"Granada - The Alhambra - An Ara ..." a Granada Travel Page by easyoar

Granada is one of the better known cities in Spain. It certainly isn't the biggest and it doesn't quite have the hustle and bustle of some of the other big Spanish Cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Valladolid, but it has one very important attraction that has turned a large part of Granada into a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It all started around the 8th century AD when Granada (and a large part of Southern Spain) was invaded and occupied by Moorish forces from Africa. The Moors were Arabs and hence Muslim, and had some highly developed skills for the day. Granada had a golden age under the Moors from around 1238 to 1492. During this time period they constructed the masterpiece that we know today as the Alhambra.

The Alhambra was built as a palace for the Moorish rulers (sultans) of the time. Most of the contruction we see today was built around the mid-1300s. The Alhambra was supposed to symbolise heaven on earth. A recurring theme you find throughout the Alhambra is the tinkling of water. The sound of water falling was highly prized by the Moors, they had come from a much dryer land, and to be surrounded by the sound of water gurgling all around you must have indeed felt like heaven on earth to them.