Alhambra

Famous photo of the Palacio Nazaries (Alcazar) with the reflecting pool in front.


Another famous sight... Patio de los leones. A statue of 12 lions, rumored to be a present from the Jewish settlers of Granada to their Muslim king. The 12 lions represent the 12 tribes of Israel.








A fountain from the Generalife, or the retreat palace for the Sultan/King. These fountains have the same infrastructure they had when they were originally built, with the water coming directly from the Sierra Nevada mountains (the ones in Spain).

From what I gathered from our guide, the Muslims built the buildings originally as a sort of royal self-contained city, and los reyes católicos Ferdinand and Isabella later took them over. It was one of the only areas of Muslim architecture they didn’t burn upon reconquest as a symbol of Catholic power. Our guide informed us that Muslims generally use cheap “barato” materials in their architecture with many horizontal and vertical lines. But cheap? How about exquisite? Ornate? Amazing? Where else can you see such sights but in Europe?

IF YOU WANT TO VIEW THE PHOTOS IN A LARGER SIZE, CLICK ON THEM.