Described as a ‘pearl set in emeralds’ by the poets of the time, it took the writing of another writer a few centuries later to refocus the world attention to the beauty of this city.

The writer’s name was Washington Irving and the book that drew the attention to this Southern Spanish region of Andalusia was the ‘Tales of the Alhambra’. Irving works were in line with ‘romantic’ literary movement of early 19th century America that celebrated nature, focussed on the individual emotions and imaginations, and sort to connect the local tales and legends to the history and roots of the nations.

Irving fell in love with the city on first sight and described it as “a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen.” His celebrity status as a writer, helped gain him permission to stay in the fortress where he compiled his notes, observations and sketches which were later compiled into a book ‘Tales of the Alhambra’ that was published in 1832. His contribution to promoting the city is acknowledged by a commemorative plaque at the Alhambra that reads, “Washington Irving wrote his Tales of Alhambra in these rooms in 1829”.

The Moors in Spain.

The term ‘Moor’ does not describe people of a particular ethnicity or race and was used by the Europeans of the Middle Ages and the early modern period to designate Spanish Muslims, Europeans of African descent, and others. However, the term was mostly used to describe Muslims in general.

In 711, North African Muslims led by the Tariq ibn-Ziyad, captured the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal) and established the territory of Al-Andalus. For centuries to follow, these territories flourish and become the centre of education, the arts and sciences. However, the differences in religion and culture led to a centuries-long conflict between the Muslim Sultans with the Christian kingdoms of Europe, which culminated in 1492, when Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I won the Granada War and completed Spain’s reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Alhambra

‘Alhambra’ is the Spanish adaptation of the Arabic term ‘qa’lat al-Hamra’ which roughly translates to “red castle”, perhaps referring to the sun-dried rose-coloured bricks that were used to build the fortress. The city of Granada, where the castle is located is named after a Jewish settlement, Medina-al-Granata, or Pomegranate City, the fruit being symbol of righteousness, knowledge, and wisdom and is said to contain 613 seeds, each representing one of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah.

Though some form of fortification existed in this area since the 9th century, it was only after the arrival of Muhammad ben al Ahmar the first king of the Nasrid dynasty in the mid-thirteenth century that a royal residence was established in the Alhambra. This monument was not a project of a single ruler, 24 successive Sultans of the Nasrid dynasty contributed to it splendour, up until 1492 when the Emirate of Granada capitulate to the Catholic Reconquista.

A testament to this continuous thread of Islamic architectural tradition lies in the stucco inscriptions on the wall “There is no victor but Allah” which is repeated on all palaces. After the departure of the Muslims, King Charles V, ordered the destruction of part of the complex and built a renaissance-style palace within the complex and build a church on the site of the royal mosque. Even some of the stucco tiles were defaced and replaced with Charles V own motto “Plus Ultra’ (further beyond). In 1812, some of the fortress towers were blown up by the French troops. Despite of these occurrences the complex retains its ‘Moorish’ character and is the most important surviving remnant of the period of Islamic rule in the region.

The castle estate of Alhambra is divided into three main sections, the Generalife (palace gardens), Alcazaba  (fortress), and the palaces (Nasrid Palaces and Charles V Palace).

The Generalife (from the Arabic word Jannat al-Arifa, or paradise by association) lies beyond the walls of the castle. The gardens are built to reflect the theme of paradise as stated in the Koran, with water channels, fountains, and greenery. The estate did not have a source of water and water for the fountains and the castle was harvested from a nearby Darro River 6 km away and transported to the castle via irrigation aqueducts which are the evidence of the great engineering skills of the Nasrids. Surrounded by intricate gardens, the Generalife also contains a palace (summer house) that has similar decorations as the building within the castle.

While to some untrained eyes, these gardens are just green spaces around a building which one might see around modern-day suburbs, the gardens of Alhambra are a prime example of the East Mediterranean (Persian) tradition of garden making of the period. The garden design created an atmosphere of sensuality and was aimed to bring pleasure to all five senses, Colour, light, aromatic plants, sweet fruits, and the murmur of water.

Alcazaba (fortress) or walled city overlooks Spain's Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The fortress not only served as a warning to potential enemies but with the water system and plethora of bath houses was one of the few (perhaps the only) cities that avoided the black death plague of Europe and North Africa from 1346 to 1353 which claimed millions of lives. Historic refresher for all, remember Covid and emphases on cleanliness and washing hands!

The Palaces, Comares Palace, Palace of the Lions, and the Partal Palace were built by the Nasrid’s and the Charles V palace was built by King Charles after the fall of Alhambra. The Alhambra architecture is all-inclusive and features the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths. It is this intermixing of styles, associated with centuries of multi-cultural and religious coexistence of people in Spain, that has made Alhambra so fascinating, mysterious, and architecturally iconic.

The palace walls are decorated with Arabic inscriptions, Koranic verses, and poems written in praise of the palace, touching upon the religious, poetic, and political world of the Nasrid’s period.

Exploring this feature further, Washington Irving quotes the story told by his Guide and writes “When the Moors held Granada, they were a gayer people than they are nowadays. They thought only of love, music, and poetry. They made stanzas upon every occasion and set them all to music. He who could make the best verses, and she who had the most tuneful voice, might be sure of favour and preferment. In those days, if anyone asked for bread, the reply was, make me a couplet; and the poorest beggar, if he begged in rhyme, would often be rewarded with a piece of gold.”

The designers of the Alhambra have covered each space (irrespective of its size), with decoration. Some of the building elements such as the interior arches are false arches, with no structural attributes; they are there only to decorate. Similarly, walls are covered with beautiful and extremely rich ceramics and (Stucco) plasterwork comprising of stylized vegetal forms, interlacing decoration, and the nets of rhombuses.

Patterns and colors adorn most of the walls. The decorative tile mosaics originate from the basic shapes (circle and square) and form complex mathematical patterns, as they are layered and duplicated and wind around the pillars, walls, and ceilings symbolizing order and unity.

In Washington Irving’s words, "The architecture, like that of all the other parts of the palace, is characterized by elegance rather than grandeur, bespeaking a delicate and graceful taste and a disposition to indolent enjoyment.”

While the components of this architectural style would be a relatively common occurrence in the middle east, the decorative beauty of Alhambra seemed out of this place in this hilly backyard of Southern Spain and perhaps it is this contradictory nature of its existence that drives tourist to the site making Alhambra the most-visited tourist attractions in Europe.

And yes, post-Covid, they are droves of them! Impromptu visits to the location may not be possible and tickets need to be purchased months in advance as only a certain number of visitors per day are allowed in. I would strongly recommend a tour guide and an allowance of at least half a day for your visit to do justice to the trip. In hindsight, doing my research for this piece, I noted that we should have allocated half a day more to explore the surrounding city of Granada (lesson learned, but albeit too late!).

Other than the beauty of its architecture, the palace is host to many legends and anecdotes, although our guide mentioned a few during our tour, I gain a better appreciation of these stories when I listen to Irving Washington’s The Tale of The Alhambra’. While these stories may be difficult to comprehend in this day and age, they could make your visit more entertaining.