THE ALHAMBRA
Granada
The Red Fortress
Nestled in the mountains of southwestern Andalusia, Granada's magnificent Alhambra palace represents the last hurrah of Moorish architecture in Spin, but what a last hurrah! Delicate and intricate, the Alhambra feels like something from a dream.
This episode, I talk about Muhammad V, who survived a coup, exile, murderous intrigue and cruel allies to inspire and create the most splendid part of the Alhambra. Fun with assassinations!
And I'll talk about my favorite food on earth: jamón ibérico. And tortilla española for the vegetarians. The Alhambra is my favorite place on the list, and I hope my enthusiasm come through.
Sources:
Fernández-Puertas, Antonio: The Three Great Sultans of al-Dawla al-Ismā'īliyya al-Naṣriyya Who Built the Fourteenth-Century Alhambra: Ismā'īl I, Yūsuf I, Muhammad V (713-793/1314-1391). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 7, no. 1, 1997, pp 1-25.
Irving, Washington: The Alhambra
Lowney, Chris: A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment
Menocal, Maria Rosa: The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
Noble, Isabella: Lonely Planet Andalucía
Photograph by Oscarmu90