Greetings, dear readers. This weekend, my friend Luis, who lives in Barcelona, visited the city of Granada and invited me to visit the Alhambra, one of Spain's most important tourist attractions. It is a medieval citadel made up of several buildings: the alcazaba or fort, where the military guard that defended the castle was located, the Nasrid palaces, where the vizier and his court resided, the Generalife, and the Palace of Charles V. Construction began in 1238 under the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, Muhammad I, and Nasrid monarchs continued building for two centuries until 1492, during the Reconquista, when the Catholic Monarchs took the citadel and expelled the Moors from Spain. I'll tell you about that interesting trip, because I have chosen the following topic for weekend-engagement:

As was common in ancient castles and forts, the Alhambra was built on top of a hill, the hill of Sabika. From the towers of the citadel, you have a panoramic view of the city of Granada. If any enemy army approached the vizier, they could see it from there, even when it was still far away. But the citadel or fort was not the first building we visited. The first building my friend and I saw when we entered the Alhambra was the Palace of Charles V, built during the Renaissance by the Spanish monarch after he married Isabella of Portugal in 1526. Like the other buildings that make up the Alhambra, it is reddish in color. Since 1958, it has housed the headquarters of the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada and, since 1994, it has also been the headquarters of the Alhambra Museum. There you can see altarpieces, paintings, and sculptures, and cultural events are occasionally held in its central courtyard. When we visited, there were chairs set up for some event. It does not have the charm of the other Arab-style buildings in the Alhambra.

Two elements that I love, which I have seen frequently in Andalusia since I have lived here, are of Arab heritage, and we find them, of course, in the Alhambra: fountains and gardens. You will find them anywhere you visit in Andalusia. Here are some photos of the gardens and fountains that I enjoyed seeing in the Alhambra.

Unfortunately, we couldn't visit the Nasrid palaces, probably the most beautiful buildings in the Alhambra. As it is the most visited area, you have to book tickets well in advance. But my friend did manage to buy tickets to visit the Generalife, where you can also see a very well-preserved example of Arabic architecture in Spain. The walls, arches, and windows are beautifully carved, with lovely fountains and interior gardens. It was my favorite building of all the ones I saw.

The last building we visited was probably the first to be built, the Alcazaba. This fort was home to the vizier's guard, responsible for protecting the citadel during the Arab occupation, and later, when the Spanish kings took the citadel, it served the same purpose. It is the tallest building, making it possible to spot any approaching enemies. To reach the highest tower, you have to climb quite a few stairs, but the view is really worth it. From there, I could see a good part of the city of Granada and the Albaicín, a beautiful neighborhood located opposite the Alhambra, which I was able to visit on another occasion when I was in the city.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed a happy weekend. Greetings from Andalusia, Spain.

Since my native language is not English, I have had to rely on the Deepl.com platform to translate this article into English.