The Alhambra in Granada, Spain - Our Visual Tour
From the Mirador San Nicolas, the Alhambra Dominates the Opposite Hilltop
The Fortress Walls Rise Above Us, Impregnable and Strong
This model at the Visitor's Entrance depicts how it was during the Nasrid Empire. In the lower right is the Alcazaba Fortress; the Nasrid Palace Complex is to the left of the fortress along the nearest wall. The lower buildings stretching along the opposite wall are the Medina, the town where artists, builders and people who worked for the sultan lived.
We Enter Through Fortified Entrance Gates, Built to Protect It From Unwelcome Visiters
We Continue Our Tour Along the Calle Real.
The Facade of the Carlos V Palace is a Great Example of Renaissance Architecture but Clearly Out of Place in this Moorish Complex.
Past the Carlos V Palace is the Wine Gate, separating the Palaces and Medina from the Alcazaba Fortress.
Looking Across the Plaza de los Aljibes Toward the Fortress Towers, This Place Looks Impregnable!
From the Towers, the Views of the City are Wonderful!
 
Looking Back, There are Views of the Nasrid Gardens and the Carlos V Palace...
...As Well as the Small Town Inside the Fortress Walls Where the Elite Guard Lived
Back Through the Wine Gate to the Carlos V Palace, We Discover That
Inside the Square Outer Walls is a Circular Arcade, Now Used for Performances!
Now it is Time to Visit the Nasrid Palaces, the Most Beautiful Area Where the Sultans and Their Families Lived.
Passing through the gate....
...We Walk into the Mexuar, with its Slender Marble Columns Topped by
Square, Well Embellished Capitals and Rich, Geometric Tile Around the Room.
Beyond the Mexuar is the Patio del Quarto Dorado, Leading to the Comares Palace.
The Court of the Myrtles Lies Beyond with Lovely and Harmonious Porticos at Each End.
 
The Comares Hall, a great square space, its ceiling of intricate wooden pieces
creating a representation of the heavens, was too dark to capture.
The Lions were absent from the Court of the Lions (left below)
as they are being restored in the conservatory (right below)!
 
Inside the Palace of Lions, the Cupolas Reflect the Superb Climax of Moorish Artistry.
The Picture Cannot Capture the Depth and Complexity of this Structure.
The Subtle Blending of Interior Spaces, Amazingly Embellished, and the Outdoor Spaces,
Serene and Green, are the Essence of this Place!
The Generalife Gardens adjoin the fortress and palaces of the Alhambra. It is a collection of kitchen garden and orchards, formal gardens, patios, walks and open spaces.
Especially interesting to us was the Patio de la Acequia, a garden created around the flowing water of the acequia real that brought water from the Rio Darro to the Alhambra using only gravity.
Walking Back Down the Hill, the Buildings of the Alhambra Were Now Familiar as
We Recalled the Sights of the Day with Pleasure!
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