The Sierra Nevada is fronted by Moorish palaces overlooking modern Granada. He had a grand idea that resulted in an imposing palace-city – the Alhambra – over the next 300 years. It was decorated with Moorish ornamentation and adorned with astounding engineering feats.
During the reign of the visionary king, water was diverted from the Darro River to fill fountains and pools and maintain elegant gardens. The rosy-hued fortress was built from clay-and-gravel bricks that could withstand hundreds of years of exposure.
There are domed, cavernous palaces within its heavy, plain walls. The geometric carved patterns and tile patterns of the interior are highlighted by latticed, arched windows that allow natural light into the rooms. This elaborate design is characteristic of the Nasrid reign.
Moorish house designs are so fantastic that the Christian rulers of the Iberian Peninsula imitated them after the Reconquista. After falling into neglect in the 18th century, restoration efforts were seriously undertaken only after American writer Washington Irving visited the Alhambra in the late 1820s and wrote eulogies for its beauty.
In Alhambra today, visitors can see the evolution of its architecture from Al Sabika hill, on which it sits. Its watchtowers and terraces date back to the mid-13th century, and it is situated on the most western point of the promontory. Nasrid rulers had three inner sanctuaries: the Mexuar, which was once the royal reception hall, the Comares Palace, the official residence of the king, and the Palace of the Lions, the royal chambers.
At the Generalife, the Moorish kings found respite and relaxation among the beautiful gardens, porticos, and pools. Alhambra’s last great construction was the Palace of Charles V, built after Granada was conquered by the Catholics in 1492. A significant architectural achievement of the Spanish Renaissance, the palace combines Roman and Moorish elements during the first half of the 1500s. During the summer months, Alhambra tickets sell out weeks in advance and in limited numbers.
It is often possible to get discounts from local tour operators, and they offer an alternative to self-guided tours. Thomas J. Abercrombie, the writer of National Geographic’s 1988 book, followed the Moors’ footsteps, following them in the eighth century A.D. as they conquered Spain, and then after they retreated from the Christians during the Reconquista.
During his visits to Córdoba and Granada, Abercrombie watched stonemasons fix the walls of the spectacular Mezquita. In Alpujarras, the last stronghold of Moorish Spain, Abercrombie visited mile-high villages that bear the names of Arabic villages.
