Tales of the Alhambra

Alhambra from the San Nicolas Heights

Having pushed out two stands of heavy cavalry for the Reconquista project and with a third stand of infantry on the painting desk, my thoughts returned to Granada.  Borrowing Washington Irving's catchy book title, I wanted to chronicle my stay in Granada through photos with an emphasis on the massive palace complex on the heights above the city.

Alhambra from Generalife

The Alhambra was built, added to, and rebuilt by successive conquerors with the oldest part, the Alcazaba (fortress), likely built in the 9th century.  Some suggest that this portion of the Alhambra may have been built over Roman ruins.  Even Napoleon stationed his troops here and contributed greatly to the decay and destruction of parts of the fortress.

Alcazaba from Generalife

Alcazaba

Arms Square

Alcazaba with Arms Square

Granada Cathedral from Alcazaba

Watchtowers of Alhambra

Watchtowers of Alhambra Overlooking Valley

Garden along rampart

After defeating the Moors at Granada, King Charles V built his palace over the top of parts of the Muslim palace.  Architecturally, the palace is a circle within a square and is Spain's most impressive Renaissance palace.  Designed to have a dome covering the circular interior, it was never finished.

Charles V Palace

Charles V Palace Interior

Nasrid Palace was the royal Moorish palace in the 14th century.  The palace walls and ceilings are covered in intricate works including ornately carved wood, stucco, ceramic tiles, and plaster.  Samples of some of these exquisite works are illustrated below.

Nasrid Palace

Nasrid Palace

Nasrid Palace

Garden of the Partal

Nasrid Palace - Court of Myrtles

Beautiful oasis atop the hill and quite fun adventure winding your way through the narrow pathways and streets in the medina to reach this citadel.