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.
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| The Alhambra before Catholic kings interventions |
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| Ground plan of the Alhambra with Catholic kings interventions to nowadays |
