Granada is one of the most beautiful places in the world, filled with a diverse culture and exquisite architecture influenced by the Muslims, Jews and Christians. The city always welcomes a large number of visitors from all over the world, thanks to its significant artistic, monumental, cultural and ethnological heritage. People mostly come here to see the famous Alhambra and for the Christian Spring holidays or Fiestas de Primavera (Semana Santa y Corpus Christi).
Granada is located in the south of Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. The city’s airport was named after famous Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca.
The first people who had settled in Granada’s territory were Iberians, Romans and West Goths. In the 8th century AD, Muslim forces invaded and in seven years conquered the most of the Iberian peninsula and named it Al-Andalus. The Emirate of Granada was founded in 1238 by Muhammad I of Granada, who rebelled against the leader of Al-Andalus at the time, Ibn Hud. Muhammad’s successors (Nasrid royal house) would continue to reside in the palace and fortress complex called The Alhambra (or La Alhambra in Spanish). It has lasted to the present day as the architectural legacy of the emirate. The full name of Alhambra means “the red castle”.
The architecture is very impressive and the view from the watchtower is absolutely breathtaking. And The Generalife gardens are among the most beautiful gardens and very well known in Spain. (As well as the lovely forest of Alhambra that can be accessed through la puerta de las Granadas, and you can find Puerta de Bib Rambla remains in the forest.) The American writer Washington Irving said: who has never seen the Alhambra never truly lived. You can find a Statue of Mr. Irving in the Alhambra forest.
The rule of the Nasrid dynasty lasted for two centuries. Granada was very hard to conquer, partly due to the great strategic location of the city, protected from the outside threat by natural barriers and fortified towns. Until the day when Muhammad XII of Granada (known as Boabdil) lost his final battle to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand surrendering the keys of the city at The surroundings of the Hermitage of San Sebastián , making it a part of the kingdom of Castile in 1492, ending the Christian Reconquista on the Iberian peninsula. Legend says that before Boabdil left the city he took the last look at the city and started crying. His mother then said: “Llorad como una mujer lo que no supiste defender como un hombre.” (Cry like a woman for what you could not defend as a man.)
After fulfilling their dream of uniting all the Iberian kingdoms in the Christian faith, The Queen of Castile Isabel and her husband King Ferdinand of Aragon wished to be buried in the Granada Cathedral. The temple is one of the greatest works of the Spanish Renaissance. The interior is decorated by the paintings of Antonio Ribera, Alonso Cana and El Greco.
On the territory of the Alhambra you can also see the monumental Palace of Charles V (the grandson of the Catholic Monarchs and the Emperor Maximilian) Inside of the palace there are 2 museums, the museum of the Alhambra and the Fine Arts Museum.
One of the most beautiful architectural endeavors of its time is the RodrÃguez-Acosta Foundation. Located close to the Torres Bermejas and the Alhambra. It was built between 1916 and 1930 and was recognized in its declaration as a national monument in 1982.
On the streets of the old Muslim district called AlbaicÃn you can see a number of monuments from different periods, mainly the Nasrid period and the Renaissance. Starting with la Puerta de Elvira, which is one of the entrances of the city. Old Moorish houses such as Casa del Chapiz and Casa Zafra. One of the oldest arabic baths, La Bañuela (or hammam) And here you can also find a place to see flamenco. One of them is Peña Flamenca de la PlaterÃa, which is one of the oldest of this kind in Spain) Church of San Nicolas, and enjoy the view from the mirador de San Nicolas (the best time would be during the sunset), see how Alambra beautifully compliments the natural landscape. And in Barrio de Sacromonte you should visit Museo de la AbadÃa, where you can find manuscripts saved from Alexandria’s library, Goya’s paintings and Santas Cuevas
A significant number of travelers come to Granada from all over Andalusia, especially the kids, who come to Granada Science Park because it is one of a kind in the autonomous community.
At the entrance of the park you can find a statue of Albert Einstein.
In the territory of the province of Granada you can visit the Sierra Nevada National Park and an important ski resort in Pradollano. Some of the scenes of the 1965 movie Doctor Zhivago were filmed in the Granada area showing the Sierra Nevada mountain range as the ‘Russian’ snowscapes.
Now, Granada is also a city of students thanks to the University of Granada and the popular Erasmus program. Young people enjoy the Andalusian Lifestyle and vivid nightlife. There they can party there almost every night.
If you wanna go to the beach, the closest thing is the playa Granada (about 40 min away by car from the city), and the beaches of Almeria and Malaga are like an hour farther.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) filmed by Steven Spielberg was shot along the coast of Almeria. The stretch from Caboneras across to Rodalquilar. (And in Guadix, Granada, with filming of Brody's capture at Ä°skenderun train station.)
More Films filmed in the area of Granada:
2018 Memories of the Alhambra
1974 Stardust (used The Castle of La Calahorra as a set)
1996 Death in Granada (writer Federico Garcia Lorca)
1976 El hombre que supo amar (Starring Timothy Dalton)
1950 Cuentos de la Alhambra (inspired by the tales of Washington Irving).
2012 Isabel (tv show that tells the story of The Queen of Castile Isabel I and how she conquered Granada with her husband King of Aragon.)Let me know in the comments below if you know more movies or songs about Granada .
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