Heritage and monuments Alhambra '' ceiling in the Palace of the Lions, one of the Nasrid palaces The Alhambra is a fortified palace complex located on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which overlooks the city of Granada. It is one of the most famous monuments of
Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic
Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish
Renaissance architecture. It is one of Spain's major tourist attractions and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. As a royal city and citadel, it contained at least six major palaces, most of them located along the northern edge where they commanded views over the
Albaicín quarter. The most famous and best-preserved are the
Mexuar, the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions, and the
Partal Palace, which form the main attraction to visitors today. The other palaces are known from historical sources and from modern excavations. At the Alhambra's western tip is the
Alcazaba fortress, the centrepiece of its defensive system. The architecture of the Nasrid palaces reflects the tradition of
Moorish architecture developed over previous centuries. Decoration is focused on the inside of the building and was executed primarily with
tile mosaics on lower walls and carved
stucco on the upper walls.
Geometric patterns,
vegetal motifs, and
Arabic calligraphy were the main types of decorative motifs. Additionally, "stalactite"-like sculpting, known as
muqarnas, was used for three-dimensional features like
vaulted ceilings. After the conclusion of the
Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where
Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered. In 1526,
Charles V commissioned a new Renaissance-style palace, now known as the
Palace of Charles V, in direct juxtaposition with the Nasrid palaces, but it was left uncompleted in the early 17th century. Other notable Renaissance additions from the reign of CharlesV include the Emperor's Chambers and the
Peinador de la Reina ('Queen's Robing Room'), which are connected to the former Nasrid Palaces. In the 18th century the Alhambra fell into severe neglect and parts of it were demolished by French troops in 1812. Through the course of the 19th century, the Alhambra was "rediscovered" by British, American, and other European
Romantic travelers and intellectuals. The most influential of them was
Washington Irving, whose
Tales of the Alhambra (1832) brought international attention to the site. The Alhambra became one of the first Islamic monuments to become the object of modern scientific study and has been the subject of numerous restorations since the 19th century, a process which continues today.
Generalife The
Generalife is a Nasrid-era country estate or summer palace located just east of the Alhambra, on a sloping site above it. It was first built by
Muhammad II and
Muhammad III in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This palace features several rectangular garden courtyards with decorated pavilions at either end and it was originally linked to the Alhambra by a walled corridor that crosses the valley between the two. It underwent modifications and redecoration under multiple later Nasrid rulers. The Generalife also underwent major alterations by Christian Spanish builders in the 16th century, which imparted Renaissance elements on the palace. In the 20th century a large area of modern landscaped gardens, known as the
Jardines Nuevos ('New Gardens'), were added to the south of the Nasrid palace and form the main approach to it today. These date in large part to the work of
Leopoldo Torres Balbás and Francisco Prieto Moreno, between 1931 and 1951, who incorporated both
Italian and Moorish influences in their design. An open-air auditorium was also added in 1952. Along with the Alhambra, the Generalife is a major tourist attraction and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The architect drew new Renaissance lines for the whole building over the gothic foundations, with an ambulatory and five naves instead of the usual three. Over time, the bishopric continued to commission new architectural projects of importance, such as the redesign of the main façade, undertaken in 1664 by
Alonso Cano (1601–1667) to introduce Baroque elements. In 1706 Francisco de Hurtado Izquierdo and later his collaborator José Bada built the current tabernacle of the cathedral. Highlights of the church's components include the main
chapel, where may be found the praying statues of the
Catholic Monarchs, which consists of a series of
Corinthian columns with the
entablature resting on their
capitals, and the
vault over all. The spaces of the walls between the columns are perforated by a series of windows. The design of the
tabernacle of 1706 preserves the classic proportions of the church, with its multiple columns crossing the forms of Diego de Siloé.
Royal Chapel Royal Chapel of Granada The
Catholic Monarchs chose the city of Granada as their burial site by a royal decree dated 13 September 1504. The Royal Chapel of Granada, built over the former terrace of the Great Mosque, ranks with other important Granadan buildings such as the Lonja and the Catedral e Iglesia del Sagrario. In it are buried the
Catholic Monarchs, their daughter
Joanna of Castile (
Juana la Loca) and her husband
Felipe I (
Felipe el Hermoso). Construction of the Chapel started in 1505, directed by its designer, Enrique Egas. Built in several stages, the continuing evolution of its design joined
Gothic construction and decoration with Renaissance ideals, as seen in the tombs and the 17th and 18th century Granadan art in the Chapel of Santa Cruz. Over the years the church acquired a treasury of works of art, liturgical objects and
relics. The Royal Chapel was declared a
Historic Artistic Monument on 19 May 1884, taking consideration of BIC (
Bien de Interés Cultural) status in the current legislation of Spanish Historical Heritage (Law 16/1985 of 25 June). The most important parts of the chapel are its main
retable, grid and
vault. In the Sacristy-Museum is the legacy of the Catholic Monarchs. Its art gallery is highlighted by works of the Flemish, Italian and Spanish schools. File:Hans Memling 031.jpg|
Hans Memling – Diptych of Granada, left wing:
Acceptance of the Cross, h. 1475 File:Juan de Flandes Nativity Granada 012.jpg|
Juan de Flandes –
Birth of Christ, 1435–1438 File:OrazioneOrtoBotticelli.jpg|
Sandro Botticelli –
Prayer of the Garden, 1498–1500
Albayzín The historic neighbourhood, located on the hillsides north of the Alhambra, still retains much of its medieval street plan dating back to the Nasrid period, although it has undergone physical and demographic changes since then. Archeological evidence indicates that Iberians inhabited the main hill of the present-day Albaicin towards the 7th centuryBC and that a significant town was located here during the Roman period. During the early Islamic period, up to the 10th century, the location hosted only the small settlement of
Gharnāṭa (Granada), until in the 11th century the creation of the Zirid Taifa kingdom transformed the location into one of the most important cities in Al-Andalus. Among the various Nasrid-period houses and other structures, one notable establishment was the Maristan, a type of historic hospital (
bimaristan) which also took care of the mentally ill. Through the course of the 16th century, after the surrender of Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, the district underwent some of the some changes that occurred throughout the city. Mosques were replaced with new parish churches, particularly after 1501. These new churches were often built in a mix of
Mudéjar and Renaissance styles, such as the Church of Santa Ana, the Church of San Cristóbal, and the Church of San Miguel Bajo, among others. Some, like the churches of
San Salvador, San José, and San Juan de los Reyes, preserve parts of former mosques. During the 16th century most of the city's
morisco population was concentrated in the Albaicín, but after the 1568 rebellion and their subsequent expulsion, the district was depopulated.
Sacromonte The Sacromonte neighbourhood is located on the Valparaíso hill, one of several hills that make up Granada. This neighborhood is known as the old neighbourhood of the
Romani, who settled in Granada after the conquest of the city. It is one of the most picturesque neighborhoods, full of whitewashed caves cut into the rock and used as residences. The sound of strumming guitars may still be heard there in the performance of flamenco
cantes and
quejíos, so that over time it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Granada. At the top of this hill is the Abbey of Sacromonte and the College of Sacromonte, founded in the 17th century by the then Archbishop of Granada
Pedro de Castro. The Abbey of Sacromonte was built to monitor and guard the alleged relics of the evangelists of Baetica. Those are of questionable authenticity, but since their finding the area has been a religious pilgrimage destination. The abbey complex consists of the catacombs, the abbey (17th–18th centuries), the Colegio Viejo de San Dionisio Areopagita (17th century) and the Colegio Nuevo (19th century). The interior of the church is simple and small but has numerous excellent works of art, which accentuate the size and rich carving of the
Crucificado de Risueño, an object of devotion for the Romani people, who sing and dance in the procession of Holy Week. The facilities also include a museum, which houses the works acquired by the Foundation.
Charterhouse The Charterhouse of Granada is a monastery of cloistered monks, located in what was a farm or Muslim almunia called
Aynadamar ("fountain of tears") that had an abundance of water and fruit trees. The initiative to build the monastery in that place was begun by
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, known as
El Gran Capitán. The charterhouse was founded in 1506; construction started ten years later, and continued for the following 300 years. The Monastery suffered heavy damage during the
Peninsular War and lost considerable property in 1837 as a result of the
confiscations of Mendizábal. Currently, the monastery belongs to the
Carthusians, reporting directly to the
Archdiocese of Granada. The street entrance to the complex is an ornate arch of
Plateresque style. Through it one reaches a large courtyard, at the end which is a wide staircase leading to the entrance of the church. The church, of early 16th century style and plan, has three entrances, one for the faithful and the other two for monks and clergy. Its plan has a single
nave divided into four sections, highlighting the
retables of
Juan Sánchez Cotán and the
chancel's glass doors, adorned with
mother-of-pearl,
silver, rare woods, and
ivory. The
presbytery is covered by
elliptical vaulting. The main altar, between the chancel arch and the
church tabernacle, is gilded wood. The church's
tabernacle and sancta sanctorum are considered a masterpiece of
Baroque Spanish art in its blend of architecture, painting and sculpture. The dome that covers this area is decorated with frescoes by the Córdoba artist
Antonio Palomino (18th century) representing the triumph of the Church Militant, faith, and religious life. The courtyard, with galleries of arches on
Doric order columns opening on it, is centred by a fountain. The Chapter House of Legos is the oldest building of the monastery (1517). It is rectangular and covered with groin vaulting.
Mosque of Granada The new mosque was inaugurated in 2003 on the summit of the neighborhood of Albayzin. The mosque was built near the Church of San Salvador and the Church of San Nicolás. The Church of San Salvador was built on the site of the Great Mosque of Albayzin. The Society for the Return of Islam in Spain purchased the site in 1981, but it took many years for the plans to be approved. The mosque's initial funding was supplied by
Shaykh 'Abdalqadir as-Sufi al-Murabit who envisioned providing Granada's new Spanish Muslim community with a mosque. Additional funding came from Malaysia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. In 1991 the CIE (
Comunidad Islámica en España) hired the architect Renato Ramirez Sanchez to design the mosque. In the 1990s, there was a heated debate pertaining to the design of the minaret. Construction eventually began in 2001. The mosque now serves about 500 people.
Palace of the Marqués de Salar The
Palace of the Marqués de Salar was built in one of the most emblematic streets of Granada, the
Carrera del Darro, at number 5. This place is an architectural example of the classical Granada during the
Renaissance transformation of the XVIth century. It was built by the Marqués de Salar, great-grandson of both Hernán Pérez del Pulgar (known by the name of
El de la Hazañas [The One of the Valiant Deeds]) and
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (
El Gran Capitán [The Great Captain]), Captain-General of the Castilian-Aragonese forces that concluded the Reconquest of the peninsula. The palace is now the museum of perfumes El Patio de los Perfumes, with of floor space on two floors and of patio to relax surrounded by flowers and perfumes.
Other museums and monuments in Granada was built upon his wedding to
Isabella of Portugal in 1526. •
Monasterio de San Jerónimo (16th-century Monastery of Saint Jerome) •
San Juan de Dios Hospital (historic hospital) •
Palacio de la Madraza (remains of 14th-century madrasa incorporated into 18th-century city hall) •
Archaeological Museum of Granada (in the 16th-century
Castril Palace) •
Museo de Bellas Artes de Granada (Museum of Fine Arts) •
El Bañuelo (11th or 12th-century bathhouse) •
Corral del Carbón (14th-century caravanserai, later converted to theatre) •
Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo (13th-century palace, later converted to convent) •
Palacio de los Olvidados (16th century house and museum displaying torture instruments of the
Spanish Inquisition) • Church of San Salvador (16th-century church, including remains of 13th-century mosque) • The gardens of
Alhambra and Generalife • Campo del Príncipe Gardens • Gardens of the Royal Hospital • Gardens of Paseo del Salón and of La Bomba (
BIC) • Gardens of the Triumph • Gardens of Violón • Córdoba Gardens Palace • Zaidín Park • Plaza de la Trinidad • 28 de Febrero Park • Almunia de Aynadamar Park •
Federico García Lorca Park • Fuente Nueva University Park
Sports Granada has a
football team: •
Granada CF, in
Segunda División Granada has a
basketball team: •
Fundación CB Granada, in
Liga ACB Skiing: •
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 Bullfighting: • Granada has a 14,507-capacity bullring named
Plaza de toros de Granada. ==Notable people==