TOURIST AT HOME: ALHAMBRA EDITION

I wouldn't be able to count the times I've been to the Alhambra since I was little. With school, high school, every friend from abroad who has ever come to see Granada... and it still continues to impress me every time I go,  and I'd like to tell you why.

First, let's talk history of Al-Andalus. The Arabs were in the Iberian Peninsula for eight centuries, and unlike many people think, they didn't only occupied the territory that we currently call Andalusia, but it was much, much bigger. I'm going to give you a short summary of the history of the Arab invasion in Spain so that we can visit the Alhambra with a little more context.

The Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás

The Arabs arrived in Hispania in the year 711 when they defeated the Visigoth king Don Rodrigo in the battle of Guadalete and in just 8 years they had already conquered a large part of the Iberian Peninsula, giving rise to Al-Andalus, which came to occupy a large part of the peninsula (except northern Spain) and even a small part of present-day France. Al-Andalus experienced its greatest splendor in the 10th and 11th centuries, being very advanced in art, architecture, science, medicine, literature and philosophy. Córdoba, the capital, was one of the largest and most important cities in the West during this golden age. But what goes up comes down and in 1031, due to all the internal disputes, Al-Andalus was dissolved into 30 kingdoms: the kingdoms of Taifas, among which we can highlight those of Granada, Valencia, Toledo, Murcia, Seville or Zaragoza. This division would be the beginning of the end, since once divided, they were easier to attack and the Arabs were losing territories to the Christians. The taifa kingdoms gradually disappeared until in the second half of the 13th century, only the Nasrid kingdom of Granada remained, which lasted for two more centuries until the last Nasrid king surrendered Granada to the Catholic kings in 1492.

Views of the city of Granada from the Alhambra

The Alhambra was a palace, citadel and fortress, residence of the Nasrid sultans and high officials, court servants and elite soldiers that was built in the 13th century and reached its splendor in the second half of the 14th century. The rest of the population of Granada was located mainly in what we know today as the Albaicin, a neighbourhood that can be seen perfectly from the Alhambra. Granada, then capital of the Nasrid kingdom, gradually received Muslim populations with the advance of the Christian conquest, since, as I mentioned before, it was their last refuge.

After this history class, we are going to get inside the Alhambra, since last month I made my most recent visit. Whenever I bring someone from outside to see the Alhambra, what draws the most attention is the size of the premises, and there are people who think that it's going to be like a museum, a building and that's it. And no, the Alhambra is enormous, you literally cannot finish it in one day (at least I've never managed to see it all in one day). Apart from being a giant complex, with architectural elements that you don't usually see in Spain, and having various styles, what I like most about the Alhambra are the stories behind each part. There are stories that I remember from the guided tours we did with the school, others that I have read out of curiosity and some that I have stolen from the guided tour of some other group.

I am especially struck by a room that can no longer be visited. When I was little I used to find it super interesting, and it was the gallery of whispers. If you whispered something in one corner of the room, what you were saying could be heard if you put your ear on any of the other corners, but not in the rest of the room.

Muqarnas in of the rooms in the Nasrid Palace

On this last visit I caught a story that I loved because it explained the meaning of my favourite part of the Alhambra (architecturally speaking): the muqarnas or honeycomb vaults. The parts where these curious plaster structures are on the ceilings always leave me speechless (and with pain in my neck) because of their peculiar shape. The sensation of depth is amazing, although it's not very noticeable in the pictures, so if you don't know what I'm talking about you'll have to see it to believe it.  

The story behind this particular ceiling (which my photograph does not do justice to) is that Muhammad, a prophet considered the founder of Islam, was meditating in a cave near Mecca. Then, the angel Jibril, who you may know as Archangel Gabriel (yes, the same one who impregnated Mary) appeared to him and revealed the Quran to him. The shape of these roofs imitates the stalactites of a cave, which is why they have such a peculiar shape and protrude from below the tips.

And well, I guess I'll have to mention this part, not because I like it but on the contrary, because I don't like it at all. The palace of Charles V does not fit there (this is my personal opinion), the Catholics planted it to say (sorry): “Mine is bigger.” When you visit the Nasrid palaces, my favorite part of the visit, where you see the most luxurious parts, where you hear all the legends and go through all the rooms where the sultans had their thrones, you will see that it is planted in the middle of the enclosure and nobody knows very well what they destroyed to put that thing there, but part of the main patio was lost.

Patio of the lions, inside the Nasrid Palace

I recommend to everyone who tells me that they have not visited Granada to go visit the Alhambra because it will really leave you speechless. As a tip, there are many websites that try to sell you the ticket with a guide and they are more expensive than the general ticket, and only for specific parts (they will not let you access the entire venue), so make sure you buy the general ticket on the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife website, which costs about €18 or €12 if you have a European youth card. Also, remember that you have to buy it well in advance, usually more than a month because they are always sold out. And finally, I highly recommend that you do not go see it in July or August, because remember that 50-70% of your body is water and I guess you don't want to evaporate.