A stroll around the most romantic place in the world Alhambra, Granada, Spain
When you are in the Alhambra, you have the impression of being in a maze of buildings and gardens. You walk around without knowing where you are going. But the whole complex is perfectly organized with a sophisticated planning, protected by tall red walls with thirty towers and four main gates. It consists of three parts: first, the barracks (Alcazaba) for the élite guard who was responsible for the safety of the citadel; second, the three Nasrid Palaces, each one built for a distinctive purpose; and third, the Medina where court officials lived and worked. Αll are connected with gardens and paths under the shades of cypress trees, oaks and Aleppo pines.
The Daraxa’s garden in the Alhambra, Andalusia.
The red facades of the Palaces, plain and austere, do not prepare the eyes for what they will see inside. An alteration of dark winding passages to well-lit patios with enchanting fountains; covered walkways to sun-filled gardens. Next, you enter spaces of extraordinary beauty: exquisitely detailed patterns and lavishly carved stucco motifs cover the walls; arches leading up to vaulted murqana ceilings, where light is provided by intricate grilled windows. Everything is based upon geometry, epigraphy and vegetal ornamentation.
The Daraxa’s Mirador located in the Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra, Andalusia.
What should I say about the Comares Tower, whose arches are reflected on the pond? A wonder for the eyes. Legend says that when Boabdil’s mother learned that her son was negotiating the surrender of Granada, she told him from one of the Tower’s balconies: “Look at what you surrender and remember that all your forebears died being kings of Granada and the Kingdom dies with you.”
Or what to say about the Court of Lions, the most celebrated fountain of the Alhambra, with its complex hydraulic system? Twelve carved stone lions protect a marble basin in the middle of a patio encircled by a series of slender columns.
The Court of the Lions, Alhambra, Andalusia.
“Poetry of Art!” I exclaimed and patiently waited for a Japanese gentleman to take a picture of the fountain. He didn’t decide which photo was the best. He tried again and again, and delayed me. I was behind him to get a good angle of the slender columns which all together would make up a tasteful set on my picture. A Chinese lady patiently was waiting behind me.
I almost lost my companions who were heading the Generalife gardens on the next hill.
Oh! The beauty of the gardens was exquisite. It is amazing how the Nasrid rulers combined the sound, the sight and cooling qualities of water into perfect harmony. We arrived at the most beautiful one, a long narrow patio which was ornamented with a canal and two rows of water fountains. At the back, there was a pleasure palace which was used by the rulers of Granada as a welcome retreat from official life.
The Generalife gardens in the Alhambra, Andalusia.
It’s true that Alhambra is one of the most romantic destinations in the world, and visitors are up to eight thousand daily; but I erased them out of sight and got in their place poets, musicians and odalisques with a languid gaze, who fitted better in the setting.
Next, I looked for the gate through which Boabdil, the last Nasrid ruler of Granada, passed through to surrender the keys of the city to the Catholic monarchs. It could be ruined or covered with fig trees and luxuriant herbage. Who knows? The sultan requested with a melancholic tone and a spark of egotism that no one be allowed to pass through the gate after him. His request was respected and the gate was walled up. I imagined him moving away from the walls, riding on his white horse, dressed in brocade and velvet; to descend the steep ravine; and somewhere nearby to relinquish the keys to the Catholic monarchs; and then to continue on his way to meet his family, waiting for him on a hill across Granada.
The walls of the Alhambra, Andalusia.
His sorrowful look, his deep sadness, the end of his kingdom… emotion overwhelmed me…As he was on the slope of a hill, now known as the Slope of Tears, legend says that he turned to look at Granada for the last time and tears rolled down his eyes. His mother, proud Aixa, caught his grief and told him: «You do well, my son, to cry like a woman for what you couldn’t defend like a man.”
The bitterness of the aristocratic Aixa is quite understandable. But in her son’s heart, I think, there was another kind of pride: “I don’t want this city to be destroyed. I want Granada to stay, to remind humanity of the great culture we have left behind.” The defense was useless; the splendid, sophisticated city remained largely intact.
The book ANDALUCIA, The Jewel of the Light is published in Greek. The electronic version will be published soon.
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