The Red One
Image Credit: The Very Honest Man
The Alhambra (in Arabic, “the red one”) was originally built in the year 889, near the Spanish city of Granada, in the region of Andalusia. Originally constructed as a small fortress, it was first used by the Arab community as a defence against the Muladies, a people of mixed Arab and European descent. Subsequently, it fell into disuse until the mid-11th century, when it was renovated and rebuilt as a fortress and palace by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar.
Royal Palace
Image Credit: gune01
In 1333, the Alhambra was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. Since that time, it has been successively extended, then abandoned, fallen into disrepair, lived in by squatters, rediscovered, restored, altered and added to, until now it comprises a mix of amazing buildings that reflect the fascinating history of the region through the many centuries up to the present day. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, containing significant examples of the country's Islamic architecture, together with important examples of Christian building and garden projects constructed from the16th-century onwards. The Alhambra is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Structure
Image Credit: Ed Menendez
The majority of the palace buildings take the form of quadrangles, with all of the rooms opening on to a central court. Through the centuries, new quadrangles of varying size were added, connected by smaller rooms and passages, following a consistent theme of "paradise on earth", employing column arcades, fountains and water pools to enhance the aesthetic complexity. The exterior features are relatively straightforward and, lacking unnecessary embellishment, employ largely straight lines, right angles and thick walls to lend the buildings an austere but nevertheless imposing presence. The admittance of light and air is an important feature, with dominant colours of blue, red and golden yellow employed throughout the structure.
Decoration
Image Credit: Furlin
The decoration generally consists of Arabic inscriptions manipulated into Arabesque patterns, which are used on painted tiles as panelling for the walls. The palace complex is designed in the Mudéjar style. The Mudejars were Muslims who did not convert to Christianity following the Christian re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Alhambra tiles are remarkable in that they contain nearly all, if not all, of the seventeen mathematically possible wallpaper groups (two-dimensional repetitive patterns). This is a unique accomplishment in world architecture. The Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher's visit in 1922 and study of the Moorish use of symmetry in the Alhambra tiles inspired his subsequent work on regular divisions of the plane.
Location
Image Credit: Roberto Venturini
Due to the various phases of building work over the 9th to 16th centuries, the Alhambra is, not surprisingly, somewhat disorganised in its layout. The plateau on which the Alhambra rests measures about 740 metres in length by 205 metres at its greatest width, covering an area of about 142,000 square metres. The Alhambra's most westerly feature is the strongly fortified alcazaba (citadel). The rest of the plateau is comprised of several Moorish palaces, enclosed by a fortified wall, with thirteen towers, some defensive and some providing viewing places.
Cultural Vandalism
Image Credit: Sharon Mollerus
In 1492, with the Christian re-conquering of the city, damaging alterations to the Alhambra were begun by its new masters. The open work was filled up with whitewash, the painting and gilding effaced, and the furniture soiled, torn, or removed. Charles I (1516–1556) rebuilt portions in the Renaissance style of the period and, tragically, destroyed the greater part of the winter palace to make room for a Renaissance-style structure which was never completed. Philip V (1700–1746) “Italianised” the rooms and completed his palace in the middle of what had been the Moorish building, even going so far as to block up and close off entire apartments. Over subsequent centuries the Moorish art was further damaged, and in 1812 some of the towers were destroyed by the French under Count Sebastiani, a French soldier, diplomat and politician, with further destruction wreaked by an earthquake in 1821. Restoration work was begun in 1828 by the architect José Contreras, endowed in 1830 by Ferdinand VII (1784-1833). After the death of Contreras in 1847, the work was continued with fair success by his son Rafael (died 1890) and his grandson.
The Alhambra Decree
Image Credit: Paul Stein
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year. This decree was not formally revoked until1968, following the Second Vatican Council, which re-assessed the relationship between the Catholic Church and the "modern" world. In 2014, the government of Spain passed a law allowing dual citizenship to Jewish descendants who wished to apply, in order to "compensate for shameful events in the country's past." Thus, Sephardic Jews, who are descendants of those Jews expelled from Spain due to the Alhambra Decree, can "become Spaniards without leaving home or giving up their present nationality".
More information: alhambradegranada.org for information on staying in the area, getting to the Alhambra, costs, etc.
Title Image Credit: Gregorio Puga Bailón (Image Cropped)