WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
La Alhambra
By Chris Nedahl
Many people seldom visit places of interest or importance in their own countries. This is
true of expats settled here in sunny Spain. Having our granddaughter visit last summer
prompted us to book tickets for the Alhambra in Granada, highly recommended due to the
number of visitors.
From our adopted home of Arboleas in the Almanzora Valley it is a two hour drive to
Granada. The journey itself is rewarding as you view the changing countryside and see the
Sierra Nevada with its vast areas of snow, even in the height of summer.
The Alhambra, Arabic for ‘red castle’, is well sign posted but don’t get caught by the men at
the road side as you approach the hill to the parking area. They are convincing when
slowing you down and directing you into a lay-by, they explain there is no room left at the
Alhambra. Once you lock your car they guide you across the road onto a rough path saying
it is a short cut. Some metres along they attempt to elicit money from you for parking! The
path is leading you away from the palace entrance and one wonders what might happen to
vulnerable people when they don’t wish to part with any Euros.
Once at the Alhambra access is easy. We placed the credit card used to purchase our
online tickets into a machine and hey presto our paper copies were in our hands. We had to
wait for our entry time but once in we wandered at our leisure through the beautiful gardens
and the different areas of the Moorish fortress.
The construction of this immense creation began in 1338 during the period of the Nasrid
Dynasty but its architect is unknown.
The Palacios de Nazarenes contains many rooms and once housed the personal chambers
of the king and queen, the baths, the harem, a number of halls and superb gardens. We
could only wonder at the skill of those workmen of centuries ago. The intricacies of the tiled
decoration and carving were outstanding. Here there is some evidence of Christian
influence in the Patio de los Leones or Patio of the Lions. Entry into this old Royal House is
at a specific time and whilst we could spend as much time inside as we wished, once we
exited we could not return.
The Generalife, set on the slopes of Cerro del Sol, Hill of the Sun, commands a view over
the whole city of Granada and the valleys of the rivers Genil and Darro. History does not tell
us the meaning of the name but it was a place where the kings of the city could relax, away
from affairs of state. The building is plainer and lacks the ornate decoration of the Nasrid
Palaces. It lends itself more to the intimate leisure of its royal occupants.
Outside the Generalife a channel carries water from the irrigation ditch of the Alhambra. El
Patio de la Acequia or the Patio of the Irrigation Ditch is the most important part of the
Generalife, dividing it lengthways. On the right hand side is the Patio de los Cipreses, Patio
of the Cypresses where the famous Ciprés de la Sultana or Cypress of the Sultana stands.
11 | May 2016