After a delicious breakfast at the hotel (they had eggs!), we made our way over to La Alhambra. La Alhambra, which translates into “the red one” for its color, originally served as fortress and then was converted into a palace during Moorish rule. The fortress served as a citadel with two main areas: the military area, or Alcazaba, which consisted of the barracks for the royal guard, and also the medina, or city court, which was where the famous Nasrid Palaces and the remains of the houses for noblemen stood. Another palace was built after the city was taken by the Spanish Catholic monarachs.
Comares Palace
Palacio de Carlos V
There was also an independent palace located opposite the Alhambra, surrounded by orchards and gardens, called the Generalife, where the kings came to relax.
Some of the many mosaics preserved in La Alhambra.
The architectures seen around La Alhambra mainly has Arabic influences of intricate carvings as well as the symmetry seen through the mosaics. Everywhere, you can see how much the Arabs loved symmetry. One thing interesting I learned from our tour guide was that around Granada, you usually see mosaics with three colors: blue, green, and white. Blue for the sky, green for the gardens, and white for the purity of the women.
One of the most famous places located within the La Alhambra is the Palacio de los Leones. There are exactly 124 columns that surround the courtyard, and in the center is a fountain surrounded by 12 lions that spew water. Everything has some kind of hidden symbolism, such as the 12 lions that may represent the 12 signs of the zodiac, or possibly the 12 tribes of Judah, according to my tour guide. Another interesting thing the tour guide told us was that the pillars have the exact proportions that correlate to the human body.
Court of Lions
Our tour guide pointed out where the architecture slightly shifted according to the owner of the La Alhambra. For example, the Arabs usually had open windows that lead to a patio or some sort, while the Europeans introduced into La Alhambra cut out windows with shutters.
Check out all this detail. Who makes these things?!
There are people that like to adapt the symmetry of the mosaics, and sell their creations at the gift shop. He glued each individual piece together! How crazy is that?
After our trip to La Alhambra, we were given the rest of the day as free time, and I did a little shopping and ate and successfully ended our last day in Granada. Off to Gíbraltar tomorrow!
Lindsay In Wanderland 