Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

SPANISH ALHAMBRA 327

T

he Alhambra in Granada, Spain,

is recognizable from afar for its

distinctive brickwork made from

red clay and gravel: its name

means “red castle”. The interior is a marvel

of stonework and decoration in

sandstone, stucco, and wood.

Sandstone has long been an

important building material.

Its durability as both a building

and a sculptural material

is unsurpassed among

sedimentary rocks. Stucco is a

fine plaster used to coat walls

and moulded into decoration. Used

together in the Alhambra, they suffuse

the interior with a warm glow and a wealth

of textural detail.

In its heyday, the Alhambra was a

citadel and palace, but it has since been

used as a barracks, prison, and Roma

settlement, with farm animals roaming the

ruined halls. The Romantics rediscovered

it in the 19th century, inspired by its former

glories. One famous visitor was Washington

Irving, author of Rip Van Winkle. Irving

invented a history for the citadel’s Hall of

the Two Sisters, involving a pair of Muslim

princesses who fell in love with their

Christian captives. One eloped with her

suitor, while the other remained behind, a

forlorn spinster. The reality is more prosaic

• the “sisters” are two large marble
  flagstones on the floor. This
  hall was part of the residential
  quarters, where the Sultana
  (ruler) lived with her children.
  Its outstanding feature is the
  muqarnas dome in the centre.
  Muqarnas is an intricate form of
  tiered vaulting, made of painted
  stucco. Based on a geometric
  design, it has thousands of overlapping,
  stalactite-like “cells” – possibly a visual
  reference to the cave in which Muhammed
  received the revelation of the Koran.

Spanish Alhambra

△ Courtyard of the Lions

Engraving showing the

Alhambra, 1890

Ceiling of the Hall of the Two Sisters: this worm’s-eye

view of the interior of its muqarnas dome shows its cell-like

patterning in stucco

Key dates

889 CE–1984

800

1300

1400

1500

1800

1900

2000

1600

Ferdinand and Isabella

It absolutely

appears to me

like a dream

Washington Irving

Author

889 CE Sawwar ben

Hamdun builds a fortress on

the site of the Alhambra

1333 Sultan Yusuf I

begins converting the fort

into a royal palace

1353–91 During the

reign of Mohammed V of

Grenada, the Hall of the Two

Sisters is constructed, within

the Palace of the Lions

1870 The Alhambra is

declared a national

monument

c.1600s–1700s The

building falls into disrepair

and is occupied by squatters

1808–12 Napoleon’s

troops occupy the

Alhambra, using it

as a military barracks

1984 UNESCO recognises

the Alhambra as a World

Heritage Site

1526 Charles V of Spain

builds a Renaissance-style

palace within the Alhambra

1492 After expelling the

Moors from Granada,

Catholic monarchs

Ferdinand and Isabella

establish their court here

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