Inside the Palace of Carlos V
Wonderfully located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, quite a bit away from the popular costs of Southern Andalusia, lies the city of Granada. It has a triumph card in medieval architecture of the Moore people: the Alhambra. This hilltop fortress is impressive with a capital I and can be seen from many of the small streets of the old town with its cute white houses and cobblestones. I have visited Granada twice, the last time at the very end of 2023. Most of the photos in this album are from this trip.
The Alhambra
The Alhambra is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as an oustanding example of historic Islamic architecture. The first Nasrid emir of the state of Al-Andalus, Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, ordered construction of the complex in1238. He chose the Sabika hill, where another fortress and palace had been before. In the 1400s, the Christians took over the site and added their details to it. King Carlos V opened a palace at the grounds in 1528, but it was never finished, and the whole area was left to decay in the centuries after. Up till when Napoleon troops destroyed parts of it in the 1800s. Much restored a century later, it grew to a giant attraction for many tourists that flocked to Granada up to present day.
Walking uphill from the old town towards the Alhambra
One of the towers of the Alhambra
Gate that leads to the Alcazaba
The Patio de la Madraza de los Príncipes
The Palace of Carlos V
Albaicín
The Albaicín (Albayzín) is the historic old town of the Moorish city and the heart of Granada. It has relatively small houses, cute narrow cobblestone streets and small squares. It is a joy to walk through. The old town is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of Granada.
Granada's old town seen from Alhambra
Granada's old town seen from the hill down from Alhambra
The garden of the Palacio de los Cordova
View at the Alhambra from one of the narrow streets in the Albaicín area.
Downhill to a main shopping street
At the tiny Darro river that flows through the old town.
One of the small squares in the old town.
Taberna EL 22
View through the window ...
... of a residential building in the Albaicín.
The Alhambra is never far away when in the Albaicín
Dinner with a view over Granada in The Alhambra is never far away when in the Albaicín
View towards the "new town"
