The great writer Victor Hugo once praised Granada: "There is no city like Granada, with grace and smile, with the shimmering beauty of the Orient, spread out under the clear sky." ”
It is a city of warmth, the most mixed-race city in Spain, where Roman, Moorish, and Jewish cultures collide and blend with each other in the long river of history, decomposing a splendid culture that belongs to Granada.
Granada is located at the southernmost tip of Spain, backed by the snow-capped mountains of Nevada and across the sea from the African continent. Here, the snow-capped mountains and the sea play a song of ice and fire, and countless stories of exile and victory, passion and mourning, are played out in the long history of Granada.
Walking through the streets of Granada is like stepping back in time, with ancient laneways curving and steep, traces of ancient Rome, Moors and Christianity intertwined, with new discoveries and surprises at every step, as if you were in a brilliant and magical labyrinth.
The history of Granada can be traced back to ancient times, and the indigenous people are mainly Iberians. As the Roman Empire continued to expand, the land was gradually conquered by the Romans. In the 2nd century AD, Granada finally became an integral part of the Roman Empire.
The Romans built a series of important public buildings and infrastructure here, including baths, theaters, aqueduct systems, and roads, demonstrating the mastery of Roman civilization and engineering. Granada quickly developed into the regional administrative center and commercial hub of the Roman Empire.
With the rise of Islam in 640 A.D., the Arab Empire began to expand in all directions. In 708, Islam was introduced to North Africa, and the Moors of Ethiopia became the most influential force. In 711, the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula.
African General Tariq ibn Ziyad led a force of 6,500 North African Berbers and 500 Arab warriors across the Strait of Gibraltar. After landing in the Iberian Peninsula, the ships were burned to show their determination to fight against the water.
The Moors finally conquered the land of Granada and made it the capital of Muslim Spain. Arab rule brought great changes to Granada in terms of religion, architecture, and artistic culture.
Advanced irrigation and agricultural techniques have improved local agricultural production and contributed to regional economic prosperity. They also conducted extensive scholarly research and knowledge dissemination in the fields of science, medicine, philosophy, literature, and poetry.
The Moors built many magnificent buildings in Spain, such as the Alhambra and the Great Mosque of Córdoba, showcasing outstanding architectural talent and artistic style. Moorish culture and Spanish native Christian culture have formed a unique intersection and integration in this land.
Under the Moorish rule, a harmonious society of multiculturalism and multi-religion coexistence emerged in Spain, with extensive exchanges and interactions between Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This process is known as the "Al-Andalus period" and was the most prosperous and open period in the history of Spain.
Since the 750s, the Moors have been divided into several Islamic taifa and submitted to the Caliphate of Córdoba. In 1031 the caliphate fell, and the Murabit dynasty of North Africa took power. In 1212, a coalition of Christian kingdoms drove the Muslims out of central Spain.
After that, the Moorish kingdom of Granada continued to flourish for more than three centuries in Andalusia, in the southern part of Iberia. The kingdom is famous for its magnificent architecture as the Alhambra.
As the capital of the last kingdom of the Arabs on the Iberian Peninsula, Granada thus became a city of great symbolic significance. The defeat of the 800-year Moorish rule was one of the most important events in the history of Granada.
In 1492, the Moors were finally forced to surrender to Catholicism and withdrew forever from the European continent, bringing to an end the bloody battles that had been fought for centuries. The last Moorish king stood on the hill outside the city, looking at his beloved Alhambra, and shed tears of reluctance.
The successful reconquest of Granada by the Christians marked the end of nearly seven centuries of "Forte Movement" and the end of Moorish rule in Spain. Since then, Christian religion and culture have regained their dominance in the region.
The Alhambra decree converted the majority of the Muslim population to Catholicism, while those who did not submit were expelled to the suburbs or back to North Africa, and the Jews were expelled. Arabic was replaced by Spanish, and mosques and some former Christian church ruins were returned to Christian use.
The unified Spain began its largest expansion on the globe, and Queen Isabella financed Columbus's voyage to the sea, discovered the New World, and began to colonize and plunder the Americas. Over the next few hundred years, Spain grew into one of the largest empires in the world.
As the last bastion of the Islamic state in Western Europe, the Alhambra still stands solemnly today, a great testimony to this remarkable civilization. The pinnacle of Muslim art in Spain is described in the famous guitar song "Memories of the Alhambra".
One evening in 1896, the Spanish composer Terrega who is known as "Chopin in the history of the guitar" came to the Red Palace, and the afterglow was full of courtyards, and the courtyard was filled with silent sadness. Four hundred years ago, the Arab dynasty dissipated in the bright wind of the Andalusian plateau, and the author was sad and composed a world-famous song that passed through the century.
阿尔罕布拉宫的回忆,Noble Music Project
Perched high on a hill and looming over Granada's skyline, the Alhambra showcases the craftsmanship and artistic style of the Moors. It is the jewel of Islamic art in Spain, known as the "City of Palaces" and the "Wonder of the World", and is known as the most beautiful Arab palace in the world.
Its architectural style blends elements of Islamic, Christian, and Spanish cultures, and the structure includes multiple palaces, gardens, courtyards, and fortifications, each of which displays meticulous ornamentation and fine architectural details.
The Alhambra is divided into four sections: the Palace of Carlos V, the Castle of Acacaba, the Palace of Nasrid and the Palace of Generalife. The highlight of the Palazzo Nasrid is the Palazzo Nasridus, where visitors can admire the intricate carvings, colorful mosaics, and arabesque fountains in the courtyards......
Arabic architecture is closely related to the environment and culture of the region, and the climate is hot and dry, so buildings need to be kept cool. Pools can be used to lower temperatures, and arch structures are not only able to provide shaded spaces, promote ventilation and air flow, but also represent the arc and godliness of faith.
Looking around at the beautiful Arabic carvings and the spring pools illuminated by still water, I think of the magnificent scenes of the night strings of the morning songs, but now it is "the dance hall with cold sleeves, and the wind and rain are sad". Standing in front of the window, the tranquility of the garden contrasts with the decaying ruins and the vast mountains winding away outside the window, and an unprecedented sense of transparency arises.
The Moors left many important buildings and relics in the city, and Granada's Albayzín district is a well-preserved Moorish residential area that still retains many traditional Moorish buildings and unique labyrinthine streets, and is listed as a World Heritage Site.
After the restoration of Christian rule, many new churches, monasteries, and Christian buildings began to emerge, employing a large number of Romance and Gothic styles, with a focus on vertical lines, pointed arches, and intricate carvings. In the later period, the Baroque style gradually prevailed, showing an architectural style with complex details, opulence, and ornate decoration.
The most famous is the Cathedral of Granada, whose foundations date back to Roman times. After the expulsion of the Muslims, the Cathedral of Granada was born, the first Renaissance-style church in Spain, designed by the famous artist of the time, Diego Desiloé.
Combining Gothic and Renaissance styles, the interior of the church is richly decorated, with baroque stained-glass windows that shine in the sun. The carvings of Eve and Adam next to the main altar actually depict the two Catholic kings who succeeded in recovering Granada: Isabella I and Fernando II.
In Spanish, pomegranates are called "Granada". Located in the foothills of Mount Nevada, at the confluence of the Dharroh and Henir rivers, this ancient city has been fabulated by the Moorish Alhambra and its famous mix of Muslim, Jewish and Christian monuments.
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