The drive from Cordoba to Granada, about 2.5 hours, covered a lot of gorgeous land. Spain is one of the greatest producers of olives and we got to see plenty of olive groves on this drive. The land was more arid with lots of gently rolling hills. But mountains dominated the background on this drive, and we moved into them more and more. As we approached Granada, we saw snow capping the Sierra Nevada mountains, the same name given to the mountains that dominate eastern California.
Granada is a very busy city, filled with tourists, shopping, and very well-dressed people. L and I wandered around in the evening and found the city to be filled with jovial people shopping and enjoying cafes.
This morning we headed out early to meet a tour guide at the Alhambra. We splurged in hiring a tour guide, but we had heard that they are excellent in engaging children, so we decided to give it a go. And we are so happy we did. Our guide, Reyes, is local to Granada, but she also studied in Norway and other countries, taught English, and has a clear passion for history, languages, art, music and stories. She had us engaged for the entire 3 hours and we learned so much.
If you are not familiar with the Alhambra, you need a brief bit of history to appreciate it. In the eighth century, the Moors, Muslims from the Middle East and Northern Africa, invaded and took over the Iberian Peninsula over a period of 3 years, then ruling of the next 800 years before the Christians were successful in their Reconquista of Spain. The Moors brought with them a long history of educational studies in philosophy, engineering mathematics, medicine, and more, informed by China, India, Greece, Byzantine, Egypt, and Rome. Thus when they constructed Alhambra, a walled citadel, palace, and workshops on a hill, they used all the knowledge and experience gained to build a series of water transport based solely on gravity, radiant heat flooring, and heated saunas and baths. In Granada, the tradition of tolerance between Jews, Muslims, and Christians continued, and this is also symbolized throughout the Alhambra's architecture. Granada was the last Muslim capital before the Reconquista, and in January 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel took control of Granada, expelling the last Muslim ruler, Boabdil. The Sigh of the Moor, a term you may have heard, refers to the the mountain pass where Boabdil caught a last, sad glimpse of his homeland and the Alhambra before moving south toward the coast. It was in the Alhambra in 1492 that Columbus also convinced Queen Isabella to fund his voyage to find a new route to India. In keeping with a long tradition of keeping gorgeous Muslim architecture in tact while repurposing it for Catholic purposes, this tradition serves to demonstrate the dominance of Catholicism over Muslim and remind future generations of this fact. This somewhat unsavory motivation serves us today in that it preserved the beautiful architecture and art for us to marvel at. It was almost lost when Napoleonic forces (yes, Napoleon took over this region for a time, too) were retreating in the face of Spanish forces and they left behind bombs with the intention of destroying the castle and walls. As the story goes, an invalid soldier risked his life defusing the bombs and saved the Alhambra. Thank you to Jose Garcia and all those who have worked to preserve and restore this gorgeous monument.
The remaining original entry into the Alhambra. There are lots of interesting details here, including the protective Hamsa, a hand with an eye, a key which symbolized exclusivity, a Catholic statue of the Virgin Mary, and a monument to Washington Irving. The author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow" and Spanish ambassador is revered in Granada as a savior of the Alhambra which was falling into disrepair when he visited in 1829. He wrote a few books about Andalucia and the Alhambra, including "Tales of the Alhambra," which sparked tourist interest in the Alhambra and thus led to its conservation. |
Outside the Nasrid Palace, the main palace where visitors were received and for the sultan and his family. |
| Granada is the Spanish word for pomegranate, a very important food and symbol of life, rebirth, fertility, and abundance for southern Spain. The rocks in this mosaic are from two different rivers. |
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This is one place where the sultan would receive visitors and make judgements. Sitting on the stairs just above the people between the two doorways, the sultan would be bathed in light reflected from the gold leaf on the ceiling, and the patterns on the walls would be painted with green, blue, red, and gold, symbolizing nature, water or sky, family/blood, and abundance. He would be quite a sight to behold sitting there with all the light and colors surrounding him.
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| A bit of color remains on this plasterwork, blue made with lapis lazuli. I thought they were carvings, but they are made by mixing marble, limestone, egg white, and other materials and adding them to a mold, then putting them onto the wall. A much easier process to cover every square inch of the palace in gorgeous artwork. |
An alcove similar to the one where the sultan would sit and receive guests. | Reyes, our wonderful guide, explaining some of the symbolism of the decorations as well as how the sultan would sit in the alcove with the light streaming in behind him so he was silhouetted for visitors. Thus the visitors could not look into the eyes of the sultan and created a sense of mystery about the sultan. This is also the room where Queen Isabella met with Christopher Columbus and approved his harebrained idea to go west to get to India.
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Reyes was a wealth of knowledge on the origins of words in Spanish and English that originate from Muslim and Arabic cultures. Interestingly, on the plasterwork behind my hand you see what looks like a rounded W with a loop on the left side. This means Allah. The symbol I am making with my hand, the "okay" symbol is also the symbol made for Allah, which has its origins in the written symbol here. And in Spanish, when I want to say "I hope ..." I say "Ojala que..." Ojala also has its origins in the Arabic "Inshallah," an expression that means "God willing."
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The only remaining section of original flooring. | Water was an incredibly important symbol for the Moors, coming from arid regions. It was used carefully and conserved. Here is is both air conditioning and also used to reflect the architecture, creating both an intimidating sense of the building and also demonstrating that anything can be copied, but only Allah is unique.
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This are of the palace represents the joining of three faiths. The overall design here represents a Christian cloister. The fountain in the center with 12 lions represents the 12 tribes of Israel. And the decorations are all Muslim.
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These little niches are found throughout the palace. They would have held jugs of fresh water for drinking and offering to guests and also for washing ones hands, face, and feet in preparation for prayer. |
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| Many of the ceilings are made of cypress wood, which are resistant to termites, as we sat at La Mezquita. But some are made of plaster like this one in the mocárabe or stalactite style, slightly resembling cave ceilings.
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| Arches and wooden ceilings.
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| In Muslim art, images of humans are not allowed. But this piece in the ceiling of the private quarters of the family represents a break from the edict, an influence of other traditions such as Christianity and Judaism, on the sultan.
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Multiple arches echoing through the hall, reminiscent of La Mezquita.
| Another spectacular mocárabe or stalactite style ceiling.
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| Colorful ceiling, makes me think how beautiful the palace must have been with all the colors in the mosaics, floors, and plasterwork.
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Reyes pointing out the Albaicín, and Muslim quarter, and Sacromonte, the Gypsy quarter that is built into the hillside caves and maintains an even temperature through the year.
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Beautiful pool outside one of the other palaces that is not in great shape. |
