The Spanish Travelogue 3: Granada

The Spanish Travelogue chronicles my journey through the explored and unexplored regions of the Spanish mainland (and the unexplored corners of the explored regions).

If you are fond of cobbled streets, acoustic music, sunny weather and fusion food, Granada would probably become your favourite Spanish city. The confluence of Arabic and Spanish cultures, Granada is located in the province of Andalucia, at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Mediterranean has an influence on both the climate and cuisine of Granada. 

Exploring Granada invariably requires you to know a bit of history (don’t worry - I will keep this bit to a minimum). That is because the main tourist attraction in Granada, drawing thousands of tourists from all over the world, is the Alhambra palace, the blend of Muslim and Christian histories and architecture.

The Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8^th century A.D. established the Moorish control over the region which broadly comprises the present province of Andalucia. And therefore, it is not surprising that the epistemological origins of the word Granada find root in the Arabic Ġarnāṭah, which I was told loosely means ‘Hill of Strangers’. Now that’s a convenient name the Arabs used to explain their evident feelings about a completely different culture they witnessed when they established their rule here in the 8^th century.

In the 13^th century A.D., the Muslim Nasrid dynasty ruling over Granada prospered despite the Christian Reconquista by Ferdinand III of Castile. The region of Sevilla had already been taken over by the Christian king by this time, and Granada remained the central refuge of the Arabs in the Al-Andalus province. It took more than two centuries thereafter for the Christian kings to take over the complete control of Granada, thus marking the end of the Reconquista.

The Moors (loosely meaning, Muslims of Arabic descent) staying on in Granada were eventually forced to convert to Christianity, and over the years they came to become a separate ethnic group called the Moriscos.

The Alhambra palace, with a towering view of the entire city, evidences various periods of the history of Granada. The castle of Alhambra dates back to the 12^th century A.D., and consists of several zones, eminently, the Alcazaba (for purposes of defence), the Nasrid palaces and El Generalife. While most of the Moorish and Morisco architecture has been preserved, there have evidently been later Christian architectural interpolations. Views of the city from various quarters of the palace are beautiful, and if you are into both history and photography, then you ought to visit the palace with a lot of time on your hands. The Court of Lions and the fountain, and the Hall of the Ambassadors are prime attractions. 

The Alhambra offers a towering view of the city, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance

The Court of Lions at the Alhambra

El Generalife, adjacent to the palace, was the garden of the Nasrid kings

El Patio de la Acequia, or the Water Channel Courtyard, is an example of a medieval Persian garden

A special mention needs to be made here of the Hall of the Abencerrajes, with the roof bearing the honeycomb design, as can be seen in Gaudí’s works in Barcelona. Folklore has it that the last Sultan of Granada invited the chiefs of the line of Abencerrajes and massacred them in this hall. Palaces do have small histories hidden in their nooks and corners! I must say that I found the Generalife, or the palace gardens, a bit overhyped. I did not tour the palace at night, but it is said that the nightlife from the Alhambra is worth a visit. You could visit the Granada cathedral and the Royal Chapel which were superimposed over the Great Mosque of Granada, as it existed then.

The honeycomb design in the Hall of the Abencerrajes at Alhambra 

The Christian structures are a superimposition on the Muslim ones

A quick tip here: Book the tickets for Alhambra well in advance. The palace authorities have to invariably be a little inflexible about time, due to the heavy influx of tourists. It is therefore advisable to reach the entrance well on time to avoid hassles.

Moving on from the Alhambra, visit the Albayzín area of Granada. On the right bank of the river Darro, the Albayzín is the ancient Moorish quarter of the Granada. Having the best views of the Alhambra, the Albayzín has cobbled streets opening on to the main street, lined with cafeterias. Albayzín is also the popular shopping district of Granada, so make sure you bargain very well and do a lot of window shopping in order to get the best deals. This I write from impression and not from experience, since I spent most of my time around this region in the pursuit of food.

The Albayzín area has cobbled streets opening on to the main street, lined with cafeterias with the Alhambra towering above

If you have been roaming around other places in Spain and are tired (alright, blasphemously tired) of Spanish food, Granada offers you relief-restaurants, with an abundance of options in Arabian and Mediterranean cuisine. The beef couscous with caramelized onions is a personal recommendation. A lot of restaurants offer fusion food which is worth exploring.

Granada is a place you explore by just walking around. Your walk may take you to El Realejo, or the Jewish quarters. The cobbled alleys, the quiet walk by the river at night with the imposing Alhambra palace as the background, the musicians at every corner with their guitars, cajons and accordions, all add to the charm of the city. On one particular evening when a football match was on, it seemed like the entire city had poured out into the streets to watch the game from the cafés, and the enthusiasm in the celebrations was contagious.

Post Script:

It was a lazy, sunny day and I was sitting drinking Raki in one of those numerous open air cafeterias in the Albayzín area which have the Alhambra overlooking them. From the band of musicians playing nearby, the accordion player suddenly came up to me, smiled and said, “Raj Kapoor?”