The Alhambra Palace

The Alhambra is more than a just a palace; it is an entire walled city complex within the city of Granada. There are royal apartments, forts, pavilions, modest homes and extensive gardens. The complex spans 26 acres and housed 3,000 inhabitants at its peak.

The site was active during the last period of Arab occupation of Spain, as the Moors were pushed further and further south before finally being forced to cede Granada to the Catholics in 1492.

Historians know that a Moorish fortress existed on the site as early as the 9th century, but the royal residence was not established in the Alhambra until the 13th century. Most of the structures that exist today at the Alhambra were built in the second half of the 14th century.

Elaborate plaster wall carvings, decorative cedar wood ceilings and tiled walls are the hallmark of this style of architecture. The nearby Sierra Nevada mountains, at over 10,000 feet, supplied fresh water to the settlement (the mountain was beautifully snowy on the day we visited, when temperatures on the ground were in the low 70s!). The Arabs channeled water to their drinking fountains, thermal baths, fountains and gardens.

We were surprised to find ourselves a bit disappointed in the Alhambra after visiting the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. The site in Marrakech has been beautifully preserved (or restored) and has the feel of still being occupied by the Muslims. The Alhambra fell to the Catholics and was converted for their purposes in many ways, but many Arabic elements remained as well, including inscriptions referencing Allah. We were told that there was a sense that if it was a holy place to one group of people, maybe it will be extra holy if they keep some of the old and add the new Christian elements on top. Who knows?

We’re headed home tomorrow. Thanks for following our journeys with us!Read more