Page 18 - All About History - Issue 70-18
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Palacio de Comares
The Palace of Comares, also part of the Nazareth Palaces
SPAIN complex which began construction in the 13th century, was
the king’s official residence. The throne room was located
inside the Hall of the Ambassadors, which itself was in
the Comares Tower. It was built and richly decorated by
Yusuf I, with several rooms surrounding the Court of the
Myrtles. Stained glass arched windows dominated the city
of Granada.
ALHAMBRA Palacio del Mexuar
The Mexuar was completed in 1365 but
it was greatly altered in subsequent
decades. Forming part of the Nazareth
Palaces complex, it was originally used
as a functional reception hall for the
public and a meeting place for the
council of ministers. An upper floor
was added and it became a chapel in
GRANADA, ANDALUSIA, SPAIN, 1238 the 16th century.
From the Arabic for ‘castles of red’, this stunning
Moorish palace sits on top of a hill and dominates
the skyline of a particularly beautiful part of Spain’s The military zone
Andalusia. It is testament to the achievements of The Alhambra was originally a
the Arabs who once ruled over this land, although fortress built in 889, and defence
it has changed much since its construction due remained important as it expanded
mainly to the Christian conquest of 1492. over the centuries. The Alcazaba
When it was constructed in 889, the Alhambra section once housed a small red
replaced Roman fortifications but it was soon castle but it was fortified with thick
neglected and left to rot for many decades. It was walls and three towers (Homenaje,
the emir Muhammad ibn al-Ahmar who decided Vela and Quebrada) by Muhammad
I of Granada who made the
to bring it back to life in the 13th century after he Alhambra his residence. Soldiers
had established the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada in would live in homes constructed
1230. His arrival heralded 200 years of economic within a courtyard and there was a
and cultural prosperity and the Alhambra came to bread-making oven too.
reflect such cross-wealth.
Indeed, the Alhambra continued to evolve.
Yusuf I, the seventh Nasrid ruler, turned it into
a royal palace in 1333 and, 15 years later, he
commissioned the construction of its imposing,
arched entrance, the Puerta de la Justicia, or Gate
of Justice. Together with his father Ismail I and
son Muhammad V, Yusuf developed the Palacio
Nazaries, the Nazareth Palaces complex. It was
a strong seat of power in Europe, also proving
elaborate, elegant and ornate.
Muhammad XIII, also known as Boabdill, was
the last Nasrid emir to enjoy it. He surrendered
what had become a citadel of defensive towers
and high walls to the Christian Spanish kingdoms
of Aragon and Castile. It allowed Spanish royals
Ferdinand and Isabella to turn it in their Royal Palacio del Partal
Court and, from that moment on, it was fashioned As one of the oldest buildings in the
in a Renaissance style. Alhambra, the Palacio del Partal is next to
With many Muslims having moved to Africa, the Torre de las Damas, or the Tower of
more buildings were constructed including a the Ladies, and it was constructed during
church, a Franciscan Monastery and homes. the reign of Mohammad III between
The building of the Palace of Charles V in 1527 1302 and 1309. Beautiful gardens were
also got underway, adopting a Mannerist style, designed by the restoration architect
although it never became home to a monarch and Leopoldo Torres Balbás in a French style,
from 1924. He also restored the Mexuar
it was without a roof for some 430 years. Today and the Patio de los Leones.
the Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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