Let us situate ourselves in medieval Spain, specifically in the area of Andalusia in the south of the peninsula. This is the fortress-palace of the Alhambra, a royal citadel erected over the city of Granada, the last city on the peninsula dominated by the Muslims, who had a palatial city built on top of a steep hill, resembling paradise. . Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Alhambra was the work of the Nasrid dynasty, which ruled the declining Islamic territories of southern Spain until their expulsion in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella, the monarchs who also financed Columbus' expedition through the unexplored Atlantic Ocean in the same year. And the wonderful thing about the Alhambra is that it's not just a building, but the line between landscape and architecture seems almost imperceptible, so that suddenly you're in a courtyard, or suddenly you're in a garden, and the section imposed on the being on top of a hill plays very effectively so that the views through the space and the movement through the space allow you to experience this landscape integrated into the architecture. Here is a plan of the site of the Alhambra, the complex is divided into 3 parts: In the western part of the complex we have the Alcazaba, which is the oldest part of the Alhambra, this was built as the centerpiece of the fortification system to protect area. Its configuration occupied a triangular space contained by a wall, at the end of which is a bastion built in the times of the Catholic Monarchs, while on the opposite side we find a wall, fortified with three watchtowers. In fact, the complex is completely surrounded by a wall and has several watchtowers such as the Torre de la Vela, which is the tallest and most important of the entire complex, and the view of the city from above of these towers is extraordinary. The Alcazaba had as its urban core the military barracks, of which remains can still be seen. Before the palaces were built, the Alcazaba served as the residence of the rulers of the city, later acquiring a purely military character. In the eastern part of the complex, there is the part of the citadel that used to be residential and public, the Alhambra originally enclosed an entire palatine city, including common houses, craft workshops, the royal mint, several mosques and public baths. . There are these little water canals everywhere that run through the entire complex, carrying water from one end to the other. A remarkable feature of Arab engineering. In the north of the complex is the most precious part of the citadel, the main reason for visiting the Alhambra, the Nasrid Palaces, which were the residence of the emirs, the Muslim rulers of the city of Granada. These palaces form a series of apartments, halls and patios, set in a setting of arcades, fountains and gardens. Upon entering, you immediately notice how it is adorned with painstaking surface decoration, whether in plaster, precious stones or glazed tiles. The walls are inlaid with tiles to a height of a little more than a meter, on which a separate scheme of arabesque treatment is carried out. We must remember that the Muslims only decorated with plant and geometric motifs, and also with their writing called calligraphy. This is the Mexuar, which functioned as an entrance wing. To one side is this small courtyard with a small fountain in the center. And one effect that these palaces have is the peace and silence that you feel inside them as if you are completely isolated from the outside world, but at the same time surrounded by nature. This idea of the garden is something that is seen again and again in Islamic architecture, always negotiating between a geometric definition of the garden and the explosive fecundity of nature to reproduce and grow. This is a Qur'anic description of paradise, which is not so different from the Garden of Paradise described in the Old Testament, with the rivers flowing out of the bounded enclosure, but the image of the Garden of Paradise is more emphatically developed in Islamic architecture than in Islamic architecture. Christian architecture, especially in the gardens. I think this shot helps to illustrate how landscape and architecture move together. The plan consists mainly of two oblong patios forming a right angle. You can see that there are several courtyards that organize thin bands of spaces around them, and that these volumes are placed on the edge of the precipice so that they can get these spectacular views and capture the surrounding landscape that is part of the scope of the building, as well as the landscape . close to the gardens that unfold on top of the plateau. Each window in the Alhambra not only showcases a view, but perfectly frames the landscape in a way that makes each view as dramatic as possible. Here is the view from one of the patios of the Alhambra, you can see that it's a big palace on a big hill, and you can see the rest of the city stretching out into the lowlands, and the palace going up the hill. The first of these courtyards, known as the "Patio de los Arrayanes", has its main axis placed from north to south. There is a long linear pool that shows you the integration of water in the patio. This pool reflects the buildings like a large mirror of water that changes with the different shades of light throughout the day. This spectacular element is both aesthetic and functional, because like any dwelling with a human presence, this palace requires a place that contains water, and the water is always circulating through narrow channels that irrigate the bushes. To the south is a two-story arcade, and to the north is the Torre de Comares, and within it the "Salón de los Embajadores", with deeply recessed windows on three sides giving views of the city below, and you could be here at this camera admiring the courtyard but also watching the landscape for any intruders, so you have these stipulated perspectives throughout the building. And notice how in this room, the windows have an element widely used in Islamic architecture called latticework, and the latticework is very functional for places that have a warm climate, because it allows light to enter and air to flow through the interior not directly letting in sunlight, and since Islamic architecture is very introverted and introspective, latticework is also used to increase the privacy of the space, as you can only see through it if you are inside the building. This room is crowned by a polygonal dome with arabesque decorations. This dome is a masterpiece of woodwork. It is made up of cedar wood decorations with interlocking patterns, and is a representation of the Seven Heavens of Islamic Paradise, with the throne of God in the center. The other main patio, the “Patio de los Leones”, is the most elaborate. The pillars alternate between one and two, and are topped with capitals typical of the Alhambra. The arcade is made of wood, covered with rich stucco decoration. It is important to mention that Islamic architecture is obsessed with integrating water into architecture, so water is the essential element in this incredible Alhambra palace, and the combination of water and light creates a space that is a real pleasure to the senses. In this patio we find the mechanism that we saw in the Great Mosque of Córdoba: linear water channels that flow and irrigate the garden and give life to the garden, and a fountain in the center, this is spectacular, it is almost the literal construction of a model from the gardens of paradise in the Qur'an, a bounded enclosure, with water running through it, subdividing the world into four quadrants with these lions, and these fountains go into the chambers on all four sides and become fountains there too, it's great. We saw in the Cordoba mosque the beginning of a kind of pointed arch, this horseshoe arch, or these polylobed arches, and it becomes even more pointed when we get to some of the courtyard arcades here in the Alhambra. In addition, a type of column capital with a square top and a long neck was developed. The columns that support them are very slender, having a height of twelve diameters. The capitals of the Alhambra are treated with conventional scrolls, or are formed with a treatment of stalactites. Said capitals have an upward continuation, in the form of a post, and against their sides the stilted arch rests, supported by a corbel of stalactites. The "Room of the Kings" is at the eastern end of this courtyard. It gets its name because we find paintings on the ceilings with representations of the first ten kings of the dynasty. They are painted on leather and have a clear influence of Christian Gothic art, since in Islamic art we do not usually see images of people, it has even been suggested that they were actually painted by Christian artists. And on both sides of the courtyard are the room of the "Two Sisters" and the "Sala de los Abencerrajes" with ceilings covered with stalactite decoration. These stalactites are known as muqarnas and are an integral form of Islamic vault ornamentation. They originated from the proboscis, an architectural element used in medieval architecture to translate a square into an octagon. Looking at these vaults is amazing, because of all the details they have. Look at the hardness of the exterior of the Alhambra, because this building is almost like a geode, a geode looks like a rock on the outside but if you open it it is a kind of shiny glass, and if you look at the exterior of the Alhambra it seems solid like a stone, it looks hard and fortified, but when you break through that hard layer of masonry, you get the same diaphanous and light collection of screens that we see in mosques, you find an extremely light and dematerialized architecture. And the effect is really amazing because you're in the shadow, you're protected, but you have this amazing transparency of view through the whole space, it's phenomenal. The richly modeled geometric decoration in plaster, brilliantly painted and gilded, has probably never been surpassed. And here is another detail of the fountain of the lions, it consists of a large basin surrounded by twelve sculptures of lions, all carved in marble, and you can see the water that comes out of their mouths and then is led to the complex system of channels . Past the courtyard of the lions there is a corridor with a small room known as the Mirador de Lindaraja, which opens onto a courtyard with the same name, a kind of courtyard of orange trees that you would see in a mosque. This entire hallway is a work of art, where you can take a close look at the rich details of these windows. And in the next corridor you can see through one of the windows the brick vaults of the bathrooms, which have small openings with octagonal stars to illuminate the space with a soft light. These vaults are supported by columns and horseshoe arches. This small patio called Patio de la Reja probably has the best view of the entire palace, because you can see the entire medieval quarter of the city of Granada, the Albaicín. And walking through this neighborhood is very special, because of the architectural character of the buildings, and because of its medieval urban layout, it really gives you the feeling of living in another era, and there is a small square from which you can see the citadel. The oldest preserved palace is the Partal, in front of which we find a large rectangular pool with a layout similar to the one we saw in the Patio de los Arrayanes, and also a set of small garden areas, once again integrating water into the architecture. to irrigate the gardens. The relaxing sound of water is the music of the Alhambra. There are so many amazing views in the Alhambra that make this piece of architecture a great pleasure for all the senses. On the adjoining hill is the Generalife, which is a rustic residence from the Nasrid period. To get there you have to cross a bridge and walk through a large garden with terraces, pools and water channels. When you get to the Generalife, you pass through an arcade. From there you can see the Alhambra in its entirety in the distance. The Generalife features several rectangular garden courtyards with decorated pavilions at each end, and represents the fusion between nature and architecture. You can see in these stairs how the water is integrated even in the railing, and this is precisely the essence of the Alhambra: water, nature and architecture, all in one, where you can feel the freshness even in this hot climate. You may have noticed this square building with a hole in the center, this is the Palace of Carlos V. It was built in 1527 by the architect Pedro Machuca, a disciple of Michelangelo, and it is an important structure. In plan, it is a square 63 meters on each side, enclosing an open circular courtyard 30 meters in diameter. The outer façade is two stories high, the lower one with rustication and the upper one with Ionic columns. Both levels have on the lower windows, other circular windows, so that the mezzanines can be illuminated where they occur. The circular interior elevation is an open colonnade on two floors, of the Doric order on the lower level, and of the Ionic order, lower in height, on the upper level. The structure is built with a golden-colored stone, and the central part of the two visible facades are made of marble. The entire design, which is from the Bramante school, is the purest example of the Renaissance in Spain. The palace was never occupied, and the roof wasn't even finished until the 20th century, but it is a very beautiful space. This is undoubtedly one of the most important and spectacular architectural ensembles of medieval Islamic architecture, and it is also one of the best preserved. So what you see when you visit the Alhambra is exactly what you would have seen in the Middle Ages. Well, there you have the Alhambra from an architectural point of view. I hope you liked it because it took me months to finish this episode, so please like it if you liked it, it really helps me a lot. I have a playlist on my channel with videos of Spain such as the Mosque of Córdoba or the Sagrada Familia, so if you are interested, subscribe so that you receive notifications and see you very soon in a new episode. Until next time!
