Expedition through Spain - the Alhambra

Mix the glasses, fill them and let us have another drink. What has this place been created for if not to enjoy?
Ibn al-Katib, Nasrid poet and vizier

THE ALHAMBRA AND GENERALIFE

The Alhambra (Calat-Al-Hama "The Red Castle" in Arabic for its reddish stone), a Moorish citadel and collection of palaces, is one of the most famous articles of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian historical legacy that makes Granada Spain’s one of the major cultural and tourist destinations - the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die" might have also contributed to this influx!. The 14th century palace of the Alhambra was home to the last Moorish rulers of Spain, who were finally driven from Spain by the 'Catholic Kings' Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492.

After the fall of Cordoba in 1236, the center of Moorish power was transferred to Granada - bringing a massive influx of nobles, architects and money – and the burden of defeat! This influx of wealth and intellect led to the construction of an extraordinary new castle, the Alhambra, on the hill across the river valley.

The continuing archeological studies indicate that the history of this hill as a settlement dates back to the 9th century Romans. During the Zirid dynasty in the early 11th century, the sultan’s Jewish prime minister, Samuel Nagrella built his palace and the Alcazaba fortress on the Sabika hill. Almoravids and Almohads, in 12th century, made some additions and adaptations to the Alcazaba. When the founder of Nasrid dynasty, Muhammed I Ibn Nasr (Al-Ahmar), decided to settle his reign on the Sabika hill, the Alhambra began its metamorphosis into as we know it today.

Two main palaces that stand intact today for our delight were built by Yusuf I, who started the Comares Palace but could not see it finished and his son Muhammed V, who continued the work and also built the Lions Palace within the Alhambra.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon’s troops invaded Granada, and when they were driven out by Spaniards, they destroyed some of Granada’s treasures and attempted to blow up the Alhambra – ironically influenced by the French anti-clerical ideals few decades later, Spanish government itself did the damage to the religious institutions.

Evidently, the American writer Washington Irving’s 1832 novel “Tales of the Alhambra” revived the interest in this place. Traveling as a diplomat associated with the American embassy in Spain, Irving apparently stayed at the Nasrid Palace in 1829 during his expedition through Andalusia in search of material for his new book. Accompanied by the drips and splashes of the fountains and a mystical Arabic music in the background, a voice on our audio guide (pretending to be Irving's, which was very hard to follow) told us the mystical story of the Alhambra – mingling with gypsies in such palace for about 3 months would give one the magical perspective I presume.

I later found out that Robert Irwin’s book “The Alhambra” by Harvard University Press (2005) was highly recommended for accurate (or less romanticized) account of the Alhambra’s history - I wish had read it prior to my visit. Irwin points out that almost nothing said about the Alhambra is based on fact and everyone who visits Granada projects their own vision of Andalusia onto it. I don't think this phenomenon is unique to the fantasies about this place – as I am reading it, Borja family of Gandia seems to fit into this mystic building by the bystander’s version.

According to Irwin, Muhammad's chief Minister the vizier Ibn al-Katib was a key figure in the Alhambra’s evolution. Al-Katib also wrote political and philosophical treatises and many of the epic poems that adorn the Alhambra. Likening it to a text-laden building (in a sense a book to live in), Irwin asserts that the Alhambra was invented by intellectuals such as Ibn al-Katib as a building to think in - I totally agree with this assertion. Irwin believes the builders of these palaces were inspired by the Brethren of Purity, an intellectual brotherhood based in Basra around the 10th century, who celebrated the purity of certain numbers; four and seven, the perfect numbers, were of particular significance to them. He also adds that the well-noted brilliant proportions of the courtyards of the Alhambra are all based on rectangles generated by irrational numbers such as the square roots of two, three, five and seven (ref. Martin Bright Sunday January 18, 2004 The Observer).

Because of this fantasy built around it, it is almost impossible to find consistent information about the Alhambra’s history (even the names of the rooms were confusing), so I used the book “Official Guide: The Alhambra and Generalife" extensively for this entry. I also found the website http://www.vivagranada.com/alhambra/ with great pictures and side stories associated with the Alhambra.

Well, now it is my turn pretending to understand the legend of this wonder.

As you may expect, there is so much in the Alhambra and every corner of it is amazingly fascinating, especially for someone like me whose never seen a Moorish wonderland before. Synthesizing my observations and readings made this entry extremely long. For those of you who don’t want to read through a lengthy account of my visit, I am writing my general impressions in the following paragraphs before I begin a detailed corner by corner walk - so you may skim through the pictures.

Unfortunately, our pictures don't reflect the true beauty of the artwork (the book "All Granada and Alhambra" has really incredibly magnificent photos). Also we don't have pictures of every important section because we took so many pictures of the first couple of areas and then stopped when we realized that there was so much to see and we were already overwhelmed by the repetitive theme of stucco walls, arched porticos, mocarabes and latticed woodwork. Because our intentions were to visit a world wonder "before we died!," we soaked up as much as we could. A proper depiction would have required several times of visit, which we did not have any intentions of doing so - just a flavor of it was grand for me to last lifelong.

My Feelings about the Alhambra

Just like the giant redwoods of the Northern California and Grand Canyon of Arizona, the words are not sufficient to express my impressions of the Alhambra. While redwoods and canyons are the nature's creations, the Alhambra was created by mortal beings, and what inspires an artistic genius to create such beauty is beyond my feeble imagination. Many books and poems are written to explain (or create!) the mystery of this UNESCO World Heritage site; evidently, my vocabulary lacks the wealth to give proper adornment that it deserves.

My main take home impressions of the Alhambra were its modesty, profuse harmony with the surrounding nature, symmetry and continuity throughout various times of completions, and artistic and scientific ingenuity.

Its humble building materials that survived the insult from passing times and human activities, unpretentious entrances (in comparison to the grandeur ones of western palaces) and minimally noticeable difference between the sultan's quarters and other areas used by commoners gave me the impression of modesty where the beauty was created by artistic work of carpentry, masonry, gardening and literature.

As I walked through the entries, rooms, gardens and hallways, I was seized by a pleasant tranquil feeling. The omnipresence of water in every corner made the ambiance serene. The buildings were not overpowering me with their excessive ornamentations, colossal structures and gilded knick-knacks - even though plenty examples of these were present. The harmony was incredibly transcendent. Even though much have been obviously modified from its original form, I could still imagine that the buildings and gardens were designed to blend with the nature. The Christian rulers, who inhabited these palaces, must also have had some respect for the artistic value of these buildings because they obviously left much of the walls intact regardless of their religious content praising Allah.

The unity, symmetry and smoothness in design made me think that these palaces were built to relax and enjoy life. I constantly pondered how scientifically advanced they must be to construct these incredible proportions and engineering marvels such as channeling the water weaving in and out of the surface to the top of Sabika Hill and spouting water synchronized with the hours of the day. It is amazing how these elaborate mechanisms were architectured during the times when Europe was still holding medieval prosecutions, and even much before when it was prosecuting its Galileo!

Observing its unpretentious beauty, I thought about the circumstances when this place was built: a defeated Arab dynasty contained to a small region trying to maintain its presence in Spain. In addition to its internal turmoils, the allegiance to a Christian king probably did not leave much prospect to flourish. Even though transfer of power from Cordoba brought fresh blood into the city, its wealth was not abundant; the absence of expensive materials in these palaces might be due to this fact. It is also possible that Qur'an teachings of modesty and equity for all human beings might have affected these Muslim traditions. The adorned writings on the walls reminded me of the book of Qur'an - exultation of Allah. Combining the religious and financial limitations and the necessity to express the kingdom’s still existing realm, it must be even more crucial for this collection of palaces to be artistically beautiful. In my opinion, this artistic ingenuity is what makes this place a wonder.

I paused for a moment when Dilara asked what I had seen in those old buildings and gardens other than some walls, trees and etc. What did I see? I realized that all my amazement was built upon my experiences and knowledge. All the fairy tales of my arabesque upbringing suddenly came alive. This palace might have been where the Tales of Thousand and One Night had happened! I could not help but ponder about the life of people who walked these paths centuries before me. And of course, there is also the fascination with anything oriental.

In his memoirs on the Alhambra (Bibliotheque Dumas L’oeuvre d’Alexandre Dumas en ligne Granada, October 27, 1846. Chapitre XIX Chapter XIX), Alexandre Dumas also makes a reference to “the tales of thousand and one night.” As he was visiting through the palaces of the Alhambra, he says that he had the feeling of a sultan appearing in a dark alley any time like in dreams of Thousand and One Night. He also writes that these petrified memories of a vanished world will be in Spain forever like Pompeii of Herculaneum in Italy. Also noting the destruction had already taken place, he adds that just like their genius creators, these masterpieces were mortal and would join their masters one day, and the time of its turning into dust was near "the miracle of human creation is solidified by the dream of magical wand."

Additionally as I get older, I am beginning to connect more spiritually with the wonders of nature and human creation. I realize that I don't have the luxury of time to revisit these places and build vivid memories the next time around, so my perceptions end up being the romanticized version of worldly matters - just as Irwin claims.

A verse from Ibn al-Katib carved in a niche in the Hall of the Ambassadors perfectly suits my mood:

'If someone comes to me with a thirst, my fountain will give him pure, clear sweet water.'

Journey into the Alhambra Begins…

We entered the Alhambra through the Entrance Pavilion in the Plaza de la Alhambra. After presenting my ticket, I expected to enter into a magical world as I had seen in the movies and pictures. Walking several yards from the entrance, all I saw were trees and ruins – however, I must add the walkway paved with polished stones set in a twining design and lined with trimmed cypress hedges was pretty impressive. On the left was Puerta de los Siete Suelos (the Gate of the Seven Floors).

There is also an entrance to the Alhambra from the Plaza Nueva in Albaicin called Puerta de las Granadas (the Gate of Pomegranates), which was built by the Christians in the 16th century as a shortcut from the city to the Alhambra. We did not walk this path during our visit.

We passed the Medina, the city of the Alhambra, via “Secano Archeological Walk”, where the shops and common life were located when the place was alive, and awed and wowed at the ruins below the walkway level and watch towers and the ruinous Palacio de Abencerrajes in a distance. One thing you immediately notice at this walkway and its surrounding was the lack of statues, which decorate most of other European palaces. Moors might not have sculpted images of living beings because of the Islamic restraint on producing any inanimate work of life to prevent idolatry.

Unsuspecting of the coming, we even adored a small garden that was no better looking than ours back home. I had flashbacks of the images that I had seen about the Alhambra, and nothing, so far, came close to my anticipation. We had much better gardens and vegetation in Gandia than this garden of ornamental palm, orange and olive trees and roseless bushes – although strong aroma of acacia and citrus blend was seeping into the air from somewhere in the distance. We began entertaining ourselves with sunbathing kittens that got more attention from the tourists like us than the surrounding ruins.

We went through another checkpoint to enter the Calle Real and to our right was the Parador Nacional de San Francisco, previously the Convent of San Francisco. During Nasrid rule, this site was a part of one of the palaces. After the take over, Queen Isabella turned it into a church for her favorite St. Francis. Isabella and Ferdinand were buried here until the Royal Chapel in town was completed. The structure standing today was built in the 18th century with leaving the Catholic Monarchs’ Isabel and Ferdinand’s temporary burial site intact in an alcove. In the 19th century, the building was used as a public housing and donkey stable by the anti-clerics until it was saved to become a retirement home for artists. Today, it is a state-run 3-star hotel.

Turning left towards the main attractions, we came nose to nose with a building with a sign read “Hotel America!” Across from the hotel, a number of stores were selling souvenirs. At one of those shops, two men were making marquetry items. This is where we learned that good quality marquetry (taracea in Spanish) product should be made of quality wood pieces, not plastic inlays, which this shop also carried and sold for one-half the price of the better quality ones. By the way, we later realized that it was better to buy these products here than in Granada because these lesser quality items were the same price as the good ones in this shop.

Now we started walking on a street with more historical buildings across from these shops. We just passed Angel Barrios Museum dedicated to this Spanish musician, who lived in the same building and was frequented by his contemporaries like de Falla, Lorca and Sargent. This building was adjacent to the Mosque Bath (del Polinario) and parts of it were destroyed during the French invasion and the civil war.

Continuing along the road, we entered the Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra right behind the Charles V Palace. It was built on the site of the Grand Mosque of the Alhambra (another great mosque!) between 1581 and 1618. Although it was not impressive neither in size or content, the statues of saints Ursula and Susana and a crucifixion all by Spanish sculptor Alonso de Mena were quite remarkable. One of the crucifixions was quite interesting for it depicted the nails going through the Christ’s wrists instead of palms, which is how I had seen depicted in most paintings and sculptures.

Straight ahead, we saw an impressive building – the Charles V Palace. An example of Spanish renaissance, this colosseum looking palace was built to symbolize the triumph of Christian kingdom over centuries of Islam rule in Spain. The work for the palace started in 1526 and was still not complete until the Charles V’s death, when his son Louis took over the reign. Because the construction was mostly paid by the taxes collected from Moriscos, their rebellion in 1568 ended the work. At that point, only structural walls, the courtyard, the chapel and the façades (which had some beautiful examples of reliefs). The completion of the palace still continues since Leopoldo Torres Balbas (a Spanish architect and archeologist) took over the project in 1923.

Interestingly, Alexander Dumas in his essay wrote “a palace built by Charles V is perhaps an utter abominable blasphemy; he had chosen this site, where Moors had to build their own, and needed to destroy half of the Alhambra, which had brought misery. At least his palace was never completed, thank God! (Dieu merci!) And never will.” Well, maybe not in the sense that Charles V had intended at least…

Two main façades were the Emperor’s on the west side (main entrance) and the Empress’ on the south side. The Emperor’s wall displayed the figures of some military and war scenes in a Dorian style while the Empress’ wall depicted mythological scenes with symbols of fertility in Ionian style.

The palace consisted of a circular courtyard surrounded with a stone vaulted corridor and an octagonal chapel. The gallery around the courtyard contained the Alhambra Museum, Introductory Exhibition and the Provincial Fine Arts Museum. The Chapel housed the exhibition room. These museums contained some artifacts from the Alhambra’s and Granada history.

Moving along the Calle Real, we passed the Justice Gate (the Gate of the Esplanade) on the left across from the southern entrance (Empress’) to the Charles V Palace. This gate was decorated with the Islamic symbols such as 5 fingers for the five fundamental obligations of Islam as well as Christian symbols of Virgin and Child.


When we reached the plaza in front of the Charles V Palace, we took our time to use the bathrooms at the kitty corner from the palace, across from the entrance to the Nasrid Palaces and next to the Alcazaba’s Puerta del Vino (Wine Gate).The Alcazaba of today is the oldest of the standing buildings in the Alhambra and was built by Al-Ahmar in the 13th century. The largest tower of the fortress is called Torre de la Vela for its great bell hanging above – placed by the Catholic monarchs after Granada’s conquest. The Wine Gate was used as the main access to the Medina through the Plaza de los Aljibes. This latticed gateway evidently inspired many French and British impressionist painters. It is suggested that one of these paintings inspired French composer Claude Debussy to write La Puerta del Vino (source: http://www.vivagranada.com/alhambra/gates.htm).

Before entering the palace, we stopped to get our audio guides. Noticing the time on our tickets, the attendant lady panicked and ushered us out of the palace and to the right to enter the Nasrid Palaces while we grabbed our guides in the neck of a time.

After passing the checkpoint at the Plaza de los Aljibes, we entered the Alcazar Real beginning of a journey into Moorish world.

The Nasrid Palaces included the Mexuar, the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions, the Lindaraja area, El Partal, the Tower Walk.

El Mexuar

This area was where the council of ministers (Sura) held their meetings and the people waited prior to the sultan’s address. During the construction of the Carlos V Palace, el Mexuar housed many generations of architects. Then in 16th century a baroque chapel was installed and subsequently removed. We could still see the added high altar and religious frescos and tiles on the walls inserted in the middle of Arabic writings - most likely praising Allah. Straight ahead was a section, the Oratory, which was closed to the public. In the audio guide we were told that among all other sections of the palaces, this place was the most altered from its original form. The walls and the columns were latticed with writings and dado, which was made of glazed tiles forming geometric shapes and apparently placed in the 16th century to decorate the chapel. The room had a beautiful view of the Albaicin.

Entering El Mexuar immediately made me transform into a magical world. My first impression was how in the world these writings and symbols were made on to these walls and ceilings! Once I passed this bewilderment, I also noticed that none of these materials used were expensive alabasters, gold or jewels as I had seen in many palaces and cathedrals. Making these breathtaking masterpieces from plasters and wood seemed incredibly clever.

Leaving the hall, we entered a patio, the Patio del Cuarto Dorado (Guilded Room), between Mexuar and the Comares Palace. This was the area where the sultan accepted his subjects. With a low fountain in the middle, this patio displayed the impressive stuccos with golden colored walls and latticed wooden ceiling. Across from the Cuarto Dorado was the façade of Comares Palace entrance.

The Comares Palace

One of the many circulating definitions of “Comares” is that it is a derivative of Arabic word “al-qamar” (as in Kamer!) which means “moon.” It was called by this name because the Sultans’ astrologists used the tower here to observe the night sky. Leaving the Patio del Cuarto Dorado, we entered into the private lives of the Moorish rulers. The façade again was another magnificent work of art. There were two doors; one on the right was for service and domestic apartments and the left one for the royalty. Interestingly, these two doors looked exactly alike and entered the building on the same level unlike the service entry of most European palaces, which is placed away from the one for dignitaries.
In between the doors was a poem by Ibn Zamrak, carved on the wall and verses separated by the seashells.

«I am a crown on the front of my door:
in me is the West envious of the East.
Al-Gani billah* orders me to quickly
give way to the victory, as soon as it calls.
I am always waiting to see the visage
of the king, dawn appearing from the horizon.
¡May God make his works as beautiful
as are his mettle and his figure»

(*) Al-Gani billah: The victor by God: Nickname used by Mohamed V after the victory in Algeciras in 1369. (http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.asp?secc=/alhambra/alhambra_poems)

The walls of the Alhambra were full of calligraphic decorations, cursive and kufic (a form of calligraphic Arabic writing) writings with sentences such as "Only God is victor." Most of the poems were composed by three poets, Ibn al-Yayyab, Ibn al-Jatib and Ibn Zamrak, who were secretaries of the royal chancellery and prime ministers. Among them, Ibn Zamrak is considered to be the most brilliant of the poets.

Court of the Myrtles: It was named after the fragrant myrtle bushes bordering the pool in the middle of the patio. The four sets of living quarters on the longer sites of this court were suggested to be for the sultan’s four legitimate wives as allowed by the Qua’ran. The doors of the housing dwellings opened into this patio. Apparently decorations on the houses reflected the social status of the occupants. The reflection of the surrounding structures on the pool gave the patio a spacious feeling. This was where we see the famously circulating picture of the palace reflection on the pool.




One feature stroke me the most here was the symmetry. Even though my audio guide mentioned the symmetry as an overpowering feature of Nasrid Palaces, this was the first place I noticed it so evidently. Seven arched porticos with characteristic placement of one higher arched in the center and others symmetrically distributed on the both sides and embellished with typical fret-work plaster paneling (sebka) stood on the both narrower sides of the patio. The entry halls behind these columns had beautifully decorated wooden ceilings. At the both sides of these galleries, slightly raised above ground level, were alcoves called alhamies.

A curious container! Like a taca (niches made into the wall, always in twos on both sides of the arches of gates of entrance to the chambers, and used to keep containers with water)

From the door on the left, we entered the Sala de la Barca, the anteroom to the Comares Hall. In the 16th century, this room was regilded and called “the Golden Room.” In 1890, it was completely destroyed by a fire. What we saw was the recreation of the original based on drawings, photographs and surviving fragments. The wooden vaulted ceiling was decorated with ornamental geometric designs of knots and wheel decorations including stars – similar to the marquetry designs at the shop. The delicate ornamentation on the walls included the verse:

I am like the dias of a bride
endowed with beauty and perfection look at the jar and you will understand
the real truth of my words.
Contemplate my diadem and see how
it appears to be a new moon’s crown. But Ben Nasr is the sun in this sky
because of his dazzling splendor and beauty. May his status remain pre-eminent,
safe and secure at the time of setting sun’; I am the momentary prayer
whose qibla is an easily walked path. The jar here you may believe
to be a man standing, fulfilling his duty to pray. Notwithstanding, each time he finishes
he ought, perforce, to reiterate them. Having regard for my master Ben Nasr,
Allah ennobled his person, as being of the line of the lord of Jazray [the worthy] Sad ben Ubada.
(trans by D. Cabanelas and A Fernandez)

Alongside the Sala de Barca, we passed a bathroom, Palace Lavatory, with running water and earthy colored tapestry design dado on the walls. From the Sala de Barca a passageway led to two sets of staircases, one to the upper rooms of the Comares Tower and the other to a small Oratory. Upper rooms, Dependencies, were ordinary looking spaces with not much embellishment. These rooms were said to be winter quarters.

After Dependecies, we arrived at the Comares Hall, the biggest room in the Comares Tower. This hall was also called Ambassadors Hall and Throne Room, where the sultan accepted official people. There were 9 alcoves on the wall. Eight of these alhamies were decorated equally in pairs. The middle one, reserved for the sultan, right across from the entrance was decorated more richly than others - here again the legendary symmetry.

The walls of this hall were decorated with epigraphic poems and writings. Not knowing Arabic, we could not tell what these inscriptions said. According to my official guide, they depicted these three themes: Eternity is an attribute of Allah; delight in good, for surely it is Allah who assists; and to Allah alone belongs grandeur, glory, eternity and power.

The wooden ceiling was a magnificent example of taracea. Made up of different sized boards and nailed together and to the vault, it formed into a pyramidal stepping series apparently signifying the seven heavens of the cosmos through which, according to Islam, the soul traveled until reaching at the peak, the eight level (represented by the small cupola of mocarabes (stalactites) here) wherein resided Allah. We were told that the scripture along the four sides of the ceiling starting from the north side was Sura (verse) 67, al-Mulk (Sovereignty) from the Qur’an:

Blessed be He in whose hands is the sovereignty and He has power over everything. He who created death and life so as to test you as to whoever of you is fairer in action. He is the All-Mighty, the All-forgiving. He who has created seven stratified heavens. You do not see any discrepancy in the creation of the Compassionate. So fix your gaze, do you see any flaws? Then, fix your gaze again and again, and your gaze will recoil back to you discomforted and weary. We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and We turned them into missiles launched against the devils; and We have prepared for them the punishment of the fire. (trans. by Majid Fakhry)

Walking in a labyrinth pattern, we weaved in and out of clusters of gardens, rooms and staircases. Ornamental wall plasters, tiling and woodwork seemed endless. The water was omnipresent in every corner of the gardens and buildings. Going through similar looking buildings with overpowering Moorish art made me already disoriented. At this point, I could not tell where I was, what palace started what ended. The audio guide was not helping much orienting me for I already phased out of it being bored of listening to the tranquil voice telling me the romantic stories of the rooms. I think they need to revise the guide with more historical perspective than mystical embellishments and definitely more vibrant diction than this one.

Initially two separate palaces, The Comares Palace (built by Yusuf I) and the Palace of the Lions (built by Yusuf I’s son Mohammed V) were connected through a room in the Court of the Myrtles and Sala de los Mocarabes into the Court of the Lions - people lived in these two separate palaces probably used the front entrances as a normal neighbor would. Originally non-existing, this link was installed after the Christian conquest.

The Palace of the Lions

The original name ‘the Palace of Muhammed V” apparently was changed to “the Palace of the Lions” by the Christians for its fountain with lion sculptures in the patio.

Through a passage in the Sala de los Mocarabes, we moved to the Courtyard of the Lions, which included the famous Lion Fountain and the pavilions around it. The patio was designed in a cruciform of 4 equal parts separated by water channels with fountain in the middle. According to Christian and Islamic beliefs, this cruciform evidently symbolizes Paradise.

We could not approach the fountain for it was being restored at the present; however, we were able to view one of the restored lions at the Charles V Museum. It is thought that this fountain might have been inspired by the fountain called "the Sea of Bronze,” described in the Bible being at the Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Instead of lions, Solomon’s fountain was supported by 12 bulls representing 12 tribes of Israel. Demonstrating an engineering ingenuity, this marble fountain evidently included a hydraulic system that filled and emptied synchronized with 12 hours of the day. Lacking the knowledge to understand it, the mechanism was also destroyed after the conquest. Around the rim of the fountain, apparently there was another poem by Ibn Zamrak:

«May The One who granted the imam Mohammed
with the beautiful ideas to decorate his mansions be blessed.
For, ¿are there not in this garden wonders
that God has made incomparable in their beauty,
and a sculpture of pearls with a transparently light,
the borders of which are trimmed with seed pearl?
Melted silver flows through the pearls,
to which it resembles in its pure dawn beauty.
Apparently, water and marble seem to be one,
without letting us know which of them is flowing.
¿Don't you see how the water spills on the basin,
but its spouts hide it immediately?
It is a lover whose eyelids are brimming over with tears,
tears that it hides from fear of a betrayer.
¿Isn't it, in fact, like a white cloud
that pours its water channels on the lions
and seems the hand of the caliph, who, in the morning,
grants the war lions with his favours?
Those who gaze at the lions in a threatening attitude,
(knows that) only respect (to the Emir) holds his anger.
¡Oh descendant of the Ansares, and not through an indirect line,
heritage of nobility, who despises the fatuous:
May the peace of God be with you and may your life be long and unscathed
multiplying your feasts and tormenting your enemies!»

Four separate halls opened to this courtyard: the Sala de Mocarabes, the Sala de Reyes, Sala de los Abecerrajes and the Hall of the Two Sisters.

The Sala de Mocarabes was next to the main entrance of the palace and thought to be used as a reception room. Its name was derived from the mocarabes covered its ceiling but were destroyed by the gun powder explosion in 1590. Mocarabes are the encrustations with which the Moors coated archways and ceilings. The process of making these was explained as pre-moulding copolas in plaster and fitting together to create the effect of stalactites in an alcove.

Sala de los Abencerrajes: The name was given to this room by the Christians of the 16th century. According to the legend, this was the site of a bloody confrontation between court fractions, which led to the death of leading members of the Abencerrajes – a North African tribe. The room had a fountain in the center and alcoves on both sides. Two passageways behind the door led to the Patio del Harem. The most striking element of Sala de los Abencerrajes was the ceiling. The copolas of mocarabes formed an eight-pointed star, which was stunningly beautiful.

Sala de los Reyes: This corridor of open rooms sat across from the Sala de los Mocarabes on the other side of the courtyard. Its suggested function was a place for receptions and relaxing. Five alcoves opened into the hall by arches with mocarabes like a curtain. The Christians called it “the Hall of the Kings” because of the ten people fresco on the vaults of the central alcove of the three (again with a the middle one more distinctive than the other two on the either side of it) depicting Nasrid Sultans’ reign. Because of the Islamic restrictions on making pictures of live-beings, the artists of these paintings were thought to be Avignon or Northern Italian origin. These wooden ceilings in the central three alcoves looked like upturned boats.

Sala de dos Hermanas: Across from the Sala de Abencerrajes, this was the largest of the halls in the court of the lions. The room was possibly used as the reception room for the throne room, which was in an alcove beyond this room. The cupola mocarabes are considered being the most stunning of its kind in this place. Starting from the center star total number of stalactites adds up to 5,000! Only for this room… the artisans of these wonders must have had their jobs secured for a lifetime.
On both side of the room again situated alcoves with a space for tarima (bed) and wooden ceilings. Previously, it was thought that the name referred to the large twin slabs of marbles on either side of the small fountain in the middle with water running from the fountain and dividing the room in half. However, a recent interpretation of the poem found on the wall of this room suggested that this duality referred to a line from the Qua’ran:

«I am a garden adorned by beauty:
my being will know whether you look at my beauty.
Oh, Mohammed, my king, I try to equal
the noblest thing that has ever existed or will ever exist.
Sublime work of art, fate wants me to outshine every other moment in history.
How much delight for the eyes!
The noble one renews his desires here.
The Pleiads serve as his amulet;
the breeze defends it with its magic.
A gleaming vault shines in a unique way,
with apparent and hidden beauties.
The hand of a devoted to Gemini;
and the Moon comes to converse with her.
The stars wish to rest there,
and not turn around the celestial wheel,
and they wish to await submissively in both courtyards,
and serve tenaciously like slaves:
Isn't it marvellous that the stars miss it
and go beyond the marked limit,
in order to readily serve my master,
for those who serve the Glorious one reach the glory.
The portico is so beautiful that the palace
competes in beauty with the sky.
You dressed it with such an exquisite lamé,
that the loom of the Yemen is forgotten.
¡How many arches are high on its summit,
on the columns that are adorned by the light,
like spheres that turn
above the glowing pillar of the dawn!
The columns are so beautiful in every way,
that their success flies from mouth to ear:
the marble throws its clear light, which invades
the black corner that blackens the shadow;
its highlights iridesce, and one would say that
they are, in spite of their size, pearls.
We have never seen such a blooming garden,
with a sweeter harvest and more scent.
With permission from the judge of beauty
it pays double the tax in the most exquisite palace,
with brighter and wide areas.
Never two coins,
because if, at dawn, on the hands are left
drachmas of light from the zephyr, which would suffice,
gold doubles of sun, which embellish it,
are later thrown in the bushes, among the trunks.
(The kinship links him to victory:
Only the King cedes this lineage.)

Can you imagine being isolated from the worries of mundane daily life, sitting in these rooms, intoxicated by strong aroma of the gardens and lullaby of the fountains, gazing at the sun and moon playing light tricks created by these mocarabes? Who wouldn’t become a poet?

Sala de los Ajimeces: Through the door across from the Court of the Lions entry to the Sala de Dos Hermanas, we entered into this room leading to the Mirrador de Lindaraja with the view of the garden below. The room was given the name Ajimeces for overhanging wooden balconies that closed off the twin window on wall.

Mirrador de Lindaraja: This small square space, which completed the middle axis of the Sala de Dos Hermanas, was a lookout, which had a view of Albaicin and the countryside until the rooms around were added to accommodate Charles V. This was the area apparently where Charles V liked to eat his supper. The name derives from “Eyes of Aixa’s House (ayn dar Aisa, from where my name Ayse, comes in Arabic).” Aixa apparently became associated with Queen of Grenada in Spanish tradition from Aisha of Muhammed Ibn al-Ahmar called Aisha al-Hurra (honest) also the name of Boabdil, the last Sultan of Nasrid lived here. At the arch of the entry to this room was a poem apparently read:

Each art has enriched me with its special beauty and has endowed me with its magnificence and perfections. The one who sees me may judge according to my beauty of the wife that walks to this glass and seeks for his favours. When the one who looks at me carefully observes my beauty, the look of his eyes is deceived by an appearance. For when he looks at my marvellous background, he believes that the full moon has established her residence here and has therefore abandoned her own mansions to find mine.I am not alone, for from here I contemplate an astonishing garden. No eyes have ever seen anything similar to him. This is the glass palace; nevertheless, some have judged it as a tempestuous and shaken ocean, when they have seen it. This was all built by the Imam Ibn Nasr*; may God be the guardian of the other kings of his nobility. His ascendants in the antiquity reached a greater nobility for they gave shelter to the Prophet and his family. *Note: the Imam Ibn Nasr is Mohammed the V.

The walls were again covered with lattice of plaster artwork and arch of mocarabes framed surrounding area like beautiful pictures. The false wooden ceiling with stained glass pieces covered the upper part giving it a romantic atmosphere.

Evidently, much of this wonderland was demolished by deliberately or passing of time. At this point, it is hard to tell how much of we awe was restored to its original or how much of it we were living the fantacies’ of some restoration artists. Either way, what I had so far seen was magical and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Lindaraja Area

The Emperor’s Chambers: This part of the palaces was arranged to host Carlos during his visit to oversee the progress of building of his palace; however, he never really came to stay here. The rooms in this area looked pretty banal unfitting to the rest of the palace. Plainly built wooden ceilings and a fireplace were the only notable articles in this section.

In the antechamber to the royal bedrooms, a sign signifying the Washington Irving’s stay in 1829 was hanging above the door to these bedrooms, which were open to the public access by only special arrangements; hence, we did not visit.
The Gallery, Patio de la Reja and Peinador de la Reina: From the antechamber of the Emperor’s Chambers, we walked through an open corridor with the views of Albaicin and the Sacromonte. This walkway led to the Peinador de la Reina (Queen’s Dressing Room). The walls of this room, designed in Italian style, had murals painted representing Charles V’s Tunis expedition and mythological motifs as on the Empress façade. This addition of the Christian period seemed to be the most blending with the Nasrid Palaces.

Albaicin and Sacromonte on the hill

We walked down the stairs to enter the Patio de la Reja between the Emperor’s Chambers and the Comares Tower. Meaning wrought iron in Spanish, the walkway was named Reja for the iron rail runs along the balcony.

Bano de Comares: Through a path between the Patio de la Reja and the Patio de Lindaraja, we entered the lower part of the Banos that we saw by the Court of the Myrtles. This bath looked very similar to the ones that I used to go with my grandmother in Turkey. The star shaped openings on the ceiling let the warm air in as well as the light making pleasant designs on the ground.

Patio de Lindaraja: From the Patio de la Reja, we moved into this baroque garden, which was also altered from its original form into this more Western look. This was the serene garden that the Mirrador de Lindaraja enjoyed watching below. In the middle of the garden was a two-layered fountain, which had a poem written for it.

«I am a water orb that appears before the creatures limpid and transparent a great Ocean, the shores of which are select pieces of work made of special marble and the waters of which, shaped like pearls, flow on an enormous sheet of ice that has been delicately carved. In occasions I am overflowed with water, but I, from time to time, part with the transparent veil that covers me. Then I and that part of the water that comes from the borders of the fountain, appear like a piece of ice, part of which melts and the rest does not. But, when rivers flow, we are only comparable to star-studded sky. I am also a mother-of-pearl and the pearls are the drops, similar to the jewellery of the right hand that an artisan placed on Ibn Nasr's crown, who, for me, was generous with the treasures of his fortune. May he live with double happiness, he, who up to the date has been the thoughtful man of the lineage of Galib, of the children of prosperity, of the fortunate ones, stars shining goodness, delicate noble mansion. Of the children of the tribe of the Jazray, of those who proclaimed the truth and protected the Prophet. He has been the new Sa'd who, with his banns, has dispelled all the darkness and turned it into light and he has given prosperity to his vassals by creating a stable peace in the surrounding areas. He placed the throne as a guarantee of security for the religion and the believers. And he has granted me the highest degree of beauty, so that my shape causes the admiration of the sages. For never have any eyes seen a greater thing than myself, neither in the East nor in the West and in no time has any king, neither abroad nor in Arabia, achieved anything similar to me.»

El Partal

Meaning porch in Arabic, Al-Partal, sitting above the banks of Darro River, was suggested to be the original layout for the Nasrid Palaces. Much of the buildings, which were once Sultan Yusuf III’s residence, were in ruins. I actually enjoyed this area because it was not mingled as much as the previous two that we just visited. Already overwhelmed by the repetitive examples of Moorish art in great details, open air and plain view felt refreshing.

The palace here, El Palacio del Portico, had a similar layout to the Comares Palace and dated back to Yusuf I. The few remaining parts of the palace were the Torre de Damas (tower of the ladies), a portico, a small oratory and several houses. The portico with ornate arches followed the previous examples of symmetrical pattern. In front of this portico was simple ground level pond with hedges around it. A poem on the wall apparently read:

This piece of art has come to decorate the Alhambra; which is the home of the peaceful and of the warriors; Calahorra that contains a palace. ¡Say that it is at the same time a fortress and a mansion for joy! It is a palace in which magnificence is shared among its ceiling, its floor and its four walls; on the stuccowork and on the glazed tiles there are wonders, but the carved wooden ceilings are even more extraordinary; these were all united and their union gave birth to the most perfect construction in the place where the highest mansion already stood; they seem poetic images, paronomasias and transpositions, the decorative branches and inlays. Yusuf's visage appears before us as a sign that is where all the perfections have met. It is from the glorious tribe of Jazray, whose works in favour of the religion are like dawn, when its light appears in the horizon.»

The tower had usual dado of colored tiling and wide panels of stucco. The richly colored dome of the ceiling is apparently displayed in the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin. Interestingly up until 1891, these rooms in the museum were the private property of a German, Arthur Gwinner, a German banker. (He owned Riess & Itzinger Bank which involved in financing the Baghdad Railway, AEG and Siemens; later, he became the managing director of Deutche Bank and influenced the German foreign policy in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He might have acquired the articles during his work for Mitteldeutche Creditbank in Spain in 1880s.)

A small oratory stood nearby the pond and alongside the portico. This tiny rectangular building would barely fit four persons to pray when they kneeled on the floor. Across from the portico, the ruins of a row of small morisco houses and gardens lined along the walk towards the Towers Walk. The higher part of the garden from the pond was the palace cemetery called Rauda. It was surrounded by the garden, exterior walls of the Palace of the Lions and the Church of Santa Maria. A square tower with horseshoe openings on its three-sides served as the communicating door to the interior of the Palace of the Lions.

The gardens of El Palacio del Portico continued passing an ivy pergola and famous irrigation lines weaving in and out of the surface. Walking through these gardens, we arrived at the Patio del los Nenufares (water lilies) with a pond in the middle. This was the area where we could continue to the Generalife along the Towers Walk or go back to Calle Real into the area between the Charles V Palace and the Church of Santa Maria.

The Towers Walk

This walk was named for the four towers lined alongside of it. We could not visit any of these towers because they also required special arrangement. Entering from El Palacio del Portico gardens, the first tower we passed was the Torre de los Picos (spikes), was named after the projecting corbels. The next tower was the Torre del Cadi (judge).

The Torre de Cautiva (Tower of the Captive) was the third tower along the walk. The interior of this tower apparently is one of the most remarkable places in the Alhambra.
The Torro de la Captiva was connected to the Medina crossing over a trench called Foso or Calle de Ronda (passage of the rounds), a part of palace defense. This trench went through a tunnel under the next tower the Torre de las Infantas. Intertwining in and out the various parts of the city for not to disturb daily life, the length of this Foso is said to extend 1.2 km. (1258 yards) around palaces.

The last of the tower on this walk was the Torro de la Infantas (princesses), which sat behind Parador de San Francisco. Similar in decoration to the Torre de Captiva, this tower apparently dated back to reign of Muhammed VII while the tower of the captive belonged to the times of Yusuf I. Evidently, this tower was the scene of a famous legend (which Washington Irving retold in his book “the Tales of the Alhambra”) of the three princesses Zaida, Zorayda and Zorahaida.

The Tower Walk ended with a tower called Torre del Cabo de la Carrera, built by Catholic Monarchs, and Torre del Agua, both partly blown up by the French. From here we could continue to the Generalife or go back to the ruins of the Medina on the right.

Generalife

This group of several large gardens and living quarters overlooking the palaces and villages below was suggested as being the summer palaces of the Sultans. Why they would need a summer palace right up the hill, not that far from their regular residents is a bit curious – maybe it was safer to stay within the walls of the palaces, and because of it, they did not know what was happening in the lives people they reigned! This reminded me of the Buddha’s story: as being sheltered from the realities of the common life, he did not know about suffering.

The Generalife included a royal farm, Palacio del Generalife (a hunting lodge and country retreat), the amphitheatre, several gardens including the new ones added by Christians and a water channel.

The most commonly accepted meaning of Generalife is Jardines del Alarife (garden of the architect). The use of the estate also has an interesting history. After the conquest, its use was granted to a military governor and passed down to Granada-Venegas family in 1631 and after a series of court battles, finally came to the hands of the state in 1921.

On his aforementioned memoir, this is what Dumas says about the Generalife “These gardens, arranged in terraces, are real greenhouses where flowers grow tropical most demanding. I could not resist, I picked one, I wrapped in a paper, and this paper, I put in the address of someone you know, I have written in pencil, as if it were the flower which speak.”

We entered the Generalife through the avenue of cypresses planted to commemorate the visit of Isabel II in 1862. Passing along the water channel and the nursery garden, we reached the new gardens added by the Christians. The style of these gardens varied fundamentally from the Patios enclosed by the Salas of the Nasrid Palaces. These gardens looked more like the European ones with well-groomed cypress hedges in sections and long fountains with waterspouts reaching air before falling into the pond instead of a single fountain with subdued trickling water. Mingled within the new gardens was an amphitheatre built in 1952, especially to accommodate the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada in the summer every year.

Regardless of who designed this final form, these gardens were incredibly serene and comforting with open views of the palaces and the city below and harmony of landscape. Again water was omnipresent in every way and direction. The sound of the running water from the channels under the gardens joined the splashes of the fountains above. Irrigation for these gardens was apparently channeled from the Darro River below.

From the new gardens, we reached the Palacio del Generalife. The first patio here was the Patio del Descabalgamiento (dismounting). This was the area where the Sultans returned from their excursions with their horses. The entrance to the palace was through another patio, which led to the residential quarters through a narrow staircase.

The name of the main courtyard here was the Patio de la Acequia (Courtyard of the Water Channel) referring to water being routed via a main artery of hydraulic system through upper Alhambra before supplying the palaces below – another application of clever engineering. The channel looked like a long, rustic, ground-leveled horse stall. Twelve waterspout on each side were apparently added in the 19th century. This patio was originally enclosed with walls, El Mirador and Sala Regia (Royal Hall) as the patios of the lower palaces. The walls overlooking the orchards were lowered and arched openings were installed by the Christians. The soffits above these arches had symbols of Catholic Monarchs.

The room El Mirador had the view of the lower Alhambra and the city. A poem found on the arches to one of the tacas in this area read:

«Taca on the door of the happiest hall to serve His Highness in the mirador. ¡My God, how beautiful it is when hold by the right hand of the incomparable king! When glasses of water appear on it, they are like maidens above. Rejoice at Ismail, thanks to whom God has honoured you and made you happy. ¡May the Islam subsist thanks to him so strongly, that it will be the defence of the throne!»

Before entering the Sala Regia, we came across another gallery of arches with alcoves at each end. Center one of five arches was much wider than the other two on both sides. It seemed to be designed to frame the triple arches behind it – again the middle being higher than the other ones on the either side. The interior was similar to the salas we had seen before with an addition of upper floor in the 15th century.

From the Sala Regia, we visited a tower called Torre de Ismail, which apparently was added to the Regia to commemorate the victory of Nasrids over Castillians in the battle of the Vega. Through one of the alcoves in the Sala Regia, we climbed to the Patio del Cipres de la Sultana (of the sultana’s cypress). The cypress tree (leaning forward and held from falling by a support) here was supposed to be the site of various love scene; hence, the name. In the center stood a pool with a smaller fountain in the middle, which was added in the 19th century. The garden had a serene and tranquil atmosphere. From here we could go back to the Patio de la Acequia or upper gardens.

Through a long staircase called the Staircase of the Lions, so called for two ceramic lion figures crowning the entry, we headed towards the upper gardens. Passing by the magnolia, acacia, small oak and elm trees, sequoias, ground covering and climbing vegetation including morning glories, ivy and ever-ubiquitous bougainvillea in colors of purple, white and magenta, our olfactory cells were bombarded with sensory overload.
Through the umbrella of laurel trees, we walked up the Water Stairway. This was a staircase broken into three landings with round basins in the middle of each one. Pretty rustic looking water ruts ran in the top of the walls on both side of the stairway. These channels apparently carried a continuous flow of water from the Acequia Real at the Patio de la Acequia.

This stairway led to the highest part of the Generalife where the one time administrator of estate of Generalife built a small lookout in neo-gothic style. This area contained some sculptures that were more like European, which looked too ordinary and did not fit the ambiance.

We continued to the end of our visit through a very peaceful walkway called Oleander Walk for the Oleander trees making a bridge over the road. Soaking up the fresh sweet scent of harmonious mixture of flora for the one last time, we concluded our journey of a lifetime – for me anyways….

Onward to Cordoba and back to Gandia...