Routes of The legacy of al-Andalus The Almoravids and Almohads

in Granada

Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe 2 3

This is a long and beautiful trip, which enables one to journey through the elements provide a wide range of products which are produced simply but with common history of two neighbouring continents; Africa and Europe and, more great care and can be savoured in the large inns, or in the shade of the numerous precisely, through two countries, Morocco and Spain, which for several centuries poplar groves, which actually have nothing to do with the natural forests that shared the same destiny, culture, triumphs and vicissitudes. existed on the riverbanks of yesteryear. “All countries, in their diversity, are one and all men are neighbours and Thanks to its proximity to Granada, this area is an ideal place to get to know brothers”. Az-Zubaidi, 10th Century. the local townships and enjoy the numerous fiestas celebrated throughout the year, or to pass the summer months, to enjoy the freshness and fertility of its The Almoravids, or Al-morabitun, were a dynasty which arose in the 11th cultivated fields and above all the pleasantness of the cool climate in summer, Century out of the depths of the Maghreb desert and which arrived in the the proximity of the beach and the affable behaviour of the local populace. Peninsula at the desperate call of the poet-king of Seville, al-Mutamid, who was overwhelmed by the increasing Christian pressure which was taking grip in al- The following description has changed little with the passage of time: Andalus. The Almoravids, led by the “blue” warrior Yusuf ibn Tashfin (the Almoravids, belonged to the Lamtuna tribe, who were accustomed to protect A crown of hamlets, farms and 'carmenes' (villas) encircled Granada. The their head and face with an indigo blue 'litam'), didn't have to think twice and hamlets were small peasant nuclei. In the Vega, there were more than three obligingly arrived. Their luck ran out in the middle of the 12th c., when another hundred, fifty of which had their own mosque. The farms were large country group of Berbers, the Almohads, took over the reins of power themselves, houses. Less definable the 'carmenes' (from qarm, vineyard), which were professing arguments of spiritual cleansing, which didn't gain much response. homesteads, either within or without the city, with patios and gardens, where the inhabitants of Granada withdrew to spend the 'alacer' or autumnal festival, at the Along this Route, the traveller will savour the weight of History, a history time of the grape harvest, and to enjoy parties or celebrate Moorish festivals, or laden with brilliant characters, from the Neanderthal “Man of Zafarraya”, passing fiestas related to preparing and fertilizing the land. along Phoenicians, Romans and Moors down to our present day. A history and tradition which all of these have left in our people, reflecting their great capacity By taking long walks through Granada, the for hospitality and demonstrating their influences, especially the deep Andalusi traveller can contemplate and almost live the tradition, full of charm and local colour. legacy of a people who occupied this city and kingdom for more than eight centuries. The Everything here reflects Arab origins, its first will show us the Albaicin (from San names and its personalities: “Fahs-al- Cristóbal to the Alcázar Genil), moving through raiyya”, “al-Malaha”, “Hisn squares, churches, lookout points, palaces and Caviar”, Ibn Batuta, incomparable monuments and terminating at the Mohammed II, Corral del Carbón. A trip to the Sierra Nevada revealing the monuments, black slate hills to the south from the Veleta, or frozen lakes at the foot of gastronomy, agriculture, the Mulhacén like the Caldera, will be the interim walk. The second and last, from craftsmanship, even its inns the Puerta Elvira to the Alhambra, offers us the grandeur of al-Andalus, in the and roadways. Nasrid royal residence, the Alcazaba (fortress), the Comares Palace and on to The Zafarraya corridor was used the Generalife. for incursions by the first Muslims in al- The Alhambra was defined in a manifesto, by a group of 24 Spanish Andalus, in the middle of the 8th century. architects, in 1952: This pass was conserved and re-used continually as a means of communication with and recuperation of different “The relationship between this 14th c. building and the most advanced enclaves and numerous remains of towers are still to be seen. Beyond the narrow architecture of to-day, in some ways, is astonishing; they coincide in their pass, an immense valley can be seen together with the Sierra Gorda and Sierra acceptance of the human model, in the asymmetric way of arranging the floors, de Alhama. In 1883, human remains dating back some 30,000 years, were found in the purity and sincerity of the resultant spaces, in the form of incorporating in a cave in this narrow opening. Phoenician influences and Palaeo-christian the landscape and the garden into the building, in the economic and strict use of remains can be found in this spectacular landscape, thanks to the saltworks (a materials, without plastic adiposities, and in so many other ways that it would complex system of irrigation and salt mining), the baths and the irrigation. These take a long time to list.” 5

Zafarraya

“The gates of Zafarraya are beautiful plateau. They form a geologi- just cuts, or narrow passes, cal corridor extending some ten kilome- tres, corresponding to a polje or Carstic at the top of the pass, or depression. Man has settled this area branch of the Sierra de Teje- from ancient times. The remains known da. One enters here in order as the “Man of Zafarraya” (dating back to cross a large area of oaks, 30,000 years) attest to this. Their discov- ery was invaluable evidence of the hu- holm oaks and abundant pas- man link to Neanderthal. The Argar cul- tures. The land is extremely ture arrived in this area some two thou- high in relation to the cities sand years before Christ, establishing of Vélez and Alhama…” settlements in easily defendible sites. There is an Argaric site to the south of Antonio Ponz the Plain. Phoenicians and Romans also established their encampments here, as The narrow opening of Zafarraya, known demonstrated in objects and remains as the Boquete de Zafarraya, is the pass found along the ancient roadways. which defines the transition from the Nevertheless, it was with the arrival of the Axarquía to the lands of Alhama; it is the Muslims that this area became known for fissure which cuts and separates the its wealth in livestock. Thus its name rocky walls of the sierras of Alhama and stems from the Arabic, Fahs al-raiyya or Tejeda. The Plains of Zafarraya appear “field of shpeherds”, although there are beyond the Boquete and Ventas de Za- those who think it stems from farraya, where the town bearing this Saiarraya, which name is to be found on a fertile and

The ☛ Zafarraya Pass 6

means limit of territory. Towards the mid- quake. The parish church, the Nuestro dle of the 8th c., the Zafarraya corridor Señor de las Tres Marías hermitage and witnessed the passing of the Ummayad the Pilar Viejo (old fountain) are the prince, Abd al-Rahman, on his way to be landmarks which punctuate its streets, proclaimed Emir of al-Andalus. This same while the arches of the ruined old church pass was used on many occasions by the remain as evidence of its history. Muslims, such as for the reconquest of Zafarraya is a ideal place to pass the Vélez or during the Christian conquest of summer months, given its cool climate, Alhama and Loja. The ruins of numerous its proximity to the beach (20 km. to communication towers remain, which con- Torre del Mar) and the freshness and fer- nected the coast with the interior of the tility of its cultivated fields. peninsula. The area made up part of the From el Llano (the Nasrid royal road, along which so many plateau) one can Arab travellers passed, among them being reach Loja, Salar or Ibn Batuta in the year 1349. Following the Alhama, on moun- Christian conquest, the plateau became tainous roads, pass- dependent on Vélez-Málaga, which initiat- ing through pictur- ed a centuries' long dispute between the esque spots like Las latter and Alhama. This was interrupted by Parideras, El Carrascal, the 1884 earthquake, which damaged El Refugio or Fuente del 80% of the buildings and made intensive Espino. It is also possible to reconstruction imperative. In 1913, Zafar- reach the coast along pathways through raya became an independent town and the pinewood on the Sierra Umbría. shortly afterwards, a municipality. Going up the Bernagal road, one can This town is a tidy urban unit, with long experience the spectacular panoramic and straight roads, which reflect its re- view right over the Llano with the Pass construction following the violent earth- in the distance.

The Parish Church The Bullring ☛

☛ Ruins of the old church The Pass

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La Malahá

Before our eyes the plateau tably La Malahá; a small white village appears, cleft by the narrow situated on a shelf at the base of the Digudía hill. This area received a signifi- pass of the River Cacín which cant number of Arab settlers, shortly precedes La Malahá and the after the arrival of the Muslims in the villages of the Vega. A white Peninsula. Its old name, Quemple, popular hamlet, whose name comes from the Arab Qaysi tribe, who arrived with the Syrian troups under means the saltflat, due to the General Baly in 740. A district depend- one just by the village, fed by ent on the Granada province of Ilbira the Salado stream. was formed here and about ten hamlets were parcelled out, one of the most im- The River Cacín, whose course flows portant of which was La Malahá. through impressive rocky passes, marks There are interesting prehistoric sites the limit of the Temple region, a transit round here and evidence that this zone and an area of small villages set place was inhabited at the time of the between dry land and olive groves, Roman Empire, a period when its salt- which forms the southern edge of the flats were already being exploited. The Vega and is closely connected to Grana- Greeks named it Malka and the Ro- da. Various places dot the road and no mans Misarza, mild valley or relief of pains and established a spa

The Parish ☛ Church of the Purísima Concepción

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gions. It experienced an extraordinary prosperity during the 19th c., thanks to its spa, whose fame spread throughout Europe. La Malahá's simple town centre spreads out, in the midst of a gently undulating terrain, with fields of cereals, olive groves and irrigation ditches. It is based on ordered blocks, which con- verge on the older and here. Later, the Goths named it Mizarza more compact sector in allusion to the benefits of its thermal of the town, where waters. A very well preserved cistern the Parish Church from Roman times still exists, apart of the Purísima from baths and a necropolis. Neverthe- Concepción stands; less, its name stems fromthe Arabic, Al- a building consist- malaha, the saltflats, and they created ing of a single a complex irrigation system and ex- nave, covered by ploited the salt. At the time the town an excellent 16th c. was very important, growing to 3,000 Mudejar ceiling. Its streets exude the inhabitants, who also cultivated silk. La quiet atmosphere of a country town Malahá developed its quiet exis- and nearby are to be found the tence of saltmining, agricul- ponds and labrynths of the ture and forestry until the old saltmines, which are commencement of the up- some of the most re- heavals prior to the con- markable in the interior quest of Granada. The of Andalusia. To the Catholic Monarchs ceded North and very close by, the exploitation of the is the attractive area of saltmines to El Zagal, when the Baths, the source of the latter surrendered the curative arsenical sodium cities of Guadix and Almería in chloride waters, which flow 1489. A considerable population very slowly into a circular of Moors and Moriscos must have re- stone pool, a vestige from the Ro- mained, who, on account of the upris- mans and the Moors, with an extensive ings, diminished and was substituted view before one that stretches into the by Christian settlers from other re- Vega of Granada.

☛ The Baths The Saltflats A Tower of the saltflats ☛ The Parish Church of the Purísima Concepción

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Las Gabias

La Gabias is 8 kilometres Its history dates back thousands of from Granada, in the Vega years, as is confirmed by the archaeological remains found on the and situated opposite the Cuesta de los Chinos, a promontory in splendid Sierra Nevada moun- the zone between the Vega and the tain chain. It is a residential drylands. Under Roman domination the area for many Granadans, in population moved to an area nearby, where an important settlement has search of a short break, or an revealed the ruins of an oil mill and exceptional view. several houses. However, the most interesting thing about this is the 3rd c. Situated to the southeast of the city, be- Roman Baptistry, which was declared a tween the fertile region of the Vega and National Monument in 1931 and is the the Secano, Las Gabias is the anteroom only one preserved in Spain. It consists to the Temple region. The River Dílar of a corridor with a subterranean runs through the township in a north- chamber covered by a cupola which south direction, creating important irri- appears on the surface. gated zones and the Arroyo del Salado In the times of al-Andalus, it had as stream, in the westerly part, allows for many as 1,500 inhabitants and a large the growth of olive groves. The country- fortress was built in the centre of the side around Las Gabias, offering both town. Centuries later, during the Morisco natural and cultural alternatives, is rebellion, Hurtado de Mendoza drew up a much appreciated. The dry hills contrast census and claimed that there were 1,418 with the plains of the valley and the people spread between Las Gabias and mountainous spurs with the depression other places in the of Granada.

The Parish Chuch ☛ of the Encarnación

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owing to its structure and its interior decoration (horseshoe arches, ovolo archivolts, plaster columns with capitals etc, etc), It was part of a fortification used as a refuge by the hamlets in case of danger, or military attacks. The whole valley can be seen from the terrace, which is what gives this tower its strategic importance in the defense of the area. It was declared a National Monument in 1922. The Church of Gabia Chica in the town centre is important, built of a single nave with a “V” roof, coffered in wood Vega. It would seem that its name and with a belfry attached to the stems from Hisn Caviar, which means Sanctuary. There is a magnificent 16th c. military tower. There are two versions altarpiece inside and a statue of the concerning the construction of this patroness, the Virgen del Rosario. The tower; one that it belongs to the period pulpit is of carved wood. of the Caliphate and the other, that it is Since 1990 the parish church has been one of the five lookout towers built by the Church of the Encarnación, Muhammad III. What is certainly clear is conceived as a Neo-gothic temple, its that it played an important role during most characteristic feature is the tower. the period that the Christian troops The interior houses sculptures, were laying on the pressure prior to the paintings and alterpieces from the 16th Conquest, when it served both to keep and 17th centuries. The Cristo de la watch over the Vega and to house the Expiración and the San Juan stand out troops. In 1490 it was taken by the and are attributed to the School of Pablo Christians under the command of de Rojas. The hermitage of Nuestra the Gran Capitán. The same year, King Señora de las Nieves dates from the Ferdinand the Catholic 16th or early 17th c.: Baroque in its ordered its destruction cupolas and vault, Renaissance in its but that never came frieze and walls and Rococo in the to pass. alcove of the Virgin. The modern history of Las Gabias boasts two of the Las Gabias begins with very few 18 holes golf the Christian conquest courses in the and the repopulation un- province of Granada, dertaken by Phillip II, when and perhaps the settlers arrived from different parts of most beautiful of the peninsula. It belonged to the Counts them due to the of Gabia until the 19th c. and in the 20th unbeatable coun- c. it became one of the most prosperous tryside that can be and important villages in the province, appreciated while due to expansion in the tile industry playing, with the and the cultivation of flax, hemp and Sierra Nevada as a beetroot. The official establishment of backdrop. The excellent the municipality of Las Gabias occurred setting of this town and its in 1973, with the fusion of the old towns system of communications means that of Gabia Grande and Gabia Chica. one can combine sport with tourism The Torreón, a fortress with buildings and play golf, or enjoy winter or aquatic and walls around, is of great interest sports, all within an hour's drive. Entrance to the Roman Baptistry The Church of the Rosario ☛ ☛

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Granada

Discovering Granada is all an varied itinerary which has introduced us adventure, perhaps due to the to the nature, the art, the history, the countryside and the villages of Andalusia. mysterious Moorish legacy Granada has a unique charm and an un- that envelops it, perhaps due forgettable setting, at the end of the Ge- to the narrowness of its nil valley and at the foot of the Sierra streets or for the treasures Nevada. Given its situation, it attracted settlers from very early on. The first hu- which it conceals. To contem- man settlement was the nucleus of plate Granada has always been Iliberis, an Iberian hamlet on the Albaicin considered a privilege, as the hill. Around 27 BC this became a Roman popular saying shows: “Give town and, in the 4th c. it was the seat of the first Spanish Council. In 714, it was him alms woman, for there is taken by the Muslims under Tariq. Con- no greater sorrow than to be verted into the capital of one of the blind in Granada”. provinces, in the mid 8th c., the centre of the population moved to the neighbour- The finishing touch to this journey is the ing Elvira, in the plain, which went into city which was the last stronghold of decline in the 10th c., owing to internal Spanish-Muslim civilization. It is the sym- conflicts. Now called Garanta, it picked bol of its refinement and the up again in the 11th c. under memory of the pro- found influence it left behind. It is a rich and

☛ The Albaicín

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where East meets West. The Alhambra, a the place of audiences and councils, with palatine city, whose name means “the an oratory and marvellous Golden Room. red”, dominates Granada. It was con- The Palace of Comares, with a spectacu- structed by the Zirid kings between the lar façade in plasterwork, surrounds the 13th and 15th centuries and consists of a Patio de los Arrayanes, or de la Alberca, long fortified complex, interspersed with in which the Comares tower is reflected. bastions, palaces, gardens and an ample Its interior houses the Hall of Ambas- courtly citadel. The main entrance, the sadors, with its marvellous and refined Gate of Justice, stands by the side of decoration and its wooden cupola. The Charles V's Renaissance fountain, and visit continues through the Palacio de Zirid rule, a dynasty which headed one of was constructed by Yusuf I in 1348, who los Leones, which was the royal family's the most powerful of the Taifa kingdoms. was one of the sultans who contributed private residential area and was built by In 1090, the king of Granada, Abd Allah most to the construction of this complex. Muhammad V at the end of the 14th c. It was deposed, shortly after the Al- On passing through here, one ar- stands around a central patio with a moravids established the headquar- rives at the Wine Gate and fountain supported by twelve lions. The ters of their peninsular domains in the Plaza de los Aljibes gallery is supported by stylized columns Granada. Things remained so until (cisterns), starting point of which communicate with the hall of the At the foot of the Alhambra we en- 1156, when it passed into the the visit to the complex. Abencerrages, that of the Kings and of counter an animated city full of monu- hands of their rivals, the Almo- The Alcazaba (citadel) the Dos Hermanas (two sisters). The Royal ments. The course of the River Darro is hads. Both North African dynasties stands out at the highest Baths are nearby and a bit further on, an important feature and an emblematic had a special relationship with this point of the hill and is the the Partal, artery from the Plaza Nueva (with the city, to the extent that it was often oldest section. The main with the Chancery and the Mudejar church of San- governed by people of royal blood. tower of this bastion is the Ladies' ta Ana) to the Paseo de los Tristes, bor- In the 13th c. the Christian advance Torre de la Vela. The Palace of Tower and dered by the Bañuelo (the 11th c. Nogal caused changes in Granada, which was Charles V stands on one side of the Plaza splendid baths), the Plataresque Casa del Castril destined to become the last focus of Span- de los Aljibes, a Renaissance building de- gardens and and a whole row of monumental edifices. ish Islam. From the moment Ibn al-Ahmar signed by Pedro Machuca in 1527, the inte- other towers (of The Albaicin stands opposite the Alham- made it his capital in 1238, the Court of the rior of which houses both the Alhambra the Captive, of the Princesses) with pala- bra, full of narrow little streets and bas- Nasrid dynasty was one of the most popu- Mueums and the Fine Arts Museum. tial rooms. All these wonders lead up to tion of the Moorish town. It was the focal lated and active cities in the West. The heart of the Alhambra is made up of the Generalife, a heavenly environment point of the city in the Zirid and Nasrid This city invites one to undertake many alcazares and royal palaces, a labrynth of of vegetation and water on a hillside, period, as is demonstarted by the numer- different walks, where one can discover halls, patios and gardens, where the which the princes of Granada used as an ous references that remain. The Cuesta its extraordinary heritage and its jewel, splendour of Nasrid Art is displayed. The area of retreat. The name of this palace del Chapiz goes up from the Darro to the the Alhambra, a symbol of art and history, first section corresponds to the Mexuar, probably comes from alarife, or master centre and worth a mention is the architect. The Patio de la Acequia, in its church of San Juan de los Reyes, whose interior, is exceptional; a long space inter- tower is the minaret of a 13th c. mosque sected in the centre by the canalization and, at the highest point, the church and of the Royal Acequia (irrigation channel). Mirador of San Nicolás, with splendid The Sala Regia with its decorative plas- views of the Alhambra, together with the terwork in the northern section is Salvador church, built over the former splendid and from this room one ac- main mosque and which preserves cedes to the Patio del Ciprés its 13th c. porticoed patio. A de la Sultana and the Up- feeling of al-Andalus pre- per Gardens. vails upon crossing the

The Kadid Palace in the Alhambra The fountain in the Corral del Carbón ☛ The Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions) A rise in the Albaicin ☛ The cupola at the entrance to the Patio de los Leones The fountain of Charles V

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and the San Jerónimo monastery, both of which are Renaissance, or the Baroque Hospital de San Juan de Dios. The Gran Vía de Colón marks the mod- ern axis of what was the medina and the city in the Middle Ages, situated round the Great Mosque, which would be replaced by the Christian cathedral. Construction began in 1523 along Gothic lines. Its plans were modified by Diego de Siloé, who created a magnificent Classic construction, which was finished it the 17th c., to include a sensationalist Baroque façade designed by Alonso Cano. The Royal Chapel stands along- side and was built by Enrique Egas be- tween 1505 and 1521 and came to serve as the Mausoleum of the Catholic Mon- Plaza Larga and the Arco de las Pesas, archs. It houses a Walks which take one along the calle Sacristy, which are among the most bril- the gate of the Cuesta Alhacaba and es- rich collection of Reyes Católicos, the Plaza del Carmen liant works of 18th c. Andalusian pecially the Monaita Gate. Another of works of art. and the Puerta Real, in the town centre, Baroque. Federico García Lorca's memo- the important buildings in this quarter is The Madraza, or through el Mauror, the old Judería, ry is evoked in the Huerta de San Vi- the Santa Isabel la Real convent, which created by Yusuf I the Antequeruela, with its terraced cente, where he spent periods of respite adjoins the Dar al-Horra palace, the as a centre of 'carmenes' and the popular Campo del in the house where he was born at “Casa de la Reina”, where Boabdil's, the studies, is to be Príncipe. Or alternatively, along Fuente Vaqueros. An ascent of the Sierra last king of Granada, mother lived. By go- found very nearby Realejo, San Matías and so many other Nevada seems obligatory: A steep climb ing along the streets called Calderería and also the Al- interesting nooks, to end up on the which takes one up the highest moun- Nueva and Vieja, one descends to the caicería, the old Nasrid market for Carrera del Genil and the riverbank tains in the Peninsula to the peaks of street called Elvira, where a gate con- luxury goods, together with the Zacatín walkways, with the old Moorish oratory, Mulhacén, at 3,482 m., and Veleta. nected the Albaicin with the medina and the Corral del Carbón, being exam- now converted into the San Sebastián Named Solair, or Snowy Mountain, in the (market). ples of the corn exchanges and mer- hermitage, and the palace of Alcázar times of al-Andalus, it has been declared Important buildings constructed after chants' inns, dating from the first half Genil, the most authentic evidence of a National Park, because of its vigorous the Christian conquest proliferate of 14th century. There are still a multi- the Almohad presence in Granada. Alpine nature and it has the most around the Elvira Gate and the Campo tude of places to visit, to end up falling On the outskirts, important buildings in- southerly ski station in Europe, equipped del Triunfo, such as the Hospital Real in love with this incomparable city. clude the Cartuja with its Sanctuary and with very modern installations.

The Cathedral The Alcaicería ☛ Interior of the Casa Morisca A convent in the Albaicin ☛ A detail of the Capilla Real Granada with the Sierra in the background

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