10. Granada.
The Station (Estación de los Ferrocarriles Andaluces; Pl. B, 6; no buffet) is 1¾ M. from the hotels in the Puerta Real and nearly 2 M. from those near the Alhambra. Hotel-omnibus to the former 1, to the latter 2 p.; an ‘omnibus general’ (50 c. each pers. or each trunk) plies to the Despacho Central (p. [51]), opposite the Hot. Victoria.
Hotels (comp. p. [51]). Near the Alhambra, in the Alhambra Park, a beautiful, but in winter a cold situation, ¾ M. above the town (2–3 min. from the hill-tramway station; see below): Hot. Washington Irving (Pl. b; F, 2), with the dépendance Siete Suelos (Pl. c; F, 2), patronized by English and Americans; Alhambra Palace Hotel (Pl. a; F, 3), new, R. 6–12½, pens. 20–35 p.; *Pens. Miss Laird, Carmen de Bella Vista, with garden, 8½–12 p. per day; Hot. del Bosque de la Alhambra, at the N. base of the Alhambra Hill, below the Torre de Comares (Pl. E, 2), pens. 8–15 p., well spoken of.—In the Town (ca. 1¾ M. from the Alhambra): *Hot. Alameda (Pl. d; F, 5), adjoining the shady Carrera del Genil, with view of the Sierra Nevada, pens. 8–20 p.; Hot. de Paris (Pl. e; E, 4), Gran Via de Colón 5, with terrace, restaurant, etc., pens. 9–20 p.; Hot. Victoria, on the W. side of the Puerta Real, with fine view, pens. from 8 p., Spanish, quite good; Hot. Nuevo Oriente (Pl. g; E, 5), Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo 8, pens. 7 p., quite Spanish, very fair; Fonda Navío, Calle Martínez Campos (Pl. E, 5), with a favourite restaurant.—Drinking-water not good.
Cafés. Café Colón, Calle de los Reyes Católicos (Pl. E, 4); Imperial, Carrera del Genil (Pl. F, 5).
Tramways. 1. Plaza Nueva (Pl. E, 4)-Cocheras (red disc): through the Calle de los Reyes Católicos (Pl. E, 4, 5) to the Puerta Real, the University (Pl. D, 5), and the Rail. Station (Pl. B, A, 6).—2. Plaza Nueva-Cervantes (yellow): viâ the Puerta Real and the Carrera del Genil to the Paseo de la Bomba (Pl. G, H, 4).—3. Puerta Real (Pl. E, 5)-Vistillas-Alhambra (green): viâ the Plaza Nueva to the Puerta de los Molinos (Pl. G, 3; change), then by the hill-tramway (rack-and-pinion) to the Alhambra Park (Cuesta de las Cruces; Pl. F, 2, 3), in ¼ hr.; fare 30 c.
Cabs (stationed in the Carrera del Genil). Drive in the town, with one horse 1, with two horses 2½ p.; per hour 2 or 3 p.—To the Alhambra, Albaicín (p. [79]), and Sacro Monte (p. [78]) 5 p. extra (but bargain advisable). Carr. and pair may be had also from the Despacho Central or the Alhambra hotels (3 p. per hour).
Post & Telegraph Office (Correo; Pl. E, 4), Calle de los Reyes Católicos. Post-office open 10–12 and after 2; poste restante letters delivered 1 hr. after arrival of trains.
British Vice-Consul, Chas. E. S. Davenhill.
Sights. Alhambra (p. [79]), daily, 9–12 and 1–6, adm. 50 c.–1 p., on Sun. free; some rooms specially shown by the custodian.—Generalife (p. [87]), best by morning light; tickets (papeletas) at the Casa de los Tiros (p. [77]), on week-days, 9–11, free.—The Cathedral (p. [76]), daily, closed between 11 and 2.30; the Capilla Real (p. [76]), either in the morning before high-mass (in winter at 10, in summer at 9), or 2.30 to 4, in summer 3–5 p.m.—The smaller churches are usually open from an early hour till 8.30 or 9 only, but are shown later by the sacristan (fee).—The usual hours for other sights are 8–12 and 2–6; between 12 and 2 a substantial fee is exacted.
Promenades. In winter, Carrera del Genil (p. [77]), 3–5; in summer, Paseo del Salón (p. [77]) and Paseo de la Bomba, 5–7. Band on Sun. and Thurs.
Guides at the hotels, needless except when time presses. Those who pester strangers in the streets and at the entrance to the Alhambra, as well as gipsy beggars, should be disregarded.
Chief Attractions (two days). 1st. Forenoon: the Cathedral (p. [76]); Placeta de la Lonja (p. [77]); Casa de los Tiros (p. [77]); Carrera del Genil; *Paseo del Salón; afternoon: Alameda del Darro (p. [78]); *View from San Nicolás (p. [79]) or from San Miguel el Alto (p. [79]).—2nd. *Alhambra (p. [79]) and Generalife (p. [87]).
Granáda (2195 ft.; pop. 69,000), once the capital of the Moorish kingdom, and now that of the province of Granada, the residence of an archbishop and seat of a university, lies most picturesquely at the foot of two hills (about 490 ft. high), which gradually slope to the E. up to the Cerro del Sol, and descend abruptly to the fertile, well-watered river-plain of the Vega. The Albaicín, the northmost of the two hills, the oldest quarter of Granada, once the residence of the Moorish aristocracy, but now inhabited chiefly by gipsies, forms a town by itself. The deep ravine of the Darro, which is generally dry as its water is much diverted for irrigation purposes, separates the Albaicín from the Monte de la Assabica, or Alhambra Hill to the S. (comp. p. [79]). The Darro, descending from the N.E., turns to the S. near the Alhambra Hill and falls into the more important Genil.
The two hills were once occupied by Iberian and then by Roman settlements, the one on the Albaicín having perhaps already borne the name of Garnata. Soon after 711 the Moors built the ‘Old Castle’ (Al-Kasaba al-Kadîma) on the site of Garnata. After the decline of the caliphate of Cordova (p. [69]) Zâwi ibn Zîri, the governor of Granada, declared himself independent in 1031, and founded here the dynasty of the Zirites, which, however, was overthrown by the Almoravides (p. [95]) in 1090. As the power of the Almohades (p. [95]) declined the native governors revolted anew. At length in 1246 Granada became the seat of the Nasride Dynasty founded by Al-Ahmar (‘Mohammed I.‘), which, after the fall of Seville, succeeded, in alliance alternately with the Castilians and the Merinides (p. [95]), in retaining possession of Granada, Málaga, and Almería for nearly 250 years. Mohammed I. offered an asylum in Granada to the Moors who were expelled from Cordova, Valencia, and Seville, and began the building of the ‘New Castle’ (Al-Kasaba al-Jedîda) on the hill of the Alhambra. His successors afterwards created the Alhambra Palace, the most sumptuous of royal residences. Thanks to their fostering care for agriculture and industry, for science, art and architecture, Granada attained such brilliant prosperity as even to eclipse the fame of the old caliphate of Cordova.
The downfall of the kingdom of Granada was at length brought about by party struggles between the Zegri, the Beni Serrâj (the Abencerrages of legend; comp. p. [84]), and other noble families, and by quarrels between king Mulei Abu’l-Hasan (d. 1485) and his son Boabdil; a welcome opportunity was thus afforded to Ferdinand and Isabella, the so-called ‘Catholic Kings’, of intervening and thus gaining their life-long object of destroying the last Moorish kingdom in Spain. After the death of his father Boabdil remained inactive when Ferdinand proceeded to besiege Málaga (p. [90]); he made one despairing attempt at resistance when the Spaniards demanded the evacuation of Granada, but in 1491 had to conclude a humiliating peace. He soon afterwards crossed the Sierra Nevada and retired to Tlemcen in N. Africa (p. [187]), where he ended his inglorious career. With the Spanish domination began the decay of the city; it was depopulated by the decrees of the Catholic Kings, the Inquisition held fearful sway here, and ere long Granada became a ‘living ruin’. Within the last few years, however, the busy tourist traffic, the establishment of sugar-factories, and the prosperous mining industry of the Sierra Nevada have somewhat repaired the fortunes of the city, and several of the old quarters have been entirely modernized. But its picturesque history, its memorials of the most glorious period of Moorish culture and art, and the striking view of the snow-mountains it affords will ever render it the most fascinating goal of travellers in Andalusia.
See ‘Granada: Memories, Adventures, Studies, and Impressions’, by Leonard Williams (London, 1906); and ‘Granada and the Alhambra’, by A. F. Calvert (London, 1907).
a. The Lower Town.
Leaving the railway-station (Pl. B, 6; tramway No. 1, see p. [73]), we follow the Calle Real de San Lázaro to the S.E. to the Paseo del Triunfo (Pl. C, 4), so named from the column in honour of the Virgin (triunfo). Here, by the half-ruined Puerta de Elvira (Pl. C, 4), begin the old Calle de Elvira and the new Gran Via de Colón (Pl. C-E, 4), both leading to the chief artery of traffic, the narrow—
Calle de los Reyes Católicos (Pl. E, 4, 5), which is built above the Darro, and connects the busy Puerta Real (Pl. E, 5), to the S.W., with the Plaza Nueva (Pl. E, 4; officially, Plaza Rodriguez Bolivar), to the N.E., at the foot of the Alhambra Hill (p. [79]).
In the Calle de Lopez Rubio, a side-street, is the so-called Casa del Carbón, once a Moorish granary, with picturesque horseshoe arches and stalactite vaulting. To the S.W. of it is the modern town-hall (Ayuntamiento).
The short streets on the opposite side lead to the Alcaicería, (Pl. E, 4, 5), with its numerous columns, which was burned down in 1843, once a Moorish market-hall (Al-Kaisariya), resembling the Oriental sûks (p. [335]), and to the modernized Plaza de Bibarrambla (Pl. E, 5), named after a Moorish city-gate which once stood here. A few paces from these lies the Placeta de las Pasiegas. Here, surrounded by buildings which mar its effect, rises the—
*Cathedral (Pl. D, E, 4, 5), an imposing memorial of the conquest of Spain, and the finest Renaissance church in the kingdom. It was begun in 1523 by Enrique de Egas in the Gothic style, continued in 1525 by Diego de Siloe (d. 1533) in the plateresque style (p. [51]), and consecrated, while still unfinished, in 1561. The N. tower only, which is now 187 ft. high, has been erected; the huge façade was begun in 1667 by Alonso Cano, who was also the chief author of the sculpture and painting in the church; the interior was not completed till 1703.
Two of the Side Portals, the Puerta de San Jerónimo, the first entrance to the N. in the Calle de Jiménez de Cisneros, and the Puerta del Colegio, on the E. side of the ambulatory, are adorned with sculptures by Siloe and others. The *Puerta del Perdón, the second portal to the N., also owes the beautiful ornamentation of its lower part to Siloe.
The *Interior (adm., see p. [74]) has double aisles with two rows of chapels, a lofty transept which does not project beyond the side-walls, a central choir, and a Capilla Mayor with ambulatory. The vaulting, 100 ft. in height, is borne by massive pillars and half-columns. Total length 380, breadth 220 ft. The decoration in white and gold harmonizes well with the fine marble pavement (1775).
The *Capilla Mayor, 148 ft. long and 154 ft. high, is crowned with a dome resting on Corinthian columns. On the pillars in front of the marble high-altar are kneeling statues of the ‘Catholic Kings’, by Pedro de Mena and Medrano (1677); above them are painted *Busts of Adam and Eve, in oak, by Alonso Cano, who painted also the representation of the Seven Joys of Mary.
Side Chapels. The Capilla de San Miguel, on the right, lavishly decorated in 1807, contains a picture by Al. Cano, the Mater Dolorosa (after Gasp. Becerra).—In the Capilla de la Trinidad, beyond the door of the Sagrario (p. [77]), is a painting of the Trinity by Al. Cano.—The Altar de Jesús Nazareno contains *Pictures by Dom. Theotocópuli (St. Francis) and Ribera; the fine Bearing of the Cross is by Al. Cano.—By the same artist are also the fine oaken busts of St. Paul and John the Baptist in the Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, adjoining the N. aisles.
From the first chapel in the ambulatory, to the right of the Puerta del Colegio, a portal by Siloe leads through an ante-room (antesacristía) into the Sacristy (18th cent.), containing a crucifix by Montañés (p. [61]) and an Annunciation and a Conception (a sculpture) by Al. Cano.
A handsome portal leads from the right transept into the late-Gothic *Capilla Real, the burial-chapel of the ‘Catholic Kings’, where Charles V. caused his parents Philip of Austria and Juana the Insane also to be interred. The marble *Monuments are in the Italian early-Renaissance style: on the right those of Ferdinand and Isabella, by the Florentine Domenico Fancelli; on the left, Philip and Juana, by Bartolomé Ordóñez. The high-altar, with the kneeling statuettes of the ‘Catholic Kings’, is by Philip Vigarní, a Burgundian; the reliefs in wood, historically interesting, represent (left) the surrender of the Alhambra keys and (right) the compulsory baptism of the Moors. Behind the reliquary altars, which are opened on four festival-days only, are hung Madonnas by Dierick Bouts, altar-wings by Roger van der Weyden, a Madonna and a Descent from the Cross by Memling, and other pictures. Over an altar in the right aisle is a *Winged Picture by D. Bouts.
The third great addition to the cathedral, the Sagrario, erected as a parish church in 1705–59, occupies the site of the ancient mosque, with its eleven aisles, which was used for Christian worship down to 1661.
The picturesque Placeta de la Lonja (Pl. E, 4), on the S. side of the cathedral, affords a good view of the Lonja (Exchange), built in 1518–22, which stands before the Sagrario, of the rich architecture of the Capilla Real, and of the—
Casa del Cabildo Antigua, once the seat of the Moorish university founded here after the downfall of Cordova and Seville, afterwards the residence of the ‘Catholic Kings’, and now a cloth magazine. Its fantastic exterior dates from the 18th cent.; in the interior are two interesting rooms of the Moorish period (fee 50 c.).
From the E. end of the Calle de los Reyes Católicos (p. [75]) the Calle Castro y Serrano and Calle Doctor Eximio lead to the right to the Casa de los Tiros (Pl. E, 4), a building in the Moorish castellated style, dating from the 15th cent., and now owned by the Marquesa de Campotéjar. The court contains a venerable tree-like vine. Tickets for the Generalife (comp. p. [74]) are issued here.
The Calle de Santa Escolástica leads hence to the Plaza de Santo Domingo (Pl. F, 4) and the old monastery of Santo Domingo (now a military school), with its pleasing church (15–17th cent.).—A little to the S.W. is the—
Cuarto Real de Santa Domingo (Pl. F, 4; admittance seldom granted), the Al-Majarra of the Moors, now named after a tower of the 13th cent., a superb villa with a Moorish portal and a hall whose charming decoration is older than the Alhambra. The beautiful garden is said to have been laid out in Moorish times.
We now cross the Plaza Bailén to the N.W. to the favourite winter promenade (p. [74]), the Carrera del Genil (Pl. E-G, 5), shaded with plane-trees, which begins at the Puerta Real (p. [75]) and now comprises the former Alameda. Adjoining the Carrera on the left is the—
*Paseo del Salón (Pl. G, 5, 4). planted with elms and adorned with a bronze statue of Isabella the Catholic. Delightful view to the N.E. of Monte Mauror with the Torres Bermejas (p. [80]); to the S.E. towers the majestic Sierra Nevada, from whose rocky crest the Picacho de la Veleta (11,148 ft.), the grandest point of view in all Andalusia, alone rises conspicuously.
b. Darro Valley and Albaicín.
At the mouth of the Darro Valley lies the Plaza Nueva (Pl. E, 4; p. [75]), another focus of traffic (tramways, see p. [73]). On the left is the Audiencia, formerly the Chancilleria, built in 1531–87 for the Capitán General or governor. The pretty arcaded court was probably designed by Diego de Siloe (p. [76]).
A few paces farther to the E. the Darro is not covered in. Here, on the right, on the site of an old mosque, is the church of Santa Ana (Pl. E, 3), a Renaissance building, perhaps designed by Diego de Siloe in 1541, with a fine plateresque portal and an admirable timber ceiling. The tower, built by Juan Castellar in 1561–3, with its azulejos and jutting roof resting on corbels, resembles a minaret.
Opposite the church, on the right bank of the Darro, begins the Carrera del Darro (Pl. E, 3, 2), one of the oldest parts of Granada, affording picturesque views, notably of the towers and walls of the Alhambra, which had its oldest approach from this quarter. (Part of a horseshoe arch of the bridge is seen on the left bank.) The Bañuelo, at No. 37, now occupied by poor families, is a Moorish bath, dating perhaps from the 11th century.
On the right side of the street we come to the church of San Pedro y San Pablo (Pl. E, 3, 2), with its fine timber ceiling. On the opposite bank of the Darro we observe traces of the landslip under the N.E. corner of the Alcazaba (p. [81]), below which are the arches of an aqueduct. To the N. of the church is the Casa de Castril, a curious Renaissance building with an ornate portal by a pupil of Siloe.
We next reach the Alameda del Darro (Pl. E, 2), planted with elms; above us, on the right, is the Generalife (p. [87]); on the left, Albaicín (p. [79]). Crossing the bridge to the right we enter the steep Cuesta del Rey Chico (Pl. F, 2), which leads through the ravine mentioned at p. [79], and past the Moorish towers of the Alhambra, to the Puerta de Hierro (p. [87]), the E. gate of the Alhambra, and to the Generalife.
From the Darro the Cuesta del Chapiz (Pl. E, D, 2) ascends to the N. to the old suburb of Albaida. The street is named after the Casa del Chapiz, erected early in the 16th cent. in the Mudejar style for two Morisco nobles, with two separate patios. The house, now a bakery, is entered from No. 14, at the corner of the Camino del Sacro Monte.
From this point the Camino del Sacro Monte (Pl. D, 2, 1) ascends the cactus-grown slope. The numerous poor Cuevas, or cave-dwellings, are chiefly occupied by gipsies (gitanos). The path ends at the (25 min.) Sacro Monte (to the N.E. of Pl. D, E, 1), a Benedictine monastery of the 17th cent., now a divinity and law school. The view of the Alhambra across the Darro valley, of the town and the Vega, is one of the finest near Granada.
Footpaths ascend from the Cuesta del Chapiz in 25 min., and from the Sacro Monte in ¾ hr., partly through deep gorges, to the chapel of San Miguel el Alto (Pl. D, 1), in the midst of aloes and cacti, where we enjoy a grand *View of the Alhambra, the town, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada.
The side-streets of the Carrera del Darro (p. [78]) ascend to the N. to Albaicín, a poor suburb (p. [74]). Not far from San Pedro y San Pablo (p. [78]) is the small Gothic church of San Juan de los Reyes (Pl. D, 2), an early 16th cent. edifice, whose tower was once a minaret.
Above this church, and of like date, is the Gothic church of San Nicolás (Pl. D, 2), also built on Moorish foundations, and containing a fine timber ceiling. The famous *View of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada is a favourite subject with artists. The Puerta de los Estandartes (Pl. D, 3), close by, is a relic of the Moorish Castle Wall, which runs down hence to the Puerta Monáita (Pl. C, 3, 4). On the N. side the Cuesta de la Alacaba (Pl. D, C, 3, 4) descends to the Paseo del Triunfo (p. [75]).
On the way back to the Plaza Nueva we pass the Franciscan nunnery of Santa Isabel la Real (Pl. D, 3), whose church has a tasteful late-Gothic portal by Enrique de Egas.
c. The Alhambra.
The Alhambra occupies the plateau, 795 by 195 yds., of the Monte de la Assabica (p. [74]), which rises abruptly from the Darro on the N. side, while on the S. it is separated by a gorge, the Assabica of the Moors, from the lower spur of the Monte Mauror (Pl. F, 3; p. [80]). The axis of this range of hills is abruptly intersected by a second gorge, the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. [78]), separating it on the E. side from the Cerro del Sol (p. [87]), at the foot of which lies the Generalife (p. [87]). On the narrow W. point of the plateau stands the castle of Alcazaba. Beyond the small glacis on its E. side, and beyond the Plaza de los Aljibes, rises the Alhambra itself, adjoining which, on the S.E., lies the Alta Alhambra, once quite a little town, where the retinue and servants of the court resided. The whole of these buildings, enclosed by a wall with numerous towers, were called by the Moors Medînat al-Hamrâ, literally ‘red city’, from the colour of its stone.
The History of the Alhambra begins with Mohammed I. (1232–72), the first Nasride sovereign. While the Zirites resided on the Albaicín hill (comp. p. [74]), Mohammed chose the Alhambra Hill as a site for his palace. The building was continued by his son Mohammed II. (1272–1302), and the Alhambra mosque (p. [86]) was erected by Mohammed III. (1302–9). Abu’l-Walîd Ismaîl (1309–25) was the first to erect a small palace outside of the Alcazaba, but this, with the exception of the Patio del Mexuar (p. [85]), was taken down by Yûsuf I. (1333–54). Yûsuf began the stately Comares or myrtle-court palace, with its throne and audience room; to him are ascribed also the Comares tower (p. [83]), the baths (p. [85]), and the enclosing wall of the Alhambra Hill, with 23 additional towers. For the more sumptuous part of the pile Mohammed V. (1354–91) was chiefly responsible. To him was due the completion of the Myrtle Court, the erection of the Cuarto de Machuca, the summer abode of part of the family, and of the luxurious lion-court palace, the winter dwelling of the court and of the sovereign’s harem. The last Moorish king who made additions to the Alhambra was Mohammed VII. (1392–1408).
The ‘Catholic Kings’, as Ferdinand and Isabella are styled, took a great interest in the Alhambra; they restored the decorations of the interior and strengthened the walls. Charles V. visited Granada in 1526, but with less satisfactory results. Although an enthusiastic admirer of Moorish art, he caused many outbuildings of the Alhambra to be removed to make way for his new palace (p. [86]). At length, after 1718, when Philip V. discontinued the payment of money for the upkeep of the buildings, they rapidly fell into decay, and in 1812 the French, on their retreat, blew up several of the towers. Since 1830, however, the work of restoration, though sometimes in doubtful taste, has been resumed.
It is hardly necessary to remind our readers of Washington Irving’s delightful ‘Tales of the Alhambra’, which were partly written on the spot. A series of magnificent views of the Alhambra is given in the monumental work of Jules Goury and Owen Jones, published at London in 1842. See also ‘The Alhambra’ by A. F. Calvert (2nd ed., London, 1907).
The Hill Tramway (rack-and-pinion; p. [73]) ascends from the Puerta de los Molinos (Pl. G, 3) on the S. slope of Monte Mauror, affording a splendid view of Granada, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada on the left, to the Cuesta de las Cruces (p. [81]) in the Alhambra Park, a few minutes’ walk from the entrance of the Alhambra.
The shortest Road to the Alhambra is the Calle de Gomeres (Pl. E, 4, 3), which ascends steeply from the Plaza Nueva to the S.E., between the hills of the Alcazaba and the Torres Bermejas, to the Puerta de las Granadas, the present chief entrance to the Alhambra Park.
The Puerta de las Granadas (Pl. 1; E, 3), erected by Pedro Machuca (p. [86]), in the form of a triumphal arch, on the site of the Moorish Bîb Alaujar, occupied the centre of the wall connecting the Alcazaba with the Torres Bermejas, the fortifications on the W. point of the Monte Mauror, which were built at the same period as the Alcazaba, but have been frequently restored.
The *Torres Bermejas (Pl. F, 3; ‘red towers’), now a military prison, deserve a visit, which may be best paid on the way back from the Alhambra or the Generalife. The path diverges from the Cuesta de las Cruces (p. [81]) a few paces to the E. of the Puerta de las Granadas. Adm. on application at the guard-house. The extensive buildings, with their underground stabling, the cistern, and the casemates, convey an excellent idea of an ancient Moorish fortress. Stairs, rather steep, ascend to the platform (azotea) on the chief tower, where we obtain a most picturesque view.
The *Alhambra Park (Alameda de la Alhambra; Pl. F, 3, 2), a ‘sacred grove’ unique of its kind, occupies the Assabica Valley (p. [79]), reaching far up its slopes. It was planted at the end of the 18th cent. with elms exclusively, placed so close together as to form one dense roof of leafage, the home of countless nightingales. In March, when the sun shines through the leafless branches, the soil is temporarily covered with rich vegetation.
From the Puerta de las Granadas three roads ascend to the Alhambra. To the right is the Cuesta de las Cruces, leading up the S. side of the park to the hill-tramway and the Alhambra Hotels (p. [73]); to the left is the rather fatiguing Cuesta Empedrada, the old route to the castle, ending at the Puerta Judiciaria (see below); between these is the easy Main Road, passing three fountains, and also leading to the hotels, but connected by side-paths with the Puerta Judiciaria. Carriages use this road and pass through the Puerta del Carril (Pl. 6; F, 2).
The entrance-tower, with the *Puerta Judiciaria (Pl. 5; E, F, 3), which, according to the inscription, was erected in the reign of Yûsuf I. in 1348, and was called by the Moors Bîbush-Sheria (‘gate of justice’), deserves special attention. Like many of the Alhambra towers, this was really an independent building, the road between the gates of which was made tortuous for defensive purposes. About halfway up is the horseshoe-shaped Outer Gate, above which is seen a hand with outstretched fingers, a symbol often used in the East and in S. Europe to avert the evil eye. The Inner Gateway still has its old Moorish doors studded with iron.
A narrow passage ascends thence to the House of Gómes Tortosa (on the right; Pl. 7, E, 3), the conservator of the Alhambra. Into the N. wing is built the *Puerta del Vino, probably once the main W. entrance of the Alta Alhambra (p. [86]). This gate seems to have been once connected by a wall with the Puerta de Hierro (p. [87]), so as to shut off the Alcazaba, the palace, and the mosque from the Alhambra suburb.
At the top of the hill we enter the broad Plaza de los Aljibes (Pl. 8; E, 3), so named from the cistern (al-jibb) filled with water from the Darro. The level of the plaza was raised about 16 ft. when Charles V. built his palace, and it is now adorned with hedges of myrtle. On the E. side rise the Moorish palace (p. [82]) and the handsome building erected by the emperor (p. [86]); on our left is the E. front of the Alcazaba with two towers, the Torre Quebrada and the Torre del Homenaje, 85 ft. in height (Pl. 10, 11; E, 3); to the N. we look down into the Darro Valley.
The Alcazaba (Pl. E, 3; Arabic Al-Kasaba, ‘the citadel’) stands about 460 ft. above the Plaza Nueva (p. [78]). Except on the E. the hill falls away abruptly on all sides, and so suddenly on the N.E., in consequence of a landslip, that the castle-wall seems endangered. The only entrance to the castle is now the Puerta de la Alcazaba (Pl. 9; E, 3), at the S.W. angle of the Plaza de los Aljibes. The interior of the castle is now occupied by gardens. Of the original building scarcely anything remains except the ruined enclosing wall, with its huge towers and external terraces (Adarves). At several points the masonry resembles the concrete work of the Romans (p. [290]).
At the W. extremity of the Alcazaba stands the ‘watch-tower’, the *Torre de la Vela (Pl. 13; E, 3), the Ghafar of the Moors, on which the three ‘pendones’ of Ferdinand and Isabella were displayed for the first time on 2nd Jan., 1492.
The Vela Tower commands a very extensive *View (doorkeeper 30 c.). At our feet lies the entire city; to the left, beyond the Alhambra Park, rise the Torres Bermejas; to the right, beyond the Darro, is the Albaicín; in front of us extends the almost circular green Vega, enclosed by brown and sun-scorched ranges of hills; to the S.E. towers the Sierra Nevada; to the S. and S.W. rise the Sierra de Almijara, Sierra Tejea, and Sierra de Alhama; to the W. are Santa Fe (p. [73]) and the hills of Loja (p. [72]); then, to the N.W., are the Sierra de Parapanda (p. [73]), Sierra de Elvira, and other hills. Lastly, to the E., we see the Moorish Alhambra and the palace of Charles V., the church of Santa María (p. [86]), the Generalife (p. [87]), and the Silla del Moro (p. [88]).
The *Jardín de los Adarves (Pl. 15; E, 3), the S. terrace, overgrown with venerable ivy and vines, is entered by a small door (recognized by the iron scallop-shells on it) to the left of the Alcazaba gate. The view is most picturesque, especially towards evening.
The Moorish **Alhambra Palace (adm., see p. [74]), commonly known as the Casa Real, adjoins the N.E. angle of the Plaza de los Aljibes. Like other Moorish secular buildings it is externally insignificant, and it is quite eclipsed by the huge palace of Charles V. (p. [86]). Like the ancient Greek and Roman dwelling-houses it is entirely closed on the outside, while all the rooms open on an internal court as a common centre. When the house was enlarged a new court had to be added, and so too the kings of Granada built palace after palace, each with its own court and separate entrance.
On these buildings the highest efforts of Moorish art have been expended. Their structural value is small; the materials, chiefly wood and plaster, lack solidity, being often used for effect only; while architectural rules are constantly violated. But the ingenious disposition of the rooms and their sumptuous ornamentation, whose fairy-like effect is too often marred by decay or by faulty restoration, are unrivalled. The slender marble columns by which the light walls are supported recall the tent-poles of the nomads, while the mural decoration with its arabesques and flourishes reminds one of an Oriental carpet. Very curious too is the ‘stalactite’ vaulting, formed by minute and countless projections of the walls, ranged one above the other without visible support. The Semitic abhorrence of any representation of living beings accounts for the absence of sculpture, but some food for reflection was afforded by the inscriptions with which all the wall-spaces are framed, partly in the venerable Cufic characters (p. [150]), partly in Andalusian flowing letters, extolling Allah and the reigning family.
The present low-lying Entrance (Entrada Moderna), adjacent to the emperor’s palace, leads into the—
*Myrtle Court (Patio de la Alberca or de los Arrayanes), which belongs to the Comares palace (p. [80]), and derives its name from the myrtle-hedges (mesas de arrayanes) around its pond (alberca). The court is 121 ft. long and 75 ft. in breadth. At its N.E. end rises the Comares tower (see below); to the S.W. it is overlooked by Charles V.’s palace, which stands about 16 ft. higher. At each end of the court is a beautiful arcade, borne by six slender marble columns and paved with marble; that at the S.W. end, with its upper gallery, open at the top, deserves special admiration. At the N.E. end the arcades terminate in curious niches (Arabic ar-hanîya) with stalactite vaulting, once coloured blue.
The first door on the N.W. side of the court leads into the custodian’s rooms, and the next but one into the Patio del Mexuar (p. [85]); opposite the latter door, from the S.E. wall of the court, stairs (generally closed) descend to the Baths (p. [85]). Opposite the entrance of the palace is a door leading into the Sala de los Mocárabes (p. [84]) and the Lions’ Court (p. [81]). The stairs in the S.W. angle of the court lead into the interior of Charles V.’s palace (p. [86]).
An ornate horseshoe arch at the N.E. end of the court gives access to the ante-room of the Comares Tower, the Sala de la Barca, whose barrel-vaulting was destroyed by a fire in 1899. By the entrance are two niches for water-vessels. The wall of the tower is pierced with a superb archway, right and left of which are two other fine niches.
The ruinous Torre de Comares, 148 ft. in height, built, it is said, by workmen from Comares, and crowned, with modern pinnacles, contains the—
**Hall of the Ambassadors (Sala de los Embajadores), a room in two stories, 36 ft. square and 59 ft. high, once the royal reception room. The last meeting of the Moors under Boabdil, before the capitulation of Granada, was held here in 1491. Inscriptions record that Yûsuf I. was the builder. The larch-wood dome of the hall has been compared to the facetted surface of a cut diamond. The immense thickness of the walls is apparent from the depth of the window-niches, each of which affords a different view. The central windows (so-called Ajimez, Arabic khamsîya) are each divided into two by a slender column. This hall is one of the most richly decorated in the Alhambra.
From the first window-niche on the right in the S.E. wall a passage leads to the Peinador de la Reina (p. [86]) and to the lower floor.
We return to the Myrtle Court and (as indicated above) pass through the Sala de los Mocárabes into the—
**Court of the Lions (Patio de Los Leones), which owes its name to the Fuente de los Leones, a famous fountain borne by twelve lions. The building was begun by Mohammed V. in 1377. The court, 92 by 52 ft., is bordered all round with a colonnade, from which at each end protrudes a superb domed pavilion. The columns are alternately single and grouped. The tasteful elegance of this court, originally shaded by six orange-trees, contrasts strikingly with the showy pomp of the Myrtle Court. The fretwork decoration in stucco looks like carved ivory. Besides the lion-fountain, the court contains, at the ends of the arcade, eight flat marble fountain-basins. The fountains play on a few festival-days only.
The Court of the Lions, whose upper floor contained the women’s apartments, restored in 1907, is adjoined by handsome rooms all round. On the N.W. side is the present ante-room of the court, called the—
Sala de los Mocárabes, 72 ft. long, but only 13 ft. wide. The handsome barrel-vaulting in the Renaissance style was added after an explosion of gunpowder in 1614, but remains of the old dome and mural decoration have been brought to light.
The *Hall of the Abencerrages, to the S.W. of the Lions’ Court, derives its name from a noble family (p. [75]), whose leading members, as the story goes, were beheaded at the fountain in the centre of this hall on account of an intrigue of Hamet, their chief, with king Boabdil’s wife. We note specially the magnificent door of entrance, and the curious way in which it is fitted to the doorposts. The central part of the hall rises in three stories, upon which open two lower alcoves with beautiful toothed arches and coffered ceilings. Over the gallery of the second story eight stalactite pendentives form the transition to the sixteen-sided third story, whose windows diffuse a subdued light. Lastly, the hall is roofed with massive stalactite vaulting.
Adjoining the Hall of the Abencerrages, on the left and right, are the Patinillo and the Aljibe or cistern.
The *Sala de la Justicia (also called Sala del Tribunal or de los Reyes), on the S.E. side of the Court of the Lions, is a hall in seven sections, with three arched entrances from the court, each divided by two columns. Between these open sections, which are roofed with lofty domes lighted from above, are two lower chambers. Adjoining the ends and the E. side are side-rooms or alcoves, some of them dark. The whole of this hall, with its honeycomb vaulting and stalactite arches, presents the appearance of some fantastic grotto.
The three larger side-rooms have ceiling-paintings of the early 15th century. The central picture, which has given rise to the different names of the hall (‘hall of justice’, ‘hall of the kings’, etc.), probably represents the first ten kings of Granada, beginning with Mohammed I., or, according to others, a meeting of council, or a court of justice. The paintings in the two other alcoves depict hunting and jousting scenes.
In the central alcove is a Moorish Trough (pila) of 1306, with curious reliefs of lions devouring stags, of eagles, etc.—The alabaster Tombstones in the alcove at the S.W. end of the hall are from the Rauda, the dilapidated royal vault of the Alhambra.
Opposite the Hall of the Abencerrages we ascend from the N.E. side of the Court of the Lions by a narrow passage (pasadizo) to the—
**Sala de las Dos Hermanas (Hall of the Two Sisters), which lies in the same axis as the Sala de los Ajimeces and Mirador de Daraxa, two other rooms situated at a higher level. This suite of rooms seems to have formed the winter residence of the ruler’s harem. The chief of these, whose ornamentation is perhaps the most exquisite in the Alhambra, has its name from the two marble slabs in the pavement. In particular we admire the beautiful doors, the mural decoration in stucco, and above all the honeycomb vaulting, the largest of all Arab roofs of the kind.
In a corner of the hall stands the *Alhambra Vase (‘el jarro de la Alhambra’), 4 ft. 5 in. in height, dating from 1320, and adorned with enamel, figures of animals (gazelles?), etc.
We next pass through the Sala de los Ajimeces, with its ajimeces (p. [83]) and fine vaulting (a closed passage on the left leads hence to the Peinador de la Reina and the Patio de la Reja, p. [86]), to the—
*Mirador de Daraxa (‘entrance-room’). This charming bay has three windows, reaching nearly to the ground and overlooking the Patio de Daraxa (p. [86]).
We may now return through the Court of the Lions to the Myrtle Court, and from the N.W. side (as indicated at p. [83]) of the latter descend through the Zaguán or forecourt to the Patio del Mexuar, lying 13 ft. lower. This is the oldest part of the Alhambra. On the N.E. side of the court is a pleasing Atrium, with columns and a horseshoe arch of 1522. The adjacent Cuarto Dorado also has Mudejar decoration of the time of Charles V.
The Mexuar (Arabic meshwâr, council-chamber), now the Capilla, was fitted up as such in 1537–44, but not used as the palace chapel till 1629. During the Moorish period it perhaps served as an audience chamber or law-court, and the gallery as a meeting-place for the council of state.—A modern door leads into the Mosala, the Moorish chapel built by Mohammed V., which belonged to the old Cuarto de Machuca (p. [80]), now almost entirely occupied by gardens.
Nearly opposite the Christian Chapel in the Mexuar Court is the underground Viaduct leading to the Baths (right) and to the Patio de la Reja.
The extensive subterranean *Baths (Baños), to the N.E. of the Myrtle Court, in the style of those of ancient Rome (comp. p. [290]), date from the time of Yûsuf I. The first room, now freely restored, resembling an Apodyterium, is the Sala de las Camas or de los Divanes, with two niches for couches, and is remarkable for its graceful superstructure. The gallery was destined for the singing girls. The chief bath-chamber (cuartos y sudoríficos) corresponds to the Tepidarium, and marble baths still exist. The heating apparatus (calorífero) has been destroyed.
From the Sala de las Camas we enter the *Patio de Daraxa (p. [85]), planted with cypresses, formerly the inner garden of the palace, but altered by Charles V. Only the upper basin of the fountain is Moorish. The rooms on the upper floor (Aposentos de Carlos Quinto) contain the Alhambra archives.
The small Patio de la Reja, with its fountain and four cypresses, so called from its window-gratings, dates only from 1654–55.—The stairs at the N.E. corner lead (left) to the Hall of the Ambassadors (p. [83]), and (right) to a new corridor which brings us to the—
*Peinador de la Reina (the ‘Queen’s Dressing-room’), on the upper floor of the Torre del Peinador erected by Yûsuf I. The ‘grotesque’ paintings, in the style of the Vatican logge, and the scenes from Charles V.’s expedition to Tunis (p. [323]) are by Julio de Aquilés and Alex. Mayner.
The *Palace of Charles V. (Pl. 17, E, 2; entrance, see p. [83]) is a massive square pile of 207 ft. each way and 57 ft. in height, with a heavy rustica groundfloor and an upper story of the Ionic order, terminating in a Doric cornice. The building was designed by Pedro Machuca in the Italian high-Renaissance style, in 1526, and its cost was defrayed out of the tribute paid by the Moors. The only completed parts are the façades, the superb circular colonnaded court, of the Doric order below and the Ionic above, and the main staircase, which was not finished till 1635. The richly sculptured W. and S. portals, executed by many different masters, are specially attractive.
Passing round the S. side of the palace of Charles V., we cross the Plaza de los Alămos to the church of Santa María (Pl. 18; E, F, 2), which stands on the site of the Mezquita Real or Alhambra mosque.
The buildings of the Alta Alhambra (p. [79]) also present several features of interest. To the N. of Santa María we cross the Alameda, pass (on the left) the ruins of the Rauda (p. [85]) and the outside of the Court of the Lions, and then descend to the left to the Torre de las Damas (Pl. 20; E, 2), a fortified tower of the time of Yûsuf I., restored in 1907–8, with a sumptuous interior. Fine view from the Mirador (p. [87]).—A few paces to the E. lies the Carmen de Arratía, a private house with a charming garden (above the gate is the inscription ‘Mezquita árabe de la Alhambra’). The house contains a Moorish Chapel, also dating from the time of Yûsuf I., with an elegant mihrâb or prayer-niche.
Farther on in the same direction we come to the Torre de los Picos (Pl. 21; F, 2) and cross a bastion (baluarte) to the Puerta de Hierro (Pl. 22; F, 2), restored by the ‘Catholic kings’, which forms the entrance to the Alhambra from the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. [78]).
On the margin of the plateau above this road are four towers, the two finest of which, time permitting, we may visit under the guidance of the custodian, who lives in the Torre de la Pólvora. These are the Torre de la Cautiva (Pl. 23; F, 2), the chief room in which vies with the sumptuous halls of the Alhambra palace itself, and the Torre de las Infantas (Pl. 24; F, 2), an excellent point of view.
On the S.W. margin of the plateau, beyond the Torre del Agua (Pl. 25; F, 2), where towards evening we have a splendid view of the town, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada, is a bastion above which rises the Puerta de los Siete Suelos (Pl. 26; F, 2). By this gate Boabdil, the last of the Moorish kings (p. [75]), made his final exit from the Alhambra.
d. The Generalife.
At the foot of the Cerro del Sol, to the E. of the Alhambra, about 160 ft. above the Alhambra Hill, rises the *Palacio de Generalife (Pl. E, F, 1), once the famous summer residence of the Moorish kings, and now owned by the Marquesa de Campotéjar (p. [77]). The name is a corruption of the Arabic Jennat al-Arîf, ‘garden of Arîf’, the original owner. According to the inscription it was redecorated by order of Abu’l-Walîd Ismaîl in 1319, but in 1494 it was altered and enlarged by Queen Isabella. The interior is very dilapidated; the ornamentation, which is about half-a-century earlier than that of the chief apartments in the Alhambra, is mostly whitewashed.
We ascend by the Camino del Cementerio, a continuation of the three Alhambra Park routes (p. [81]), and by the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. [78]), and ring at the Outer Gate (Pl. 27, F, 2; adm., see p. [74]; fee to the porter, also to the gardener): A cypress-avenue leads thence to the N. to the Entrance (Pl. 28; F, 1).
The picturesque Court is still, as in Moorish times, planted with myrtle-hedges and orange-trees and intersected by a water-conduit. The buildings on the E. side date from the 16th cent.; along the W. side runs a Colonnade with pointed arches, the central door of which opens on a Mirador (Arabic manzar, i.e. belvedere), which is now a chapel. On the N. side we pass through a five-arched Gallery, and then through a three-arched Portal into a quadrangular Hall with two alcoves. Beyond this is a square room with a balcony commanding a splendid view of the Darro Valley. The modern side-rooms are uninteresting.
The *Park, to the E. of the main building and above it, was laid out in Moorish times. We first enter the Patio de los Cipreses, with a gallery built in 1584–6, and shaded with venerable cypresses. A Moorish flight of steps, with grooves for water on the balustrades, ascends to a Mirador (Pl. 29; F, 1), where we enjoy a glorious *View of Granada, the Alhambra, and the valley of the Darro.
A good survey of the Alhambra and of the whole Sierra Nevada is obtained from the Silla del Moro (Pl. F, 1), a spur of the Cerro del Sol. It is reached in 12 min. from the Cementerio road (p. [87]) by a path diverging halfway between the gate of the Generalife and the cemetery, and then crossing a gorge.