Alhambra of Granada

The Alhambra is a Moorish palace city located in Granada, Spain. It is a palace and fortress complex rich (al-Qasr) that housed the king and the court of the Kingdom of Granada.

The Alhambra is a walled city (medina) occupying most of the Sabika hill. Muslim Granada had its own system of walling, Alhambra therefore could function autonomously from the city. In the Alhambra were all the services and necessary for the people living there: the royal palace, mosques, schools, workshops, etc..

In 1238 Granada enters through the gate of Elvira, and to fill the Wind Rooster Palace, Mohamed bin Nasr, Al-Ahmar called the Red (because his red beard).

The committee of the World Heritage of Unesco declared the Alhambra and the Generalife as a World Heritage Site in 1984.

Description of buildings:

Alcazaba:

The Alcazaba was the military zone, central defense and surveillance of the site and the oldest building of the Alhambra. The main elements are:

- Terrace Cube Tower, built in 1586.

- Adarve of the north wall.

- Square.

- Terrace of the main square.

- watchtower the defense tower largest military complex.

- Homage's Tower.

- Tower Hidalgos.

- Tower Broken.

- Tower Adarguero's.

- Garden of Adarves.

Nasrid Palace (main rooms):

The Nasrid palaces are the combination of the Comares Palace, built in the first place, and the Palace Lions.

Mexuar:

It is the oldest room. In Arab period was the courtroom and justice for important cases. It had a large camera shutters closed where the Sultan sat to listen without being seen. It had the roof open at its center. In the background is a small room that served as a small mosque, is oriented toward Mecca to fulfill their religious duties. In times of Isabel the Catholic (Christian era) this room was used as a chapel. Then there is a patio with a fountain in the center, and a camera on the left, called Mexuar courtyard.

Courtyard or Courtyard Mexuar _ Gold Room.

No one knows the fate that was given to this area during the Arab. It is known that room was adapted as Isabel of Portugal, for their stay in the Alhambra, and never occupy. The room is decorated with Gothic paintings and coats of the Catholic Monarchs.

There are two doors, one leading to the official palace and another that does not lead anywhere. The door leading to the palace is simpler than the other, this system was to confuse the robbers and thieves.

Sala de la Barca:

The room is surrounded by a socket whose extremes are alcoves with tile baseboards, lining the columns that hold stilted arches and muqarnas scalloped and scallops. From here you enter the Tower of Comares, chaired by the Hall of Ambassadors.

Tower of Comares Comares Hall and Hall of Ambassadors.

It is a place with a very rich poetic content, we can find different compositions, praising God and the emir and some fragments of the Koran. Every inch of wall is covered by a decorative element.

On the sides of the room there are 9 bedrooms, three from each side of the room, the room corresponding central north side to the Sultan, also a number of windows open formerly closed by wooden shutters and stained glass cumarias calls, ( hence the name comares). All the walls are covered with plaster shell motif, flowers, stars, scriptures. Room polychrome gold in relief, colored deep. Plinth decorated with tiles. The original floor was glazed ceramic blue and white armorial bearings as ornamental motifs.

The walls are also decorated with Koranic verses and poems made in plaster, which you should give this room originally, with decor that has survived, with its play of light and atmosphere courtier, one of the most impressive palatial rooms of the Islamic world. The heating was braziers and lighting oil lamps.

One of the most appealing aspects of the Hall of Ambassadors is your roof, cube-shaped. It represents the seven heavens of the Muslim culture, located one above the other. The Quran says about them is the throne of God, the entire roof is full of stars, a total of one hundred and five.

The ceiling is a representation of the universe, perhaps one of the best representations of the Middle Ages. Made of cedar wood inlaid with different colored woods, is forming stars at different levels are superimposed. In central and the highest is the Footstool (عرش) on establishing God-Allah as Qur'anic stories. From it are repeated geometric shapes that divide the roof into seven areas, which represent the seven heavens consecutively descended to this world: the 7 is one of the ultimate symbolic numbers. Among them shape the Throne (كرس), which is the symbol of creation. This symbolic use of Quranic cosmology, with many allusions to the Footstool, the Throne, the King who sits on it-has a clear intention to legitimize the sovereign as representative (khalifa of Coming Caliph) of God on earth. The fact that the room was the throne room, which was situated in the center, just below the divine footstool is a clear reference to this. But the symbolism of the room does not end there: the 4 diagonal Comares Roof represent the four rivers of Paradise and the World Tree (or Axis Mundi), which have their roots from the Footstool expands throughout the universe. But the symbolism does not end there: the bedrooms, nine present (three on each wall), plus three step omitted to leave room for the baraka, are a reference to the twelve houses of the zodiac, corresponding to the role of seventh heaven occupying that point.

We went back to the courtyard of the Arrayanes. At one end of the left side of the courtyard, a small entrance arch serves a passageway which leads to the private area of the monarch, the Harem (Haram means private place). You enter the Palace of the Lions through:

Hall of Mozárabes:

It is named for the muqarnas vault that covered. Walls with plaster work, and religious inscriptions Nasrid dynasty shield. A muqarnas archway leads to:

Patio of the Lions:

It began construction in 1377.4 by desire Mohamed V, son of Yusuf I, being its most Abén alarife Cecid, concluding thirteen years later. The Arabs of Granada, before calling the Patio de los Leones al-Sahan Osud did so under the name of Al-Haram. Slightly trapezoidal in plan, the eastern side is greater than that given to west (the Mocárabes the room), the length of the whole, -219 feet, including Mocárabes rooms and Reyes is equal to three times the width of the Patio your child or west side (73 feet) -, 5 surrounded by a gallery with 124 slender columns of white marble Macael (Almería), which are grouped, more than the exempt, set of two, three, and even four at the corners, supporting, or propping only, filigree arches, being symmetrical and asymmetrical sides over minors, wards sendo those moving into the courtyard, in the intersection of transverse and longitudinal axes lies the source with the twelve lions which it is named. Around, the bedrooms, private rooms and wives of the sultan open upstairs, lack of windows that look to the outside, but inside garden befitting Muslim idea of ​​paradise. The land is now in the courtyard garden was. In each room 4 streams flowing into the center: the four rivers of paradise. The columns are joined with openwork panels that let in light. Very thin cylindrical shafts, rings at the top, on which hooks are cubic inscriptions. Lead plates become gray horizontal vertical thrusts. The two temples they move to opposite sides of the courtyard are a reminder of the tent of the Bedouin. They are square, decorated with wooden domes are supported by muqarnas pendentives. The forward is the work of the nineteenth century. The entire gallery is covered with tracery paneling.

Fountain of the Lions:

The latest data obtained thanks to the restoration of the lions and the basin of the fountain have been able to indicate that both the lions and the cup, dating from the fourteenth century and of the same origin and material (marble Macael, Almería) being made ​​the source in a whole, both as lions cup at the same time. This discovery comes to rectify information indicating the origin of the lions of a palace, the Alhambra before, belonging to the first dynasty vizier Samuel ibn Ziri Nagrella. In turn, it has been discovered three types of lions column systems based on their formal differentiators. Each forms a group of four lions with similarity in two to two traits: nose, mane fur, fangs and position and relief of the queue:

"(....) To bowl so clear,

carved pearl

by pearling fringes dammed,

margaritas and goes between the argento,

fluid and made ​​white and pure.

So close is hard and flowing,

it's hard to know which one flows (...) "

The source of the lions has different meanings and symbols, none of them substantiated. On the one hand the twelve lions have astrological symbolism, each lion alludes to a zodiac sign. Furthermore, it has a political significance or majestic that relates to the temple of King Solomon (since there is an inscription referring to the source) and the bronze sea in the same temple. Last and most important, refers to a heavenly symbol thus referring to the source of life original and four rivers of Paradise. But what if you can say, is that the source itself is an allegory of the power that resides in the sultan.

Abencerrajes Room:

This room was the Sultan's bedroom. Being private room no windows to the outside. The walls are richly decorated. The stucco and colors are original. The socket is the sixteenth century tiles, tile factory in Seville. The dome is decorated with muqarnas, on the floor, in the center, a fountain was used to reflect the muqarnas dome, that being richly decorated, getting a lovely light and magical, as the light entering through the top was changing as different times of day.

Hall of the Kings:

Occupies the entire eastern side of the patio. Named for the painting that occupies the central room vault. It is the longest of the Harem room, divided into 3 equal quarters and two small closets that could be, because of its location and lack of lighting. Probably aimed at family parties. In the vault of the center, the paintings represent the first 10 kings of Granada from the founding of the kingdom, one with red beard can be Nazar Mohammed ben Al-Hamar called the Red, founder of the Nasrid dynasty. In the lateral vaults are paintings depicting knights and ladies, made ​​in the late fourteenth century. There was an artistic exchange in times of Peter I of Castile who sought help from the king of Granada to restore the Alcazar of Seville. The paintings are very laborious technique:

- Sheets peralejo well planed wood and forming an ellipse.

- On the concave surface extends wet leather, sticking with a spiked tail and bath with small square head nails covered with tin to prevent rusting.

- On the leather, a layer of plaster, rod and tail 2 cm thick and toast and painted red. On this layer with a punch and themes are drawn.

The internal division of the room is made by shortcut arcs, cutting perpendicular stay. These arcs show your soffit filled with stalactites and its walls are covered with plaster, in which symbols appear Nazari and Christians. The joint appearance of the room decorated with bows can remember a model Almohad mosque.

Hall of the Two Sisters

It leaves the Court of the Lions on the opposite side of the Chamber Abencerrajes. He spends an original door inlay, one of the most beautiful palace, now preserved in the Museum of the Alhambra. The name comes from Dos Hermanas two slabs of white marble in the floor on either side of the central source, exactly equal in size, color and weight. It has a lookout over the city and direct communication with the bathrooms.

This room, like the Alhambra, has poems written on the walls. In this room you can read one that says:

"No pair,

radiant dome in it,

with patents and hidden charms "

(...) "We never saw so verdant garden,

harvest of sweeter and more flavor. "

In each room there are two gates Harem: one gives the harem high, another is a latrine. No kitchens. They used the stove or cook out.

Hall of Daraxa ajimeces or viewpoint:

At the back of the room is the balcony above Lin-dar-Aixa. Overlooking the valley of the river Darro and saw in the distance the city. The construction of the Pavilion of Charles V interrupted now in sight, so he built the Garden of Lindaraja, Italian, with Renaissance fountain and marble basin Arabic. In the viewpoint of Lindaraja, you can read the following poem: "I am of this garden fresh eye" (...) "In me, to see Granada from his throne."

Emperor Rooms:

Room with the name of the Emperor, known six chambers, which were built during the reign of Charles V, between 1528 and 1537 and Lindaraja up the yard, to the side and the Patio de la Reja, to the other.

Fourth Emperor:

Built for King Carlos dwell here while in Granada, on their honeymoon. In the room next to it there is a marble plaque in memory of writer Washington Irving who lived in this part of the enclosure, while writing his Tales of the Alhambra, in 1829.

The Queen's Closet

Tower called Abul-Hachach Arabic, used by the Sultan for recreation and meditation. After the Christian conquest was reformed. The upper floor served as a toilet real and could have been used by Queen Elizabeth Farnese. Its structure is influenced by the presence of Roman viewpoint with portico and decorative paintings.

the Partal

It gets its name from the Arabic meaning portico, and refers to the remains of Sultan Yusuf III, the northernmost of the Nasrid palaces.

Corresponds to the area of the houses of the palace servants:

- Portico of the Palace.

- Gardens and walks.

- Rauda.

- Palace of Yusuf III.

- Promenade of the Towers.

- Promenade of the Picos.

- Tower of the Princesses. It is a palace with banks at the entrance to the eunuchs, courtyard with bedrooms, bent entrance, windows blooming gardens (Generalife). The top floor was for the ladies Arabs and terrace. It was the residence of the princesses Zaida, Zoraida and Zorahaida (triplet sisters), whose story narrates Washington Irving in his Tales of the Alhambra.

- Tower of the Captive. It owes its name to Isabel de Solís captive who was there. Among his poems reads:

"In their sockets, masonry tile,

and on its soil, which tissues are prodigies "

Bathrooms.

The jewel of the Arab house. The bathroom for the Muslim is a religious obligation. Construction is a copy of the Roman baths. They have 3 rooms:

1. Change clothes and rest. Beds room and rest. Here undressed, went to the bathroom and then went again to rest. Sometimes the food brought here. In the gallery were musicians and singers.

2. Massage. Refreshment room or massage. Two arched galleries.

3. Steam. Steam room. Smaller. The vaults are open with star-shaped skylights that once were covered with colored glass, but not tight, so that the steam could come out and get fresh air.

Palace of Charles V.

It was made for residence of Emperor Charles V. Adjacent to the Moorish palace of Comares.

Convent of San Francisco.

Is now a Parador. It was a noble Andalusian house. After the conquest was donated to the Franciscans, becoming the first convent of Granada.

Upland or Alhambra Alta.

It is currently studying with excavations. Quarter Andalusian village and nobles. Ruins of the Palace of the Abencerrajes. Water Tower, where it enters the enclosure the Royal Canal.

Tower of the Seven Floors.

Famous for appearing in some of the adventures of Tales of the Alhambra, Washington Irving, set in it. Legend has it that Boabdil left the palace from this place.

Generalife.

The Generalife, called Jannat al-arif in Arab times, is the village with gardens used by the Muslim kings of Granada as a retreat and rest. The most important part is constituted by its gardens, was conceived as rural village, where landscaping, gardens and architecture were integrated, near the Alhambra. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Its construction began during the XII and XIV and was transformed by Abu I-Walid Isma'il. Is Moorish Nazari and is located on the northern side of the Alhambra.

Near the Generalife, and related to it, are different constructs Nasrid era, as The Albercones, the remains of the palace of Dar al-Arusa, pool Rota and Silla del Moro.

Inscriptions.

There are about 10,000 entries in the Alhambra, most poems, sentences, texts of the Qur'an and aspirations.