The Alhambra - Granada, Spain
N 37° 10.628 W 003° 35.404
30S E 447619 N 4114685
The Alhambra was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. Moorish poets described it as "a pearl set in emeralds," an allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them.
Waymark Code: WMN28Y
Location: Andalucía, Spain
Date Posted: 12/12/2014
Views: 20
Alhambra's Islamic palaces, as we know them today, were built for the last Muslim emirs in Spain and the court of the Nasrid dynasty. After the conquest of Granada by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the buildings being occupied by squatters, Alhambra was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the inspiration for many songs and stories.
Despite long neglect, willful vandalism, and some ill-judged restoration, Alhambra endures as an atypical example of Muslim art in its final European stages, relatively uninfluenced by the direct Byzantine influences found in the Mezquita of Córdoba. The majority of the palace buildings are quadrangular in plan, with all the rooms opening on to a central court, and the whole reached its present size simply by the gradual addition of new quadrangles, designed on the same principle, though varying in dimensions, and connected with each other by smaller rooms and passages. Alhambra was extended by the different Muslim rulers who lived in the complex. However, each new section that was added followed the consistent theme of "paradise on earth". Column arcades, fountains with running water, and reflecting pools were used to add to the aesthetic and functional complexity. In every case, the exterior was left plain and austere. Sun and wind were freely admitted. Blue, red, and a golden yellow, all somewhat faded through lapse of time and exposure, are the colors chiefly employed.
Name of Source Book: 1,000 Places to See Before you Die, 2011
Page Location in Source Book: 247
Type of Waymark: Site
Location of Coordinates: Entrance to the palace
Cost of Admission (Parks, Museums, etc.): 14.00 (listed in local currency)
List Available Hours, Dates, Season:
The Monument will remain open everyday of the year with the exception of the 25th of December and January 1st.
Monday through Sunday 08:30 - 18:00
Official Tourism Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Because of the vastness of many of the "non-localized" sites (Gobi Desert, Great Wall of China), waymark owners are encouraged to allow visits that reflect different perspectives and experiences.
Localized waymark sites (Structures, Landmarks, Businesses) should reflect standard waymarking visit criteria (Logs & photos).