10 reasons why you have to visit Alhambra Granada
If you’re going to visit Andalusia and Granada, visiting the monumental ensemble of the Alhambra and the Generalife palace is a must. The Alhambra is the second most visited monument in Spain and one of the main international tourist attractions. This is because the magic and uniqueness of the Alhambra goes beyond borders, with it being the only preserved palatine city from the Arabic period in the world.
1. To know the exciting History of the Alhambra of Granada
If there is something that amazes us about the Alhambra of Granada, it is its incredible and extremely rich history. It dates back to the 13th century, when the construction of the outer walls and the aqueduct was completed, although its construction took several centuries. However, the occupation of the space dates back to Roman times.
The magic of the Alhambra lies in the fact that the various cultures that have shaped the identity of Granada have passed through it. The most diverse events have taken place within its walls, from betrayals and assassinations such as that of the Abencerrajes, to weddings, love affairs and infidelities, as well as encounters between different Nasrid and Christian kings.
Thus, both the Muslims and Christians who have resided in it, as well as the stories that have been happening under its walls, have been giving it that peculiar character that makes it a unique monument in the world. Many of these stories have inspired the works of several artists and travelers from the Romantic period and onwards, such as Washington Irving, Manuel de Falla, Francois René de Chateaubriand, Loreena McKennitt...
2. To admire the Architecture of the Alhambra and Generalife
The Alhambra is an architectural ensemble of unparalleled beauty. Its style, despite having typical elements of Andalusian and Nasrid architecture, with or own elements such as the capitals of its columns with Arabic calligraphy or hollows simulating caves, so typical of Muslim culture. It also has a Renaissance style palace added by Charles V, after the Arab expulsion.
The result is a set of amazing palaces and courtyards that manages to conquer the hearts of its visitors. The architects of the Alhambra took great care in decorating every space and corner, so you will enjoy in each of its rooms of its many details and motifs.
One of the most impressive decorative elements of the Alhambra is the muqarnas vault. The muqarnas vaults are composed of superimposed cells or alveoli that create an amazing effect. During your tour of the Alhambra in Granada, we recommend that you pay attention to those in the rooms of the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Hall of the Abencerrajes.
3. For the majestic Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces
Few palaces are more beautiful than those gathered under the walls of the Alhambra. The palatial city has a total of 4 palaces. On the one hand, there are the Nasrid Palaces: the Mexuar (or Meshwar), the Palace of Comares, and the Palace of the Lions, of Arabic period and style. And on the other side we find the Palace of Charles V -added by order of the emperor and Renaissance style-, whose construction was not completed until the mid-twentieth century.
You can not miss on your visit to the Alhambra the tour of the Palacio de Comares, one of the great jewels of the monument. The Patio de Arrayanes, which surrounds the palace, stands out for the presence of its pond, flanked by two rows of hedges, which is one of the most recognized pictures of the Alhambra.
4. For the countless Legends of the Alhambra Palace
Its many centuries of history and its exotic and majestic appearance, have made the Alhambra of Granada the ideal place for the proliferation of all kinds of legends and popular sayings that have spread by word of mouth among the locals and visitors to the city.
If you take a guided tour of the Alhambra of Granada with Walker, our guides will tell you about its most famous legends, and you will be able to recreate yourself in its scenery. A place about which many legends circulate is the Tower of Comares, the highest of the Palaces of the Alhambra. Legends tell that it was there that Christopher Columbus convinced the Catholic Monarchs to finance his expedition to the Indies by the West, which led to the discovery of America.
5. To discover the poems of the Alhambra of Granada
The vast majority of visitors to the Alhambra do not realize that its walls are full of beautiful poems, hidden under calligraphic decorations. These poems were written by three poets of the Court of Granada: Ibn al-Jayyab, Ibn al-Khatib and Ibn Zamrak, the most notable of them.
On the door of the splendorous Comares Palace, lost among its sinuous decoration of a thousand motifs, we can read:
"I am crown on the forehead of my door:
envy the West in me the East.
Al-Gani billah command me to hurry
step to victory as soon as I call.
I am always waiting to see the face
of the king, dawn that shows the horizon.
God make his works as beautiful
as are his temper and his figure!"
6. To be amazed by the magnificent views of Granada from the Alhambra
Being located at the top of the hill of al-Sabika, the viewpoints and towers of the Alhambra offer truly breathtaking views of the city of Granada. And is that the set of Nasrid Palaces was designed not only to be a luxury royal residence, but also to fulfill the function of Military Fortress, which allowed its rulers to dominate the entire city.
Therefore, do not forget to take good photographic equipment with you on your visit. From the Alhambra you will have privileged views of the city of Granada and its famous Albaicín neighborhood, as well as the Sacromonte Caves, located on the slopes of the Cerro de San Miguel. You will also be able to observe the snow-capped peaks that stand out over the Sierra Nevada.
7. For the Gardens and Patios of the Alhambra and its Palaces
The gardens and courtyards of the Alhambra are one of the main reasons why you should visit it on your next trip to Granada. The Monumental Complex of the Alhambra has the most beautiful gardens and courtyards of Al-Andalus, and enjoy an enviable state of preservation.
The garden is a very important part of the Arab palace constructions, as it served to recreate the longing for the Mohammedan Paradise. Muslims imagine paradise as a beautiful garden full of delights and pleasures, light and water, and it is this recreation that they simulate in the gardens and courtyards of the Alhambra.
In the words of Professor Chueca Goitia, "the more one contemplates the Alhambra, the more one has the feeling that the ideal of the Arabs was to live in a garden".
8. Because the Alhambra of Granada is a World Heritage Site
The importance and influence of the Alhambra and the Generalife of Granada has been recognized throughout history. That is why, since 1984, the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra and the Generalife was awarded the distinction of World Heritage by UNESCO.
Before receiving this distinction, the Alhambra Alcazar and its gardens and outbuildings were declared "National, Historical and Artistic Monument" by the Kingdom of Spain in 1870. This distinction was extended, in the 20th century, with the distinction of "Historic Gardens" to the gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife. These distinctions allowed their rehabilitation and conservation to their current magnificent state.
9. To discover why the Alhambra has been and is a source of Inspiration
The beauty and exoticism of the Alhambra has been and is a source of inspiration for numerous artists, painters and poets. That is why the influences of the Alhambra in the Spanish and foreign culture are multiple.
In the musical field, we can highlight the work Nights in the gardens of Spain by the composer Manuel de Falla. Other more current influences are the guitar composition Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega, the album Poemas de la Alhambra by musicians Eduardo Paniagua and Serghini, or the concert Nights from the Alhambra by singer Loreena McKennitt.
In terms of literature, we highlight the figure of the American romantic writer Washington Irving and his work Tales of the Alhambra. Washington Irving was a fervent defender of the Alhambra and one of the precursors of its recovery in the 19th century, a time when the Alhambra was abandoned to its fate by the authorities.
10. To experience the essence of Al-Andalus from the Palaces of the Alhambra
In short, to visit the Alhambra in Granada is to know in depth the essence of the most magical and splendorous Al-Andalus. A very important period in the Hispanic culture, in which thanks to the mixture of the three cultures that coexisted in Al-Andalus - Arabs, Jews and Christians - Spain reached a privileged cultural and artistic level.