7am

We are ready today to conquer the La Sabica hill for Alhambra, today. So after doing all the wajib, we get ready to go up the hill for our tour in Alhambra.

There are two choices to go up, either take a bus or we can walk. We opted to walk. The morning was cool and they were hardly any traffic. As the road was narrow, the authority only allow one traffic flow in one time.

Because of the narrow roads, only mini buses (like mini intrakota) buses can go up the hills. Sometimes these buses would be packed with tourists. Of course if we opted to take the bus than the journey would be much faster but we missed out the adventure of going up the steep hill.

La Sabica was one heck of a hill. From the tarred road to the entrance of the Alhambra compound, the climb was not that difficult, but once we passed the entrance lies the challenge.

It was a gravel road and there were concrete benches for travellers to rest between walks. There were older English couple who were as crazy as us who choose to walk rather than taking the bus. We just smiled at them as the couple kept taking rest between walk.

We were so out of stamina that we were already huffing and puffing half way. We giggled, making jokes of each other's poor condition. And in a way waiting for the old couple to keep up with us. Just for companion ler....

Half way up I was already groaning. We are still farther away from the castle. The elder couple also laugh they discovered that it was still a long way to Alhambra.
"Another hill to climb eh?" The man said to us. We grinned. "Should have taken the bus rite?" I said.
"No, this is fun," said the guy.

A shoeshine saw our entourage and offered to shine our shoes. We declined with a smile. The nice shoeshine man told us to cross the road and said that the Alhambra is just around the corner. Following his advise we crossed the road and again he offered to shine our shoes.. "No thank you"

While I declined, the English elder guy said "why not"

And I wondered why did we crossed the road. If we just follow the path that we used earlier, we would reach the Alhambra ticket counter without the need to cross the road again! Cheh, this shoeshine man!

There were already long lines at the ticket counter. One line was for those who had made bookings while another for those who not.
We paid EUR8 for one person and was given ticket for three entrances - the main, the castle and the Alcazaba (the fort).

The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica which by starlight is silver but by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, evoked by the Moslem analysts who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an alcazaba (fortress), an alcázar (palace) and a small medina (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monument.

There is no reference to the Alhambra as being a residence of kings until the 13th century, even though the fortress had existed since the 9th century. The first kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicin, and nothing remains of them. The Nasrites were probably the emirs who built the Alhambra, starting in 1238.

There is hotel in the vicinity and other monuments such as a former madrasah, palace of Charles V where visitors can check out more than 500 years old carpet and tapestry which are preserved and in good condition.

From there, we enter the La Casa Real and basked in its splendour of intricate carvings of arab phrases praising Allah. The Alhambra contains the three divisions usually found in a Moslem palace, including a reception salon and the royal apartments Chamber of the Lions. This spectacular chamber is the work of Muhammed V and illustrates the most beautiful possibilities of Granada Moslem art. Throughout this chamber a subtle air of femininity and daintiness is sensed, in keeping with the function of these private apartments, devoted to the placid enjoyment of home and family life.

I was evesdropping on the a Spanish who explained to his friends in English on the history of Alhambra. His explanation was different from the normal tourists guide explanation. He explained how culture and peace flourished under the Muslim king rules. How the muslims had lost in politics and made deal with Christian monarchy on the fate of the Andalus people.

"Alhambra was not defeated in any war but because of politics. People and modernisation flourished under the kings rule so they do not want to leave the province," he said.

"However, the Christian monarch did not honour their end of the bargain after they conquered Andalucia. Instead they give three choices to the people. Stay and convert to Christian. Refused and died or flee from the country. Some choose to stay and others leave the country that they loved very much."

Hearing the story from him really opened my eyes on what the fall of politics can do for ones country and religion. May Allah bless my country and me my religion.

My favourite..
The Court of the Lions is characterised by its profound originality, a harmonious merging of East and West. It has been compared to a grove of 124 palm trees, most with double columns, around the oasis of the central fountain with its twelve lions. The twelve-sided marble fountain rests upon the backs of the lions. Water, so essential as a decorative element acquires here an exceptional importance. It ascends and spills from the basin, which has been compared with the 'sea of bronze' of Solomon's Temple, to the mouths of the lions, from which it is distributed throughout the courtyard. A lovely qasida (ode) by Ibn Zamrak circles the rim of the basin.

Four large halls border the courtyard. The first, entering from the Court of the Myrtles, is the Sala de los Mozárabes, whose name is perhaps derived from the three stalactite arches which form the entrance to the Court of the Lions. To the south is the Sala de Abencerrajes, famous in legend with a gateway decorated with lazo (ornamental knots). The detail of dome showing stucco mocarabes, muqarnas, and attawriq stylized foliate designs, 14th-15th century.

Light penetrates the hall through 16 graceful fretwork windows. On the east side is the Sala de los Reyes which is unusual and resembles a theatrical set, divided in three sections which correspond to three lovely porticos, separated by double arches of mozárabes (stalactites).

North of the Court of the Lions is the Sala de las Dos Hermanas, so called because of the two large marble flagstones flanking the central fountain and spout. The adjoining hall is the Sala de los Ajimeces with two balconies overlooking the Garden of Daraxa. Between these two balconies is the Mirador de Daraxa, dressing room and bedroom of the Sultana and a delightful retreat in this secluded section of the palace, in the style of a bay window or mirador.



The last hall gives access to the Peinador de la Reina, also called the Tocador. An open gallery and an airy little tower, it was once designed as the residence of the Empress Isabel and later of Isabel of Parma. Some restored frescoes portray scenes of Charles V's expedition to La Goleta. In the Christian Alhambra Within the Alhambra enclosure there are also monuments which are exclusively Western. For example, in the Jardines de los Mártires there was once a monastery of the barefoot Carmelite order.

The Church of St Mary is built upon the site where the royal mosque formerly stood. The Monastery of St Francis, which is now a parador, was erected upon an Arab palace and has the additional merit and sentimental value of having housed the temporary sepulchre of the Catholic Monarchs - Ferdinand and Isabella, until their transfer to the Capilla Real. Palace of Charles V The Palacio de Carlos V or Casa Real Nueva as it is better known, was commissioned by the Emperor in an endeavor to emulate the Palace of the defeated Moslems and also to provide for himself a habitable residence. Construction was started in 1527 under the direction of Pedro Machuca, who had studied with Michelangelo in Italy. The palace is built in the form of a square and comprised of two main parts: the first, in Tuscan style, and the second with Ionic pillars.

From there we went to the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was reconstructed upon the ruins of a castle in the 9th century. The most solid towers are those of the Homenaje situated to the south, and the Quebrada at the northeast angle. The most elaborate interior is the Torre de las Armas. My feet hurt of climbing those narrow stairs to the towers, so I let Jules have the excitement went up the tower while I checked out the communal bath area. The stone where I sat felt cool like it still being used by the army and public.

However all these towers surpassed by the impressive Torre de la Vela. Its bell is rung on special festive occasions by young girls in the hope of warding off spinsterhood - dated though this sounds these days! This is the tallest tower of the walled enclosure, and the panorama seen from here extends towards unlimited horizons. Its silhouette is a significant symbol to the people of Granada.

At the entrance of the Alcazaba is the delightful Jardín de los Adarves, also called Jardin de los Poetas. From its battlements our gaze is drawn to the towers of the hill in the foreground. They are the Torres Bermejas (red or crimson towers), the "castle of great worth" of a famous border ballad. Their bewitching name is evoked in the music of Albéniz or Joaquín Rodrigo.

From the Alcazaba towers, we enjoyed the view of Albayzin, imagining how the kings before us enjoyed the view while sitting on the patio sipping coffee. Jules said it was like the king was looking over the people while they looked up at the sultan.

Then we noticed that all the churches are facing to certain direction. Mecca! It's a glaring confirmation that these churches were masjids before.

(excerpts taken from http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/alhamhistory.htm)

From there we walked to Generalife.. if by the looked from the tower, situated on the other side of the hill. But when we walked to the place it was actually quite near.

The word 'Generalife' has been translated as 'garden of paradise', 'orchard' or 'garden of feasts'.

After the city was conquered, the Generalife was granted by the Catholic Monarchs to the Granada Venegas family. The promenade leads to the Patio de la Acequia which is the most celebrated spot and the heart and soul of the palace grounds. On the western side there is a gallery of 18 arches. The northern portico is called the Mirador and has five arches in front, slender and stylised and three behind made of marble with stalactite capitals. Through the north portico is the Patio de los Cipreses, with a pool in the centre.

The distribution of the small ponds is charming with their frames of oleander and myrtle. A stone step leads to the Upper Gardens which were once olive groves and today boast a handsome esplanade and modern gardens. Here is the unusual stairway with its cascading waterfalls which was described by Navagiero as early as the 16th century. The stairway leads to a modern, uninteresting edifice of several stories. At the far end is the large open air stage where the annual International Festival of Music and Dance is performed.

I liked the fountain and according to the signs, the water for all the fountains in Alhambra came from a spring situated on top of the tallest hill near generalife. There are steps to the area and small drains where water flows along the parapet. The water was cool and I trailed my fingers in it. But after that climb, we were disappointed when we reached the top because there the spring was locked behind closed door. There was no way we can see the spring inside. Even the drinking fountain was dry!

We went down the other way and went through bamboo trees trail. The bamboo trees formed some sort of tunnels shielding the visitors from hot sun. The trail meant that we were already towards the end of our journey in Alhambra.

We spent some five hours inside the Alhambra, enjoying the scenic view, basking in the colourful history of Muslim sultans hundreds of years before. Admiring the Islamic architecture that had endured the time to allow us to continue visit and admire the harmonious elements of water, animals and humans in this red stones castle called Alhambra. We took a lot of pictures in here.

On the way back to the entrance, Jules filled our water bottle from the drinking fountain. The ice-cold water trickled down my throat and I felt that the spring water had rejunvenated my strenght to prepare me for the journey down to Plaza Nueva.

"Ahhhh.. the best water that I had ever tasted," said Jules.
I could have not agreed more.

The journey down the gravel path were trickier than the journey up. Due to its steepness, we have to take baby steps down to avoid from sliding all the way to the bottom.

Jules said we must applied F1 brake to avoid from sliding. Yeah right! With Jules every mechanical element must be equivellent with F1 Technology and every creative maneuver should be like football tricks.. okay.

Enough of that, we managed to go down back to the modern world safely and now we were already famished with hunger. Again, we stopped at the Al Andalus and this time we ordered Aruzze Arabe. Alone. Jules said Aruz meant rice so we thought that should be okay.

But surprise surprise, the aruz came with only aruz alone with sprinkle of glass noodle on top. Erk? We looked at each other and grinned. Have no choice but to eat it all hahahaha..

We had a wonderful time today. The journey up the Alhambra was like a dream come true. The reason why I came to Granada. To trace back the centre of Muslim civilisation in Europe... I really had a good time although I only ate a plate of plain rice with glass noodle and a bottle of coke.