Adelina Ryan Alhambra is a fortress and palace located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain.
The Alhambra was so called because of
its reddish walls (in Arabic, («qa'lat al- Hamra'» means Red Castle)
Built between 1238 and 1358 AD.
It was built for the last Muslim emirs About (rulers)
It is now a historic place, and many tours
and guides are held there on a regular basis.
It is a grand and majestic place, now kept
as a museum and it a highly important place for the Spanish and their history. History of Alhambra The first historical documents known about the Alhambra date from the 9th century and they refer to Sawwar ben Hamdun who, in the year 889, had to seek refuge in the Alcazaba. The castle of the Alhambra was added to the city's area within the ramparts in the 9th century, Brief which implied that the castle became a military fortress with a view over the whole city. overview During the French domination part of the fortress was blown up and it was not until the 19th century that the process of repairing, restoring and preserving the complex started and is still maintained nowadays. Artistic architecture It includes some of the typical elements of the andalusian architecture, such as the horseshoe arch with sprandel (square wide frame which envelopes the arch)
The greatest concern of the architects of the Alhambra was
to cover every single space with decoration, no matter the size of the space. Nasrid Even though the Muslim art bans the representation of architecture figures, the decorating themes in the Alhambra are quite varied.
The Alhambra was built with its own special type of
column, which is not used in any other building. This column has a very fine cylindrical shaft, the base of which has a big concave moulding and is decorated with rings on the top part. Epigraphic poems A look into the details of the writing and scriptures The Alhambra is ornamented with calligraphy cursive and kufic (oldest Arabic scripts). They plaster the walls and ceilings and even the fountains!
Sentences such as ' ONLY GOD IS VICTOR ' is seen on
What are they? the walls. The work of 3 poets of the Court of Granada are used also. Poem on Comares' Gate
«I am a crown on the front of my door:
in me is the West envious of the East. Al-Gani billah* orders me to quickly give way to the victory, as soon as it Comares' calls. I am always waiting to see the visage Gate of the king, dawn appearing from the horizon. ¡May God make his works as beautiful (an example) as are his mettle and his figure»
(*) Al-Gani billah: The victor by God:
Nickname used by Mohamed V after the victory in Algeciras in 1369. Click Alhambra to see a virtual map. Enjoy!