Granada Tourist Guide 🇪🇸 Spain Best City

Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, the highest mountain range of the Iberian Peninsula. With well over 1,000 years of recorded history, Granada enjoys one of Spain's most important cultural and architectural patrimonies. In addition to the Alhambra, the world-renowned palaces and fortresses of the Nazarite dynasty, and the historical Moorish Abyssinian Quarter, both designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, Granada boasts a magnificent Renaissance cathedral dating from the 16th century, and many other superb architectural monuments. The Alhambra was at once a palace, a fortress, and a citadel, as well as the residence of the Nazarite sultans and top government officials, court servants, and the royal guard. The palace is composed of an incredible array of splendid rooms and patios. The name Maxuar is derived from the Arabic term maswar, the place where the surah, or council of ministers, met. It was also the place or hall where the sultan dispensed justice. Its construction is attributed to King Ishmael in the first part of the 14th century, and has since undergone many alterations and modifications. The courtyard is a vitally important element in Hispano-Muslim houses. It is the center of family life, around which all the other rooms of the dwelling are distributed, and was often lavishly decorated. The Court of the Myrtles takes its name from the dense bushes of this plant, also called myrth, that grow on the longer sides of the pond. Behind the three-arched portico is the Golden Room, whose original decoration is attributed to the Nazarite king, Muhammad V, in the late 14th century. The name of the room is derived from the beautiful woodwork ceiling, which was repainted and decorated, like the rest of the room, under the rule of the Catholic monarchs. The majestic facade of the Comares Palace stands opposite the gallery of the Golden Room. Its ornamental composition enhances the structural distribution of the area, which is divided into three sections, combining patterns of golden triangles and squares, which show the evolution of Andalusian art. The facade separated the administrative and public sector from the private and residential part of the palace. The right door led to the families' and servants' quarters. The left door led to the core of the palace, along a Z-shaped sloping corridor with no other lighting than that of the palace, which streamed through from the other end, highlighting in a symbolic way the royal nature of the premises. Moorish art and architecture refers to the branch of Islamic art and architecture that developed in the westernmost Islamic lands of North Africa and Spain between the 8th and 15th centuries. In Moorish architecture, not only does a decoration arise naturally from the construction, but the constructive idea is carried out in every detail of the ornamentation of the surface. The useful is considered a vehicle for the beautiful, and thus ornament arises quietly and naturally from the surface decorated, but never interferes with the general form. The Hall of Comares, or Chamber of the Ambassadors, is also known as the Throne Room. Nine small rooms were opened within its walls, all alike except for the central room opposite the entrance, which was luxuriously decorated and reserved for the sultan. The walls of the hall are completely covered with ornamentation. The lower part conserves part of the original tiled circle, above which a rich plasterwork combines geometrical patterns with a tarik, or leaf and flower motifs, and epigraphic elements. Originally, it was painted with bright colors that formed tapestry-like relief patterns. According to Arabic sources, the founder of the second independent dynasty of Granada, Ibn Yusuf ibn Nasir al-Jazari al-Nasari, was born at the end of the 12th century. As soon as he became sultan of Al-Andalus and emir of Granada, he set about creating a capital city for his newly founded state. He ordered a royal city to be built with an impregnable and thoroughly fortified and enclosed residence upon the Al-Zabika hill. Construction work began in 1234 and continued uninterrupted day and night. Due to the reddish color, the peasants of the valley of Granada, La Vega, called it Al-Qalat Al-Hamra, the castle made of red earth, from which it derives its current name, La Alhambra. After the first king of the new Nasrid dynasty, his successors continued with the work of consolidating and embellishing the red castle, where nature and architecture were to coexist in a serene and sacred harmony. The forbidden city of La Alhambra was completed several centuries later. The court of the Lindo Raja owes its name to the prominent open-air observation point called the Lindo Raja, on the southern side of the Palace of the Lion's Wall. What then would seem to be an open-air garden below is in fact enclosed by the three rooms of the emperor's chambers, with arcaded galleries on the ground floor making use of columns removed from other sites in the Alhambra. The effect is cloister-like, which is further enhanced by the design of the garden with its fountain in the middle. Exit from the court and palace can be achieved through only one of the three rooms, which also has an upper floor gallery that until recently was called Chateaubriand's Room, owing to the fact that the famous French author and politician left his signature on one of the columns there that originally came from the court of Machuca, which had been demolished. The Palace of the Lions was the architectural pinnacle of the Alhambra, and its celebrated fountain was a symbol of its decorative richness and evidence of the complex water system that supplied the fortress. Commissioned by the Nasrid sultan, Muhammad V, in the 1360s, the court is designed in what is known as a Nasrid style, an exuberant mixture of Moorish and Christian influences. The court had a crotch ground floor design with a central fountain, following the same pattern as other earlier and later constructions used in Muslim Spain and elsewhere. The proportional and visual perfection of the surrounding arched gallery, supported by columns, converted this court into one of the most celebrated and admired of architectural structures. The Palace of the Lions is structured around two residential areas in two polyvalent zones. From the latter, the first room seen was the Hall of the Mucarnas, which was used as a hall or vestibule owing to its proximity to the main entrance of the palace. Its name comes from the dome that originally covered the room. The Hall of the Benserajes is one of the two residential areas surrounding the Court of the Lions. Its spectacular vault, decorated with eight-point star-shaped stalactites that open out on eight elephant-like trunks, is the most remarkable ornamental element of the hall. The hall derived its name from a 16th century legend, according to which the members of this North African family were invited to a banquet and then massacred in the hall. The architectural pattern of the Palace of the Lions was similar to that of the Palace of Comares, although with the traditional design of Spanish Moorish houses. Its central open-air courtyard, the heart of family life, was flanked by a number of polyvalent rooms consisting of a ground floor and at least one upper floor or loft. The Hall of the Two Sisters, the second main chamber of the Palace of the Lions, is structurally similar to the Hall of the Benserajes. The plasterwork decoration is divided into large stretches, separated by inscriptions covering the walls and culminating in the masterfully executed stalactite dome with a star in the center and highly ornamented carved stucco celebrating Pythagoras' famous theorem. The Parthalen Gardens are located along the north wall of the Hambra, along with the remains of walls and some pavement that mark the location of what is known as the Court of the Fig Tree. A small pergola leads to a wide esplanade corresponding to the lower terrace of the Parthal. To the left is the architectural structure for which the location is named, the Parthal Palace Portico. The portico, with its five arches, overlooks a large pool in the center of the garden. Behind the portico is the main room, located inside the tower known as Las Damas. Adjacent to the Tower of the Ladies and above the portico is a small, lovely balcony built in the Nazarite style. Like the balconies of the other palaces, such as the Comares and the Generalife, now they are often referred to as observatories for the superb views they offer. Structurally part of the main wall, the Parthal Chapel blends in with the countryside, thus enhancing its suitability for the sultan's prayers and meditations on nature and creation. The Parthal Garden section of the monumental complex of the Hombra is a result of a logically pursued process carried out by a well-managed system of landscaping and architectural planning. Walls, pavements, and other architectural elements were recovered, particularly in the first three decades of the 20th century. In addition, landscaping was put into effect so that the archaeological recoveries could be properly integrated into the surrounding flora and setting. The construction of the Hombra was linked to the need to develop an effective hydraulic system. The hydraulic system in the Hombra depends on the sultan's canal, which carries water from the Darro River to the Generalife and from there by aqueduct to the Hombra. The Nazarite sultans designated various areas for agriculture and livestock breeding, of which the Generalife, with its large vegetable gardens and palace, was nearest to the Hombra. The irrigation channel ran parallel to the walls of the vegetable gardens. At one point, water was conducted through a perpendicular underground gallery, a deep well, a water wheel, and a large pool in order for it to reach the highest cultivated area. The preservation of cultural heritage is complemented by the defense of nature, as well as environmental and ecological balance. All these issues play an essential role in the preservation of our historical memory, which guarantees, in turn, the safeguarding of our cultural identity and thus our survival and development. The Council of the Hombra and the Generalife, as the institution in charge of these actions, develops new approaches and strategies for the conservation and restoration of our cultural heritage. The Generalife El Mounir was built between the 12th and 14th centuries to be used by the Muslim royalty as a place of rest. Most of the buildings in the complex were residential, and much of the land was used for grazing and cultivation. The hilly site was divided into terraces with four main vegetable gardens. The cord of the main canal was designed as an interior garden, with the exception of the small lookout point on the west side, adjacent to the central arbor. The lateral part was originally enclosed by a high wall with a continuous eave, which was destroyed during the Christian era, though some remains can be seen at both ends. It draws water from the Royal Canal, the principal hydraulic source for the entire historical, artistic, monumental complex. The early gardens of Syria and Persia heavily influenced the future design of Moorish water gardens. Generally, water tumbled from a centerpiece fountain and separated into four directions, which corresponded to the four separate sections of the garden. Those sections represented the earthly paradise, wine, honey, milk, and water, which are referred to in both the Quran and the Book of Genesis. Created to escape the torrid temperatures of the surrounded arid desert climes, the gardens were prized for their protection from the sun's burning glare. The Renaissance Palace of Emperor Charles V. St. Mary Church of the Alhambra was completed in the 17th century on the site of the Alhambra's great mosque. Granada's Abyssinian Quarter is an indispensable complement to the Alhambra and the Generalife, and despite the development that followed the Christian conquest, it still bears witness to its settlement in the Middle Ages by the Moors, since its urban fabric, architecture, and characteristic colors, together with its physiognomy, were not changed when it was adapted to the Christian way of life. The Lower Abyssine is the site of the Church of St. Anne. Much of the significance of the neighborhood lies in the medieval town plan, with its narrow streets and small squares, and in the relatively modest houses in the Moorish and Andalusian style. On the La Carrera del Darro stands a church of Saints Peter and Paul. Opposite the church is the Casa de Castril, a fine example of the noble houses of the Renaissance era. With its elaborately ornamented facade, it is now home to Granada's archaeological and ethnological museum. A number of Moorish buildings, including the Benuelo, still survive in the Abyssinian Quarter. These 11th-century public baths are among the oldest and best preserved in Spain. Their structure is typical of the hamam, with the vestibule leading to the different rooms, which were supplied with cold, warm, or hot water. The ceiling is adorned with star-shaped skylights originally covered with colored alabaster, through which entered a tinted light filtered through the billowing steam. This created a special atmosphere in the baths, which was heightened by the aroma of the perfume holders. Today, the Abyssine is a treasury of magnificent Moorish and Christian monuments, whose splendor is enhanced by its unusual geographical features. Commanding fine views over the neighborhood itself, the city, and the Alhambra. In the Plaza del Salvador, in the center of the upper Abyssine, stands the Church of El Salvador, on the site once occupied by the city's main mosque. With its courtyard in Arab font, it was consecrated in 1499 by Cardinal Cisneros as a parish church dedicated to the worship of Christ the Savior. Granada has a great variety of shops lining its historical streets. In some of them, time seems to have stopped, and the traditional crafts are still practiced, such as pottery and ceramics, woodworking and leather making, the construction of guitars, and textiles. Calle Calderería Nueva, a colorful street with an Arabic-influenced atmosphere, is lined with shops selling jewelry and traditional handicrafts. A flavor of North Africa is to be found along the Calle Calderería Nueva and the surrounding area, appropriately known as Little Morocco, where a visitor will find health food stores set alongside a variety of Moroccan tearooms and eateries. In Granada, the former center of Moorish Spain, a multicultural revival is taking shape in which Christians and Muslims coexist in mutual respect. Today's Granada is a cultural melting pot. Five centuries after the Christian royalty, known as the Catholic Monarchs, drove the last Muslim ruler from what is now Spain and raised their cross in the throne room of the Alhambra, Muslims and Christians in the city of Granada are peacefully living side by side once again. Just as, for nearly 800 years, the inhabitants of Al-Andalus, as the Arab dynasties called their empire on the Iberian Peninsula, allowed Jews, Christians, and Muslims to coexist in a spirit of mutual respect, to the benefit of all. Granada has always, though especially since Nazirite times, been an eminently commercial city whose artisanal products enjoy enormous prestige. That the city's rich variety of arts and crafts was strongly influenced by Moorish traditions is without a doubt, but it is also an important Renaissance element typical of the province. Many workshops in the city continue to exercise their crafts. For the most part, these are activities maintained by families who have passed down their skills from one generation to the next. In woodworking, marquetry is one of the most typical local crafts, while Faya al-Aus' ceramics is one of the most authentic types of local pottery. Other traditional crafts include the production of objects in copper, iron, and brass, as well as leather goods and textiles. Situated right in the center of Granada, the cathedral is considered to be the first Renaissance church in Spain. The building stands next to the city's main mosque, and construction was begun in 1505, following the plans of the architect Enrique Agas. The amazing Baroque facade, designed by Alonso Cana, dates to 1667. The construction of the Cathedral of Granada was ordered by the Catholic kings in 1503, shortly after they conquered the town from the Moors. Its initial design was heavily influenced by the Gothic model of the Cathedral of Toledo. On the northern side is the Puerta del Perdón, or the Door of Forgiveness, a magnificent work by Diego de Soloé, who was also the creator of the Puerta de San Jerónimo, the Door of Saint Jerome. The cathedrals built during that era were constructed in the Gothic style, each containing a particular feature of Castilian-Leonese cathedrals, and imposing chancel, capilla mayor, and majestic choir styles, the coro, right in the middle of the nave. Granada's cathedral is an exception. It started off in the Gothic style, but plans were quickly changed to turn it into a Renaissance church, and thus it has no coro in the nave. The two colossal Baroque organs are the work of Fernández y Dávila, from 1745. The cathedral has a nave and four aisles, side chapels, and a soaring dome. The monumental triumphal arch with coffered ceilings, and resting on pilasters over three bays, creates intense contrasts in light and shadow. The interior of the cathedral is cavernous, with massive granite columns supporting a roof that seems miles away, making the chapel incredibly spacious. The Cathedral of Granada has many chapels dating from different periods, and constructed in a variety of styles. The Granada Cathedral was built in the 16th century to celebrate the conquest of the city by the Christian forces of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Its magnificence was designed to challenge the Muslim architecture of the alhambra. In 1480, Isabella and Ferdinand instituted the Inquisition in Spain, one of many changes to the role of the church instituted by the monarchs. The Inquisition was aimed mostly at Jews and Muslims who had overtly converted to Christianity, but were thought to be practicing their faith secretly. Known respectively as Morranos and Moriscos, but as well as at others who challenged Roman Catholic orthodoxy, including the Alhambrados, who practiced a kind of mysticism or spiritualism. Ferdinand and Isabella were given the title the Catholic Monarchs, Los Reyes Católicos, by the Pope, in recognition of their role in purifying the faith. Isabella and Ferdinand proceeded with their plans to unify all of Spain by continuing a longstanding but stalled effort to expel the Moors who had held onto parts of Spain. In 1492, the Muslim kingdom of Granada fell to Isabella and Ferdinand, thus completing the Reconquista. That same year, all Jews in Spain who refused to convert to Christianity were expelled by royal edict. 1492 was also the year in which Isabella agreed to sponsor Christopher Columbus's voyage of discovery to the New World. The visitor is surprised by the dazzling luminosity of the building, an effect achieved by the studied play of light entering through the stained glass windows and the white of the walls, a color, along with guilt, which dominates the color scheme throughout the church's interior. In Spain, the Renaissance began to be grafted to Gothic forms in the last decades of the 15th century. Initially, the style was spread mainly by local architects, which is the cause of the creation of a specifically Spanish Renaissance that unified the influence of South Italian architecture, sometimes gleaned from illuminated books and paintings and aspects of the traditional Gothic style with local elements. The new style was called plateresque because of its typically highly decorated facades that recall the decorative motifs of the intricately detailed work of silversmiths, the plateros. Classical orders and candelabra motifs combined freely into symmetrical walls. Over the decades, the Gothic influence disappeared and the search for an orthodox classicism reached new levels. Although plateresco is a commonly used term to define much of the architectural production of the late 15th and first half of 16th centuries, some architects sought a more sober, personal style. Near the cathedral is a Corral de Cabón, its gateway adorned with boots and calligraphy from the Qur'an. The courthouse, the only surviving example of the Cavana Reisara, a fundac from the 14th century, is currently home to a museum and art shop. Set between the cathedral and the street of the Catholic Kings is an unusual commercial area that recalls a small Arab market and whose shops sell souvenirs. Its grid-like network of streets, lined with shops and inns, was built as a quarter where merchants would sleep, eat, and conduct business. Today, the bazaar still operates as a center for commerce, though it mainly sells goods such as souvenirs or crafts. It remains an interesting place to wander around, look at the merchandise for sale, and admire the fine examples of Islamic architecture and tiled wall decorations. Centuries ago, it was the site of the market of Nazareth Silk that extended from Plaza Nueva to Bib Rambla. Its original image would survive until the night of July 19th, 1843, when a fire in a store on Maisones Street reduced it to ashes. It was rebuilt with a similar structure in the Neo-Moorish style and is now home to shops selling traditional and artisan products. This area, restored in the 19th century, was the site of a former Muslim silk market. The Alpujarra mountain range was important for the production of silk. Silkworms there feasted on the leaves of mulberry trees, and the raw material was then transported by mule to Granada, where the silk threads were woven, then sold, either in bales or as clothing. The name Alcaicería literally means either the house of Caesar or belonging to Caesar, in recognition of the fact that the Emperor Justinian granted the Moors permission to sell silk in the 6th century. Land of craftsmen, the people of Granada are expert in making products like artisan guitars, pottery, or marquetry, finely crafted woodwork with detailed decoration. Marquetry items include furniture, boxes, or any object with geometric drawings, formed by hundreds of very small pieces of bone, silver, and wood. The art of the Nasrid era is reflected in some of the modern manufacturing techniques used. The Nasrid style from 1300 to 1450 was the last form of Islamic art to flourish in Spain. Typical of Islamic art, it very rarely used figurative images, but rather is characterized by the rich decorative schemes found at Alhambra, the Nasrid Palace in Granada, and other Moorish monuments. The style combines the classic forms of Islamic ornament, linear geometric motifs, abstract plant-based patterns, and Arabic calligraphy. The Moorish period in Granada began with Tariq, a Moorish caliphate who invaded Granada in 711. The final Arab conquest of the town took place in 713. The Arabs named the town Elbira, and the city was constantly expanded over the next 300 years. In 1010, internal conflicts between different clans of noble Arabs almost destroyed the entire town. Three years later, in 1013, the situation resolved when the Ziris dynasty gained power. The Ziris declared independence from Morocco and formed its own kingdom in the town, which at the time was called Granada. During this same period, the Ziris decided to move the town from the Sierra Vera hill to Albaicin to better be able to protect the town from invasions. The Ziris remained in power for two centuries and constantly expanded the town, which began to assume its present form. With the arrival of the Nazari dynasty in 1238, the kingdom of Granada experienced its greatest splendor and included under its power the provinces of Granada, Malaga, Amaria, as well as parts of Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, and Ya'in. It was also under the Nazari dynasty that the magnificent fortress and palace of Alhambra and Heranarife were built, together with great swaths of the old town of Granada. Numerous churches were built in Granada during the Christian period. The church Santos Justo y Pastor once formed part of the university building. The magnificent Basilica of San Juan de Dios is dedicated to Saint John of God, who dedicated his life to helping others, especially the sick. Built in the 18th century, the church, and in particular the main facade, is perhaps one of the finest examples of the Spanish Baroque style. The hospital and church of San Juan de Dios occupy the site of the former monastery of Saint Jerome, a building altered to conform to Renaissance tastes. Over 460 years ago, Saint John of God was a humble bookseller in the city of Granada, Spain. He had also been a psychiatric patient in the royal hospital. He had known homelessness and seen many aspects of life in different parts of the world. Sensitive to the suffering and pain of the people around him, John began to bring the sick, weak, and homeless to share his meager accommodation in the porch of the house of his friend, Venegas. This was the beginning of his dream of a more compassionate world. The Monastery of Saint Jerome was the first monastery to be founded following the Reconquista of Granada by Ferdinand and Isabella. Dating from the 16th century, the restored monastery church is one of the grandest buildings designed by Diego de Siloe. Its public cloister represents a magnificent use of space with double tiers of arcaded ambulatories enveloping an orange grove. The monastery has two cloisters, each built around a garden. The cloister provides the entrance to the church, the initial darkness having the effect of giving greater light to the magnificent, monumental altarpiece at the head of the building, a masterpiece of Spanish sculpture. The element has four sections featuring the Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite Orders. The Manor's altarpiece of the main chapel is considered the point of departure of Andalusian sculpture as such. It is mainly the work of Pablo de Rojas. The monastery church follows the usual plan for churches of this order, a Latin cross with an elevated choir at the foot, an altar behind a wide staircase. The richly decorated Renaissance interior features cofferings, scalloping, and sculptures, and is a late work of Renaissance humanism. Granada was subjected to the influences of many different cultures and populations over the centuries. Christians, Muslims, and Jews left an important mark on the architecture, traditions, and way of life, thus bringing to the city its magical charm.