Albaicin

1. Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Rising above the modern lower town,the Alhambra and the Albaycín, situated on two adjacenthills,form the medieval
part of Granada. To the eastof the Alhambra fortress and residence are the magnificentgardens ofthe Generalife,the
former rural residence ofthe emirs who ruled this partof Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries.The residential districtof
the Albaycín is a rich repositoryof Moorish vernacular architecture,into which the traditional Andalusian architecture
blends harmoniously.
Description
Unique artistic creations,the Alhambra and the Generalife of Granada bear exceptional testimonyto Muslim Spain ofthe
16th century. They form an exceptional example of royal Arab residences ofthe medieval period:neither destroyed nor
changed by the alterations of radical restorations,the Alhambra and the Generalife appear to have escaped the
vicissitudes oftime.Despite the developmentthatfollowed the Christian conquest,the Albayzín still bears witness to the
medieval Moorish settlement,as its urban fabric, architecture and main characteristics (form,materials,colours),were
not changed when it was adapted to the Christian wayof life, to survive as a remarkable example ofa Spanish -Moorish
town.
Archaeological excavations have shown that the hill where the Albayzín is now situated has been occupied continu ously
from as early as the Roman period.In the mid-8th century the region's governor builta fortress where the Plaza de San
Nicolás is now located.After the disappearance ofthe Caliphate ofCordoba (1031),the ephemeral Zirid Emirate of
Granada replaced it until 1090: the emirs devoted themselves to the embellishmentoftheir capital,constructed on a site
of exceptional beauty. A new defensive enclosure was added and around this a settlementgrew up.The town prospered
under the Nasrid dynasty and this was reflected by considerable developmentofthe city, but Granada did not become of
the importantcentres ofMuslim Spain until much later - in 1238,when Muhammad ibn al Ahmar founded the present
Alhambra.
The palace was essentiallycompleted in the 14th century by Yusuf I and his son Mohammed V. It is organized around
two rectangular courts,the patio de Los Arrayanes and the Patio de Los Lames,and includes a large number ofrooms of
a highly refined taste,with marble columns,stalactite cupolas,ornamental works in stucco,gailycoloured azulejos ,
precious wood inlayed and sculpted,and paintings on leather compete with the richness and the delicacy of the natural
decor: the water, still and sparkling in immense basins,flows outinto the basins ofthe fountains (the circular fountain of
the Court of Lions),glides through narrow canals,and explodes into jets ofwater or falls in refreshing cascades.
When the Reconquista was completed in 1492,the emigration ofmostof the Muslim inhabitants and the baptism of
those who remained,together with settlementby a substantial Christian population,had an effect on the developmentof
the quarter. The new late Gothic or early Plateresque churches and monasteries harmonized with the existing
architecture.Both fortress and residence,the Alhambra (Arabic 'The Red') incorporates palaces,guard room,patios and
gardens as well as workshops,shops,baths and mosque (independentlyof the church of Santa María builtin the 16th
century on the site of the royal mosque).It is enclosed bya massive fortified wall with towers,extended to the south-
west.
In the 19th century the lower quarters of the town were transformed and losttheir artistic qualities.Much of the
significance ofthe Albayzín lies in the medieval town plan with its narrow streets and small squares and in the relatively
modesthouses in Moorish and Andalusian style thatline then. There are, however, some more imposing reminders ofits
pastprosperity.Among them are the Casa de la Reina (the remains ofan aristocratic residence),the Corral del Carbón
(an ancientcaravanserai),and the former hermitage,converted into the church of San Sebastián.After the
Reconquista, Los Reyes Catolicos honoured Granada in manyways and endowed itwith many religious monuments.
Diego de Siloé, who was trained in Toledo and was one of the initiators of the Plateresque style,became one ofthe most
importantarchitects working in Granada.Among his many masterpieces there is the Patio de la Chancillería.
At a shortdistance to the eastof the Alhambra,the enchantmentis extended to the gardens of the Generalife,rural
residence ofthe Emirs.The relationship between the architectural and the natural has been reversed here,where
gardens and water predominate over the pavilions,summerhouses and living quarters.The m assive boxwood trees,
rose,carnation and gillyflower bushes,shrubs ranging from willow to cypress,comprise an absolute masterpiece ofthe
art of horticulture by restoring the Koranic image ofparadise to the believers.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC

2. Historical Description
Archaeological excavations have shown that the hill where the Albayzín is now situated has been occupied continuously
from as early as the Roman period.In the mid-8th century the region's governor Asap ben Abderrahman builta fortress
where the Plaza de San Nicolas is now located (known as the Casbah until the Alhambra was builtin the 13th century,
when it became known as the Old Casbah).A new defensive enclosure was added bythe Zirids in the 11th century, and
around this a settlementgrew up.The town prospered under the Nasrid dynastyand this was reflected by considerable
developmentofthe Albayzín in the mid-14th century; it became the quarter of Arab and Jewish craftsmen and traders.
When the Reconquista was completed in 1492,the population ofthe Albayzín rose to 60,000.The emigration ofmostof
the Moslem inhabitants and the baptism ofthose who remained,together with settlementby a substantial Christian
population,had an effect on the developmentofthe quarter, but withoutdisfiguring the old Moorish town. The new late
Gothic or early Plateresque churches and monasteries harmonized with the existing architecture.
The remarkable expansion ofagriculture in the region in the 19th century gave a new impetus to the developmentof
Granada.The lower quarters of the town were transformed and losttheir artistic qualities.However,the Albayzín was
spared this new urbanization owing to its hillside location.Todaythe town is divided into two distinctparts:on the one
hand the modem lower town and on the other the medieval town on its two hills,the Alhambra and the Albayzín, which
form a coherentwhole.