And then it was time for late afternoon lunch and more tinto de Verano and paella.

    In order to work off lunch, we hiked back up to the hill adjacent to the Alhambra for some great views. It was another 500 foot elevation gain (now on a full stomach)

up to the Church of St Nicholas

The views of the Alhambra were stunning, worth the hike.

The walk down was just as hard as going up.

Tomorrow we do some real hiking.