Spain travel - Alhambra palace at night, Granada. Europe tours, Spain vacations

While traveling in Spain, you can settle in Granada near the Alhambra, and to be even more precise, right under it - in the Albaycin area, which separates only a small streamlet named Darro from the Alhambra. Albaicin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Alhambra is located on a hill 850 meters long and 240 meters wide. The area of the grand palace and the surrounding magnificent gardens is 13 hectares. It can be called a city in the city. It was in the Embassy Hall of the Alhambra that the royal couple Ferdinand and Isabella approved the travel decree of Christopher Columbus.

The Alhambra in Granada is a fortress castle from the time of Moorish domination in Spain. After restoration in the XIX-XX centuries, this amazing architectural complex was transformed into one of the most famous Spanish landmarks. The old fortress in Granada, located on a hill where the Alhambra is now located, is first mentioned in the annals in 889. The Alhambra fortress became a real palace and rich royal residence in the XIV century under the emir Yusuf I, and then his successor - Muhammad V. During their rule, the Palace of Lions was erected in Granada, new gates and baths were decorated with plaster carvings. It was the Moors who called the fortress "Alhambra" - the red fortress.

The history of Spain was complex and controversial. The country lies in the extreme west of Europe, and at the same time it was destined to become a place where the organic fusion of cultures of the East and the West was vividly and fully embodied. Of course, in this case, the concepts of "west" and "east" sound very conditional. Rather, we should talk about the synthesis of cultures of medieval Christian Europe and the Arab Muslim North African world.

The Alhambra is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture and is of interest to tourists from around the world. In 1492, Granada and the Iberian Peninsula were liberated from Moorish dominion, and representatives of the Spanish monarchy transformed the Alhambra. As a result, the Alhambra ensemble itself was damaged, as many elements of the decor were lost or intentionally ruined.

The desire to exterminate Islam in the guise of a palace led to the fact that even decorative plaster was being painted over. One of the buildings was rebuilt into a palace with Italian features. Every year the oldest castle in Granada is visited by more than two million travelers. It's best to buy tickets online in advance. Today's Alhambra in Granada is an architectural and park complex with a fortress, palaces (they house museums) and gardens.

The Alhambra is divided into several spaces corresponding to the stages of its transformation. The Alhambra consists of three parts, called in Arabic Alkazaba (fortress), Alcazar (palace) and Medina (city). At the dawn of history, Spain was ruled by the Carthaginians, Romans, and Visigoths. One after another, waves of invaders rolled over the country, leaving traces of their traditions, some buildings. Much left by the Romans. The routes of their roads, bridges, aqueducts, as well as the cities they founded, still serve people.

The most persistent of the conquerors were the Arabs, known in Spain under the name of the Moors. By 718, they had captured almost the entire territory of the country, bringing customs, architecture, and artistic culture with them. For about 700 years, the "Moorish" period in the history of Spain continued and a "reconquest" was under way - a war for the expulsion of the Arabs. The longest they stayed in Andalusia and in its capital, Granada.

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