Granada--The Jewel of Spanish Crown

---

Un viajecito a Granada, última tierra en ser reconquistada en 1492 por los Reyes Católicos. Gente estupenda, buen clima, tierra, una candidata a maravilla del mundo..Se puede pedir más?

A little of history....

ABOUT CATHOLIC MONARCHS

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, whose marriage (1469) led to the unification of Spain, of which they were the first monarchs. Although employed earlier, the appellation Católicos was formally conferred on them in a bull published by Pope Alexander VI in 1494, in recognition of their reconquest of Granada from the Moors (1481-92), their New World discoveries (1492), and their strengthening of the church by such agencies as the Spanish Inquisition and such measures as compelling Jews to convert to Christianity or face exile (1492). The title of Católicos was afterward transmitted to the successors of Ferdinand and Isabella. Their daughter, Katherine of Aragon, was queen of England.

ABOUT LA ALHAMBRA

The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica which by starlight is silver but by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, evoked by the Moslem analysts who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an "alcazaba" (fortress), an "alcázar" (palace) and a small "medina" (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monument.
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 (called Casa Real Vieja, "old Royal House or Palace") 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 "Cuarto de Comares" (Chamber of Comares), the "Puerta de la Justicia" (Gate of Justice), the Baths and some towers. His son, Muhammed V, completed the beautification of the palaces with the "Cuarto de los Leones" (Chamber of the Lions), as well as other rooms and fortifications.

---

Photos

Isabel I Crown and Ferdinand's Sword
Royal Chapel

Alhambra
Motivos árabes