Discover Granada Must See Sights Dobla de Oro Islamic Heritage Discover Granada Must See Sights Dobla de Oro Islamic Heritage. World Heritage Sites protected by UNESCO tell you the history of old Al-Andalus in Andalusia (Spain) History After the fragmentation of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba in the 11th Century the city of Granada began to acquire an increasingly important position on the map of Al Andalus. The Zirid Dynasty established a kingdom in the city, building the Qadima, a fortress protected by defensive walls and glorified by palace buildings in what is today the high part of the Albayzin. With the arrival of the Almoravids and above all the Almohads, the city went from strength to strength. When Al-Ahmar de Arjona proclaimed himself the first King of the Nasrid dynasty in 1238, he turned his attention to the hill opposite known as La Sabika. The Alhambra was born and the Albayzin became a residential district. Under the Nasrids the Alhambra and the Albayzin enjoyed a period of burgeoning architectural heritage until 1492 when Isabel and Ferdinand conquered Granada. The new rulers decided to develope the city in other directions. The Albayzin was left as the last bastion of the Moriscos, the Muslims who remained in the Iberian Peninsula after the Christian conquest. Over time the Albayzin underwent dramatic urban development with the widening of its streets, the construction of churches on top of what once were mosques, the arrival of new religious orders and the construction of grand palaces for the local nobility on the bank of the River Darro. The close links between the Albayzin and the Alhambra show that the designs used in one are often imitated in the other. The Court of Myrtles in the Alhambra is a house of palatial dimensions, which the surviving Moorish houses in the Albayzin reproduce at
Discover Granada Must See Sights Dobla de Oro Islamic Heritage Discover Granada Must See Sights Dobla de Oro Islamic Heritage. World Heritage Sites protected by UNESCO tell you the history of old Al-Andalus in Andalusia (Spain) History After the fragmentation of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba in the 11th Century the city of Granada began to acquire an increasingly important
Alhambra Palace & Generalife An Islamic World Heritage Alhambra Palace & Generalife are definitely Granada highlights, keep reading and discover why. The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill which by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, its said that the construction of the Alhambra fortress was done "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an fortress, a palace and a smal city. There is no reference to the Alhambra as being a residence of kings until the 13th century even though the fortress had existed since the 9th century. The first kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicin, and nothing remains of them. The Nasrites were probably the emirs who built the Alhambra, starting in 1238. The founder of the dynasty, Muhammed Al-Ahmar, began with the restoration of the old fortress. His work was completed by his son Muhammed II, whose immediate successors continued with the repairs. The construction of the palaces dates back to the 14th century and is the work of two great kings: Yusuf I and Muhammed V. To the first we owe, among others, the Chamber of Comares, the Gate of Justice, the Baths and some towers. His son, Muhammed V, completed the beautification of the palaces with the Chamber of the Lions, as well as other rooms and fortifications. The Alhambra became a Christian court in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs conquered the city of Granada. Later, various structures were built for prominent civilians also military garrisons, a church and a Franciscan monastery. Emperor Charles
Alhambra Palace & Generalife An Islamic World Heritage Alhambra Palace & Generalife are definitely Granada highlights, keep reading and discover why. The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means “red castle“, perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill which by sunlight is transformed into gold.
