The Alhambra, a
fortress and masterpiece of Moorish architecture, truly is out of a fairy tale.
From outside, its red fortress towers and walls appear at once plain and
imposing, rising from woods of cypress and elm, with the Sierra
Nevada forming a magnificent backdrop. Inside one finds the
marvelously decorated emirs' palace, the Nasrid
Palace and the Generalife gardens. The buildings date mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries,
after the Arabic Nasrid prince, Ibn al-Ahmar, made an independent Moorish state. Each succeeding Nasrid ruler
continued to beautify the royal palaces, combining wood, plaster, marble, brick
and ceramic tiles with water, light and Arabic calligraphy. Its most
celebrated parts, a series of courtyards surrounded by rooms, present a varied
repertoire of Moorish arched, columnar, and domical forms. The romantic
imagination of centuries of visitors has been captivated by the special
combination of the slender columnar arcades, fountains, and light-reflecting
water basins found in those courtyards, the Lion Court
in particular. This combination is understood from inscriptions to be a
physical realization of descriptions of Paradise in
Islamic poetry.
Capilla Real
The Royal Chapel is located adjoining
the Cathedral. Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragón are buried at this shrine.
The architect Enrique Egas began work on the Royal Chapel in 1506 and completed
it 15 years later, creating a masterpiece of the ornate Gothic style now known
in Spain as Isabelline. In 1521 Isabella's body was transferred to
a simple lead coffin in the Royal Chapel crypt, where it was joined by that of
her husband, Ferdinand, and later her daughter, Juana la Loca, and son-in-law,
Felipe. A small coffin to the right contains the remains of Prince Felipe of
Asturias, a grandson of the Catholic Monarchs and nephew of Juana who died in his infancy. The underground crypt containing the five lead coffins
is quite simple, but it's topped by elaborate marble tombs showing Ferdinand and Isabella lying side-by-side. It was commissioned
by their grandson Charles V and sculpted by Domenico Fancelli. The altarpiece, by Felipe Vigarini,
comprises 34 carved panels depicting religious and historical scenes. The bottom row shows Boabdil surrendering the
keys of the city to its conquerors and the forced baptism of the defeated
Moors. The sacristy holds
Ferdinand's sword, Isabella's crown and scepter, and a fine collection of
Flemish paintings