19/03/2015 AlhambraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra 1/15

UNESCOWorldHeritageSite

Alhamra,GeneralifeandAlbayzn,GranadaNameasinscribedontheWorldHeritageList(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list)

Type Cultural

Criteria i,iii,iv

Reference 314bis(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/314)

UNESCOregion(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/?

search=&search_by_country=&type=&media=&region=&order=region)

EuropeandNorthAmerica

InscriptionhistoryInscription 1984(Extension:1994)(Unknown

Session)

AlhambraFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Alhamra(/lhmbr/Spanish:[alamba]Arabic:,[lm],Alamr',lit."theredone"),[a]thecompleteformofwhichwasCalatAlhamra,[b]isapalaceandfortresscomplexlocatedinGranada,Andalusia,Spain.Itwasoriginallyconstructedasasmallfortressin889andthenlargelyignoreduntilitsruinswererenovatedandrebuiltinthemid11thcenturybytheMoorishemirMohammedbenAlAhmaroftheEmirateofGranada,whobuiltitscurrentpalaceandwalls.Itwasconvertedintoaroyalpalacein1333byYusufI,SultanofGranada.[1]

Alhamra'sIslamicpalaces,asweknowthemtoday,werebuiltforthelastMuslimemirsinSpainandthecourtoftheNasriddynasty.AftertheconquestofGranadabytheReyesCatlicos("CatholicMonarchs")in1492,someportionswereusedbyChristianrulers.ThePalaceofCharlesV,builtbyCharlesV,HolyRomanEmperorin1527,wasinsertedintheAlhambrawithintheNasridfortifications.Afterbeingallowedtofallintodisrepairforcenturies,thebuildingsbeingoccupiedbysquatters,Alhambrawasrediscoveredinthe19thcenturybyEuropeanscholarsandtravelers,withrestorationscommencing.ItisnowoneofSpain'smajortouristattractions,exhibitingthecountry'smostsignificantandwellknownIslamicarchitecture,togetherwith16thcenturyandlaterChristianbuildingandgardeninterventions.AlhambraisaUNESCOWorldHeritageSiteandtheinspirationformanysongsandstories.[2]

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Moorishpoetsdescribeditas"apearlsetinemeralds,"anallusiontothecolourofitsbuildingsandthewoodsaroundthem.[3]Thepalacecomplexwasdesignedwiththemountainoussiteinmindandmanyformsoftechnologywereconsidered.Thepark(AlamedadelaAlhambra),whichisovergrownwithwildflowersandgrassinthespring,wasplantedbytheMoorswithroses,oranges,andmyrtlesitsmostcharacteristicfeature,however,isthedensewoodofEnglishelmsbroughtbytheDukeofWellingtonin1812.Theparkhasamultitudeofnightingalesandisusuallyfilledwiththesoundofrunningwaterfromseveralfountainsandcascades.Thesearesuppliedthroughaconduit8km(5.0mi)long,whichisconnectedwiththeDarroatthemonasteryofJesusdelValleaboveGranada.[4]

Despitelongneglect,willfulvandalism,andsomeilljudgedrestoration,AlhambraenduresasanatypicalexampleofMuslimartinitsfinalEuropeanstages,relativelyuninfluencedbythedirectByzantineinfluencesfoundintheMezquitaofCrdoba.Themajorityofthepalacebuildingsarequadrangularinplan,withalltheroomsopeningontoacentralcourt,andthewholereacheditspresentsizesimplybythegradualadditionofnewquadrangles,designedonthesameprinciple,thoughvaryingindimensions,andconnectedwitheachotherbysmallerroomsandpassages.AlhambrawasextendedbythedifferentMuslimrulerswholivedinthecomplex.However,eachnewsectionthatwasaddedfollowedtheconsistentthemeof"paradiseonearth".Columnarcades,fountainswithrunningwater,andreflectingpoolswereusedtoaddtotheaestheticandfunctionalcomplexity.Ineverycase,theexteriorwasleftplainandaustere.Sunandwindwerefreelyadmitted.Blue,red,andagoldenyellow,allsomewhatfadedthroughlapseoftimeandexposure,arethecolorschieflyemployed.[4]

Thedecorationconsists,asarule,ofArabicinscriptionsthataremanipulatedintogeometricalpatternswroughtintoarabesques.Paintedtilesarelargelyusedaspanellingforthewalls.[4]ThepalacecomplexisdesignedintheMudjarstyle,whichischaracteristicofwesternelementsreinterpretedintoIslamicformsandwidelypopularduringthesocalledReconquista,the"reconquest"oftheIberianPeninsulafromtheMuslimsbytheChristiankingdoms.

Contents

1Layout2Architecturaldetails3History4Overview

4.1Royalcomplex4.2CourtoftheMyrtles4.3HalloftheAmbassadors4.4CourtoftheLionsandfountain

4.4.1FountainofLions4.5HalloftheAbencerrajes4.6Generalife4.7Otherfeatures

5Influence5.1Inliterature5.2Inmusic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtus_communishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B3rdoba,_Andalusiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud%C3%A9jarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Elmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordoba_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darro_(river)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabesque_(Islamic_art)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellingtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale