Granada

Granada in Andalusia, Spain, is one of the mythic cities of the world, funded by the Moors and conquered by the Catholic kings as the apogee of their reconquista, for which reason they made it the nervous point of their new kingdom (they are buried there).

Its most famous highlight is the Alhambra, a military and palace complex from the Muslim leaders, in particular from the Nasrid dynasty. It became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (this is where Columbus received his royal mandate for his expeditions that were to change the face of the world). Charles V built a palace at the heart of the Alhambra but eventually decided to move back to the North (in Toledo), and is himself buried in El Escorial, so that Granada had served its political purpose and would forever remain as the symbol of the defeated Muslim rule in Spain.

Gallery

Granada was the highlight of our trip to Granada and the Sierra Nevada (December 2017).

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  Inside the Alhambra: the Alcazaba, the military residential area where lived the soldiers defending the Sultan and the palace. This is the oldest part.

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  The impressive patio of the Palace of Charles V, bringing new shapes to the Alhambra.

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  Windows of the Court of Myrtles, displaying the exquisite Muslim attention to details.

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  The famous Patio of the Lions.

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  The Puerta de la Justicia: a hand, at the very top, and a key, below, are sculpted a distance apart. When the hand will grab the key, the world will end.

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  A view of the Alhambra from the streets of the old Moorish medieval quarters: the Albaicín.