Every inch of the palace is covered with intricate designs and filigree work; carved into rich, wooden panels, laid out in beautiful tile, carved in white marble and alabaster pillars, with lavish plasterwork, arches, and walls. It’s amazing that the delicate peristyles and fragile fretwork have survived over so many centuries and much neglect.
Fountains and pools are everywhere; you’re never far away from the soothing sound of trickling water. One of the Moors’ most significant engineering feats was the diversion of the Darro River, originating in the high Sierras, to supply the Alhambra with plentiful water.
This fountain, Escalera de agua, is known as the water stairs and dates from the 16th century. It is a long staircase set amongst bushes and trees. It has water splashing down inside the hollow hand rail and is a unique and eye-catching sight.
The Generalife, “garden of paradise,” is on a plateau above the Alhambra. The gardens are magical; it’s easy to imagine the young princesses playing in the gardens or gazing out over the village and vega far below.
Entering the garden is entering another world. I am fascinated with the hedges which are tall, with densely packed foliage, trimmed into precise geometric shapes marking the boundary of garden rooms and enclosing paths with an abhor shape, creating intimate spaces.
Canals run through two larger courtyards nearer to the residence, the Court of the Main Canal which brings in water from the Royal Canal to the Generalife, and the Soultana’s Court, originally the site of the Palace Bath.
On the west side of the Court of the Main Canal is a central observation point decorated with the lavish plasterwork from the early 1300s. Arched openings are low to the ground so that privileged visitors could recline on the floor with their arm on the sill and contemplate their surroundings, much of which remains unchanged today.
I highly recommend Washington Irving’s book, Tales of the Alhambra. It is a collection of essays and stories that he wrote while he was staying at the Alhambra when he was the US Minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846. It tells of his experience and of the history and myth of this wonderful, magical place.
