Alhambra

The Alhambra is the fortified palatine city of the Nasrid rulers of Granada, serving at once as palace and fortress. It stands in Granada, in Andalusia, Spain, on the hill of Sabika above the Darro river and opposite the Albaicín. It is one of the most visited historic sites in the world.

The Alhambra is currently the only preserved palatine city of the Islamic period, and it constitutes the best example of Nasrid art in its architecture and decorative aspects. It was conceived as a royal city rather than merely a fortified palace.

The name Alhambra signifies "the red" in Arabic and is probably derived from the reddish colour of the tapia, or rammed earth, of which the fortress's outer walls were built. The name also appears in various forms, the most common being al-Qalat al-Hamra, meaning the red castle or the red fort.

The Alhambra is the main enclave of a complex territorial structure and demonstrates its importance through its dominion over the city of Granada. Nearly 26 acres were enclosed within four main gates. Within that enclosure stood structures of three distinct purposes: a residence for the ruler and close family, the Alcazaba citadel with barracks for the elite guard, and a medina near the Puerta del Vino where court officials lived and worked. The complex has four large gateways in the Almohad tradition, the most monumental of which is the Gateway of Justice.

The first Nasrid sultan, Muhammad I, came to power in 1232 and founded the complex, which underwent frequent additions and changes. The Nasrid dynasty, founded by Muhammad I ibn Nasr of Arjona, ruled from 1232 to 1273 over Granada and the neighboring cities of Jaén, Almería, and Málaga in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Much of the splendid interior decoration of the Alhambra is ascribed to Yusuf I (died 1354).

In January 1492 Granada, the seat of the Moorish kingdom and the final stronghold of the Moors in Spain, fell to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I. When the Reconquista was completed in 1492 the population of the Albayzin quarter of Granada rose to 60,000 inhabitants.

The Napoleonic occupation was a negative episode for the Alhambra because of the demolition in 1812 upon the withdrawal of the French army, and only the courage of a Spanish soldier prevented its almost total destruction.

The Council of the Alhambra oversees the refurbishment and restoration activities of the monument's historic buildings and spaces. The Alhambra and Generalife Trust is an autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Culture of the Junta of Andalusia and was created by Decree 59/1986 of the 19th of March.

Three royal palaces were built during the fourteenth century: the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions and the Partal Palace. A large fourth palace was later begun by the Christian ruler Carlos V. The palaces that survive are the Partal Palace, the Palace of the Myrtles and the Palace of the Lions.

Beyond the Comares façade a dark winding passage leads to a covered patio around a large courtyard with a pool, now known as the Court of the Myrtles, the focal point of the palace. The Comares Tower, the largest tower of the Alhambra, contains the Hall of the Ambassadors, a throne room built by Yusuf I that exhibits the most diverse decorative and architectural arts in the Alhambra. The hall is lit by double arched windows and by arched grille windows set high in the walls; its walls at eye level are lavishly decorated with tiles laid in intricate geometric patterns, and the remaining surfaces are covered with intricately carved stucco motifs.

The Fountain of the Lions, built by Muhammad V, is the most celebrated feature of the Palace of the Lions: a fountain with a complex hydraulic system whose alabaster basin rests on the backs of twelve white marble lions, emblems of strength and courage, at the intersection of two water channels that form a cross in the centre of the Court of the Lions. Two other halls, the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Hall of the Abencerrajes, were residential apartments with rooms on the second floor, each with a large domed room sumptuously decorated with carved and painted stucco in muqarnas forms and elaborate star motifs.

The Nasrid palace areas included the Mexuar for state affairs, the Comares Palace around the Court of the Myrtles and the private Palace of the Lions. The most important part of the Bath of Comares is the bayt al-maslaj, popularly known as the Room of the Beds, which has two large, slightly raised bed-chambers on each side of the main room.

The Alcazaba, or citadel, is the oldest part of the Alhambra, and only its massive outer walls, towers, and ramparts are left. It served as the fortress that guarded the royal palace, which forms only a part of a stronghold whose walls, studded with towers, stretch around the crest of a hill and overlook the city. In the 13th century the Nasrids gave the Alcazaba its current appearance, adding large towers including the Vela tower to the west and the Homenaje, Quebrada and Adarguero towers to the east, while the whole enclosure was surrounded on the exterior with a patrol road and an important access through the Puerta de las Armas.

The gardens of the Generalife lie to the east of the Alhambra fortress and residence, and stand as an example of a rural residence of the emirs built during the 13th and 14th centuries. The Nasrid rulers did not limit themselves to building within the walls of the Alhambra, and one of the best preserved Nasrid estates just beyond those walls is the Generalife. Its name comes from the Arabic Jannat al-arifa, in which jannat means paradise and, by association, a garden or place of cultivation.

The Generalife area of the site is presented through its theatre, the Court of the Main Canal, the Promenade of the Cypress Trees, the Walk of the Oleanders, the lower and high gardens, the Generalife palace and the Water Stairway.

The Palace of Charles V is a Renaissance palace commissioned by Charles V in 1526 and designed by Pedro Machuca, raised in the Italianate manner after the emperor destroyed part of the complex to make room for it. The Museum of the Alhambra occupies the ground floor of that palace, laid out in seven rooms dedicated to culture and Hispano-Muslim art.

The Museum holds the best collection of Nasrid art in the world, its specimens drawn from artefacts found in excavations and restoration work at the Alhambra. A separate institution, the Museum in Honour of Ángel Barrios, gathers instruments, scores and correspondence dedicated to the Granada-born composer.

The Alhambra and Generalife complex is described as a valuable cultural landscape and a large environmental unit, made up of different units of vegetation capable of accommodating rich and varied biodiversity. The Green Alhambra is the living part of the monumental complex, formed by its flora and fauna and the natural territory on which it stands, and it also comprises the gardens, the vegetable gardens, the croplands and the forests.

The property was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984 under criteria (i), (iii) and (iv), and its boundaries were significantly modified in 1994. The listed property is Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada (property 314), with an area of 450 ha and a buffer zone of 67 ha.

Under criterion (i) the Alhambra and the Generalife contain all the known artistic techniques of the Hispano-Muslim world on the basis of a proportional system, with particular emphasis on the aesthetic value of water and vegetation. Under criterion (iii) the use of plaster, wood and ceramics as decorative elements is unique, and Arabic epigraphy transformed the constructions into an ensemble of talking architecture. Under criterion (iv) they bear exceptional testimony to Muslim Spain in the 13th and 15th centuries and form a remarkable example of palatine residences of medieval Islam.

The inscribed components are complementary and form a coherent whole, while the Albayzín remains remarkably well preserved and maintains its original residential character. The property stands on two adjacent hills separated by the river Darro, its components representing the residential district of the Albayzín and the Alhambra.

In its 1984 evaluation ICOMOS recommended that the Spanish Government define a large area of protection below the monumental zone of the Alhambra and the Generalife in order to prevent the construction of future buildings and parking lots. The Albayzin quarter, which is the oldest part of the ensemble, should not be considered a buffer zone because its universal value is complementary to and chronologically earlier than the site already on the List. ICOMOS recommended that the proposed extension of World Heritage monument number 314 be approved under the existing criteria (i), (iii) and (iv), and did not consider inscription under criterion (v) necessary or appropriate.

The inscribed property is administered by the Council of the Alhambra and the Generalife, an autonomous body that includes a Plenary and a Permanent Commission, and by the Albayzín Municipal Foundation of the Granada Town Hall.

The General Day Tour, which covers the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife, is offered in the official ticket listing at 22.27 EUR. A combined ticket that adds the Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation to the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife costs 25.45 EUR. The Alhambra Experiences option combines a night visit to the Nasrid Palaces with a daytime visit to the Alcazaba, the gardens and the Generalife Palace.

A ticket for the Andalusian monuments costs 8.48 EUR. Group visits are arranged for parties with a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 30 people. The usual ways to reach the Alhambra are on public transport, in a private vehicle or on foot.

• 1238–1358
  Chief construction
  The Alhambra was built chiefly in these years, on a plateau overlooking Granada, in the reigns of Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, and his successors. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}
• 1492
  Expulsion of the Moors
  After the expulsion of the Moors, much of the Alhambra's interior was effaced. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}
• 1526
  Charles V's demolition
  Charles V destroyed part of the complex to build a new palace and rebuilt portions in the Renaissance style. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}
• 1828
  Repair program begun
  An extensive repair and rebuilding program was undertaken by the architect José Contreras. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}
• 1830
  Endowment by Ferdinand VII
  The repair program was endowed by Ferdinand VII. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}
• 1847
  Rafael Contreras continues the work
  After the death of José Contreras, his son Rafael continued the work for nearly four decades. ^{5Alhambra · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}