The Alhambra Tourist Place
The year 1942 is a historical year because the great discoverer Columbus discovered the New World. In this year Spain became free of over 800 years of Arab rule. The City of Granada was the last to become free.
Sierra Nevada Mountain
“The Alhambra”, the greatest monument of the Moorish Spain was built here. The Alhambra stands on a plateau formed by the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. The First Sultan of Granada, Ibn-al-Alimar started building
in 1238 and it was completed in the fourth century by Yusuf III and Muhamad V.
Fortified Alcazaba
The massive walls and towers of the Alhambra are plain from out-side. Its architectural and decorated beauty lies all inside. Inside there are three main parts. The fortified Alcazaba to the west, in the centre the Alhambra proper where Sultan and his harem lived to the east the royal city, (Nothing remains of this today).
Place of Cisterns
The horse shoe shaped arch, “Gate of Justice” to the south is the entrance. Over this is depicted an open hand. This symbolises the five rules of Islam: God is one, prayer, fasting during the month of Ramadan, giving alms and pilgrimage to Mecca.
The gate of Justice leads into the place of cisterns. Huge rock cisterns were placed here to store rain water..
Cedar Wood
The Alhambra itself is like a fairytale palace straight from the Arabian Nights Stories – almost magical. A larger oblong Court of Myrtles, with a larger pool in the centre between two myrtle borders. At the north, this leads to the hall of blessing and this in turn to the majestic and beautifully decorated ‘Hall of the Ambassadors’. The wood work is completely made out of Cedar wood. Floors are patterned earthenware mosaics and painted in red, blue, yellow etc.
Hall of Secrets
To the South-East is the famous ‘court of the Lions’, held up by one hundred marble columns. In the centre is a fountain resting on 12 carved stone lions. There are many halls
equally beautiful. ‘The Hall of Secrets’ is acoustically engineered. If one speaks in one corner, you can hear at the other end.
Patterns of leaves, flowers and arab calligraphy decorate the palace all over in many colours and turn the Alhambra into a fairy land.
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