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AL HAMRA contemporary art projects is a plural artistic initiative promoted by a group of architects and visual artists in order to reclaim and recover the ornamental characteristic motifs of al-Andalus Muslim art, well as of the 'az-zulaiy' and the 'zillij' or 'zellige' traditions of the Mediterranean shores, reinterpreting formally turn, from the point of view of its own present, as contemporary and avant-garde elements for a new art creation, mainly related to pure geometric abstraction.


October 15, 2015

The urban structure of the Alhambra


The current set of the Alhambra is the culmination of a type of palace-city that emerged in the Eastern world, found its best manifestation in the Andalusian world in the mythical Madinat-al-Zahra  created during the Caliphate of Cordoba by Abderahman III. It was a perfectly defended citadel and was completely isolated from other structures in the city of Granada.

The Alhambra possessed three distinct nuclei: the citadel, palaces and residential and artisan medina; all within a walled compound with several defensive-residential towers and four major entrances: the Gate of the Justice and Weapons door, which communicated with the Alhambra through the lower city, respectively, the Albaicín and Realejo; and the Gate of Arrabal and the Seven Floors, allowing arrival at the Alhambra without going before Madinat Gharnatah.

The Alcazaba Yidida or New is different from other Andalusian citadels, in the sense that its interior space weapons, rather than enabled with removable tents, dealt with 17 military housing and two elite guard barracks. Those houses were modeled on Roman style houses with simplified impluvium. Ample space was used for communication between the citadel and the area of the palaces, much changed in the early sixteenth century when it was built in large reservoirs and the current Plaza de Armas.

The Nasrid palaces occupied the central part of the whole. Today is a pale reflection of its former glory, especially if you consider that it was a comprehensive set of separate buildings, of which only now kept in good condition the quarter of Comares, Lions, Generalife and part of Partal. The medina, finally, with its mosque and craft and residential parts occupy the most elevated area, being a nucleus that soon became congested by population growth, which contrasted greatly with amplitude of courtly buildings. This area is accessed directly by Gate Seven Floors.

Of the 6 royal palaces which owned the grounds of the Alhambra (they should add the extrawalls Generalife palace) now only have survived in relatively good condition two: the quarter of  Comares and Lions.

And finally, located at the back of this magnificent palace of the Lions, were two important areas: The Rauda or cemetery of the Nasrid dynasty (rauda is a synonym for garden, to allude to the paradise of repose for the deads, mourned symbolically with morning dew) and the Alhambra royal mosque, occupied now by the parish church of Santa Maria.

The Alhambra was among the few Hispanic precincts of Muslims who escaped the burning and destruction of the troops of the Catholic Monarchs. They received it intact thanks to the surrender of the last Nasrid king, Boabdil. Soon began the Catholic modifications, changing minarets by bell towers and the downfall of some rooms. In 1495, by order of Isabella the Catholic, was built the Convent of Saint Francis, for the Franciscan Order, the first Christian transformation of the Alhambra. The Castilian monarch decided to use for this first Christian building, in the heart of the Nasrid citadel, an Arabic palace built in the time of Muhammad II.

The Nasrid grounds suffered during the imperial time of Charles V the greater transformation, which involved numerous damages in its original configuration. The Emperor Charles V was determined to conditioning the palatial rooms for their use and enjoyment. He began with the Mexuar, who suffered his first reform, to continue with the transformation of the Peinador de la Reina in 1537, which became an intimate chamber for his wife. Previously, in 1526 he opened way through the Nasrid buildings to create the Courtyard of Lindaraja and made reforms in the royal bath of Comares. These interventions in the Nasrid palace area culminated with the construction of the great Renaissance palace, between the years 1528 and 1537, designed by the architect Machuca. The Great Mosque (which had already been 'blessed' a Christian church in times of Isabella the Catholic) was demolished in 1576 and the church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra was built on its site, during the rule of King Philip III.  

 The Alhambra before Catholic kings interventions









Ground plan of the Alhambra with Catholic kings interventions to nowadays