Granada and "The Red One" (Part 1 of 4)

After spending a sunny afternoon driving single-lane mountain roads to Tangier, an early evening crossing the Strait of Gibraltar aboard ferry and an evening paying Spanish tollbooths with a debit card, I arrived to the northern advance of the Islamic empire: Granada, Spain.

Here, I decided to conclude my summer travels at the 11th hour of the upcoming school year. Also here, I found the most preserved Islamic architecture I’ve seen over the past eight months; sadly, Spain is a non-Muslim country and I’ve been living in Morocco for the better part of the year. The site in mention is the Alhambra fortress, and it was worth the drive to the eastern Spanish Sierra Nevada foothills.

The name, Alhambra, comes from the Arabic word for “The Red One” and refers to the fortress’ high sun-soaked red walls. Constructed during the 14th century by Moorish rulers, the historical site was built as a position for the Muslim Nasrid dynasty to overlook Granada from the southeast high ground.

In 1492’s “Reconquest,” Catholic rulers occupied the fortress, and less than 30 years later, the Roman Emperor, Charles V, made it his permanent residence. Shortly after the emperor’s reign, the site was practically forgotten until historical scholars “rediscovered” it in the 19th century. Today, the Alhambra is one of Europe’s major attractions and arguably its most significant Islamic site.

Consisting of three primary areas - the Alcazaba (Kasbah), Nasrid Palace and Generalife (public gardens), Alhambra mixes Islamic and Spanish architecture atop its city overlook. Between and around the buildings, lush gardens line every cobblestone street in the Kasbah and fill each of the Generalife’s steppes.

At the risk of sounding corny (which probably makes me sound corny), I thought it was interesting that author Washington Irving and artist M.C. Escher found inspiration during their travels in the early 19th and 20th centuries, respectively.
With its winding streets, hilltop vistas and mixed architectural styles, pieces of Alhambra can be seen in most of the artist's pieces, especially his "Geometrization of the Plane" series.  Zellij in stucco doors and window frames line the palace museum.  Keyhole doors block alleys and entrances, just as in Morocco.  Between them, Quranic passages hop and swerve along the walls above eye level.  In three words, I found the Alhambra scenic, unique and natural.

To the South and East, Granada sits at the foot of the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains.

Two of the three towers in the 14th-century Alcazaba fortress.

Inside the Nazrid Palace, the acoustic circular courtyard hosts summer concerts.

The Palace Museum exterior...

...Lions lining the Museum's exterior walls.

The Hammam exterior.

Spanish architecture rounded out the Muslim military and royal structures.

The fortress overlooking Granada.

The cobblestone walkway through the Generalife (hen-ER-al-ee-fay).

One of the patio courts of the Generalife, where a maze of green divided the steppe into dozens of private gardens.

These next few are for all of you "Master Gardeners" out there..

Framed Fortress.

And now, a Hail of Tapas...

• A ferry can take 100 minutes to cross the Straight of Gibraltar.
• Granada is one of the remaining bastions of free tapas.  Order a drink at most bars and get one or two sides for free!
• Admission to the Al Hambra was cheap (8.50 euros), but the modest audio guide wasn't (6.50).
• I spent three leisurely hours strolling around the mountaintop site; another two could have been filled if the palace was open to me (I didn't buy a ticket in advance).
• Best Artifact: The Jamusa Chair, which belonged to Sultan Mohamed V in the mid-14th century, was purportedly recovered in a Spanish flee market a few centuries later and returned to the museum.
• Most Interesting Fact: In the museum, a display differentiated between dinars and dirhams.  In the Almohad system, dinars were gold and more expensive than the silver dirhams.  Not too interesting in itself, but remnants of this system can be found today in Morocco (it calls its money dirhams) and Iraq (dinars) as well as others.
• Second Most Interesting Fact: Between the Alcazaba and Generalife sat the old medina (inner city).  The only 14th-century artifacts recovered after the Christian occupation in the 17th century belonged to a tannery, furnace and coining mint.
• Most Surprising: The garden landscape's beauty in the Generalife.  Between the plethora of flowers and the immaculate design, the horticulture was more stunning than its military counterpart.
• Best Case of Remembered Youth: I was an Escher fan in high school and enjoyed stumbling upon a small museum exhibit displaying some of his Andalusian-influenced pieces.
• Translation Question of the Trip: If the Arabic name is "Al-Hamra'" (The Red One), why is there a "B" added to the the Spanish name, Al Hambra, after translation?
• At the beginning of this, my third trip to Spain, I'm still amazed and impressed by how the country differs from the rest of Europe.  Less English, minimal tramway systems and limited western architecture, Spain seems to mediate the differences between its southern and northern neighbors by balancing relaxation and responsibility.