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A Brief History of the Alhambra
A Brief History of the Alhambra
The earliest construction of the Alhambra castle was begun for military reasons in the ninth century when the first kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicín across from the early Alhambra. It wasn’t until 1238, under the control and expansion of the Nasrites, that the Alhambra began to take shape as a residence of kings. By the end of their rule, the Alhambra would include the alcazaba (fortress), alcazar (palace) and a medina (small city).
Under this dynasty, Muhammad Al-Ahmar, the Alhambra’s founder, began work on the restoration of the old fortress, which his son, Muhammed II, completed after his death. The palaces, called Casa Real Vieja (Old Royal House or Palace), date to the 14th century and are the work of two powerful kings, Yusuf I and Muhammed V. The former oversaw construction of the Cuarto de Comares (Chamber of Comares), the Puerta de la Justicia (Gate of Justice), the baths and some of its towers. His son, Muhammed V, added some additional rooms and fortifications, and further beautified the palaces with the Cuarto de los Leones (Chamber of the Lions).
When the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabel, conquered the city in 1492, the Alhambra became a Christian court. Numerous structures were built for prominent citizens, as well as military garrisons, a church and a Franciscan monastery. Emperor Charles V made the most controversial alterations, including building the palace that bears his name in the center of the compound. Other Austrian kings left more subtle impressions on the Alhambra.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Alhambra fell into neglect, its salons turned to dung heaps, its taverns overrun by thieves and beggars. During this period the American writer Washington Irving took up residence in the decrepit castle. His experiences and numerous legends surrounding the Alhambra would later be immortalized in his book, Tales From the Alhambra. Another writer, Richard Ford, captured this sad period of the Alhambra’s existence poignantly when he wrote, “Thus bats defile abandoned castles, and the reality of Spanish criminals and beggars destroy the illusion of this fairy palace of the Moors.”
Napoleon’s troops, who controlled Granada from 1808-1812, converted the palaces of the Alhambra into barracks and ultimately left two of the towers, the Torre de Siete Suelos and the Torre de Agua, in ruins. The problems continued until the Alhambra was declared a national monument in 1870. As an interesting side note, the Koran supports the Muslim ideal that heaven is a garden nourished by running water. Some point to this in reasoning that the Alhambra was an Arabic attempt to create heaven on earth. These days the Alhambra is host to nearly 8,000 visitors a day. It is looked over and cared for religiously and has been restored to a reasonable semblance of its former glory.
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