The Alhambra
Author: Farhat A. Hussain
Book size: c. 305 x 240 mm.
Profile: Portrait.
Pagination: c. 600, featuring a large number of photographs in addition to maps and other illustrations.
Details to follow
The Alhambra (Arabic: al-Hamra/the red) was home to the Nasrid ruling family of the Sultanate of Granada from 1236-1492, though it has earlier roots in preceding centuries of al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia). One of the best-preserved Muslim palaces of the medieval period in the world, this site marvelled visitors throughout its history, including during and after its seizure by King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile in January 1492 and Christopher Columbus who came to the Alhambra seeking funds from the Spanish monarchs for his voyage to the Americas. This meeting reflected a unique interplay of past, present and future as several centuries of Muslim rule in Spain and Iberia came to an end in the absence of any military support from major Muslim military powers from 1236-1492, with the limited role of the Marinids in Morocco during the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. A unified Spain represented a new development in Iberia and across the world as its ships and armies used the wealth of Granada to explore and expand to other lands, including the Americas, resulting in the advent of large-scale European colonisation across the world. In contravening the agreements that Ferdinand and Isabella signed, the Muslim population was soon expelled from Spain, and those who remained were subject to unprecedented difficulties and harm in the form of the Inquisition.
Built by various Nasird Sultans at a strategic site used by preceding Muslim states, the art and architecture, as well as the spatial organisation of the Alhambra, were undertaken to very high standards. The prestige of Sultans and the Nasrid family and the last vestige of al-Andalus was manifest across the many palaces, halls, and chambers and gardens of the Alhambra. Elements of influence from preceding periods of al-Andalus are evident, as are wider influences from North Africa and ‘Abbasid Iraq, subject to the impact of artisans and patrons. Although many historical documents of its history were destroyed following the conquest of the Sultanate and city of Granada, the author has drawn on extant Arabic and Latin sources as well as the archaeology of the Alhambra, including that captured by photography, and other sources. These sources are utilised in exploring the history, archaeology, culture, politics and other roles, art, architecture, gardens and many other aspects and issues concerning this enigmatic building and complex that remains a national symbol in Spain and easily one of its most visited cultural heritage sites. How the Alhambra has inspired the culture of other lands, in terms of art and architecture, court culture, gardens and design, including in the West, is also addressed, as are vital conservation issues of one of the most well-preserved medieval era Muslim palaces in the world.
Contents
Preface
I. Background study
Approaches
Literary sources: Historical writings
Literary sources: Inscriptions and poetry
Historical studies of the Alhambra
Imagery of the Alhambra: The visual record
Art history
Archaeology
Field archaeology
Landscape archaeology
Environmental archaeology & bioarchaeology
Endnote
The interaction of cultures and civilizations in history
In situ assessment
Sound
Muslim Spain: A historical overview
The Nāsrid State of Granada: 1236-1492: A short history
Introduction and overview of the Alhambra
Outline of the history of the Alhambra
Chief periods of building
Function
Palace city
Citadel
Mini-city
Senior Court of Law
Place of Majlis
Diplomatic hub
Dār al-Dharb
Bayt al-Māl
Place of burial
Nāsrid requirement and outlook
Population: The Alhambra, the Sultānate of Granada and Spain during the Nāsrid era
II. Art, architecture and spatial plan
Islāmic architecture
Architectural origins and influence
Overall structure
External facade
Plan and spatial organisation
Urban plan: The Alhambra
Urban plan: Granada
Military architecture
Introduction
Integrated system of military architecture
The Alcazaba
Gates
Gate of Justice
Gate of the Seven Floors
Gate of Arms
Gate of Wine
The Promenade of the Towers
Engineering and construction
Ethos, philosophy and themes
Hierarchy, transition and communication
The Palaces of the Alhambra
Mexuar
Cuarto Dorado
The Palaces of the Alhambra (continued)
The Palace of the Comares
Facade of the Palace of the Comares
Court of the Myrtles
Sala de la Barca 190
The Hall of the Ambassadors
The Palace of the Lions
The Court of the Lions
Hall of Abencerrajes
Hall of the Kings
Hall of the Two Sisters
Mirador de Daraxa
The Great Mosque
The Rauda
The Palace of the Partal
Mosque of the Palace of the Partal
The Palace of Yūsuf III
The Palace of Secano
Functionality
The art of the Alhambra
Aims, objectives and relation of art to the architecture
Variety
Media
Underlying principles and themes
Production of art
Colour
The art and role of the Nāsrid flag
III. Gardens
Introduction
Sources
Overview
Sacred ecology
Influences during the Nāsrid period
Aims and philosophy
Identity
Compact and suspended gardens: Court of the Myrtles and Court of the Lions
The Generalife
Kitchen gardens
The Rauda
Water
Washington Irving
Owen Jones
Preservation and conservation
Conclusion
IV. Key themes study
Impact of Córdoba in the Muslim era (711-1236) upon the Alhambra
Landscape archaeology survey
Introduction
Historical sources on the Alhambra and city landscape
Immediate hinterland
Wider area of the hinterland
The fortress of Moclin
Contextualisation of landscape in reference to the Nāsrid period: Islāmic approach to landscape
Impact of al-Andalus on the landscape of the Sultānate
Relationships between the zones of the hinterland of the Alhambra
Wider hinterland of the Alhambra
Sacred space
Sacred ecology
Cultural ecology
Introduction
Cultural ecology in relation to the Alhambra
Enrichment by interaction of cultures
Poetry
Light and shadow
Water and sound
Other architecture of the Sultānate of Granada
Madrasah of Yūsuf I
Funduq al-Jadīda
The Palace of Dār Al-Horra
Alcázar Genil
The Dār al-Manjara al-Kubrā
Almeria castle
Salobreña castle
Bridge
Baths at Ronda
Māristān of Muhammad V
V. The post-Nāsrid era
The Alhambra: Post Nāsrid rule
Palace of Charles V
Other interventions
Changes in colour
Post-Nāsrid images of the Alhambra
French occupation
Duke of Wellington
Washington Irving
Spanish reconstruction under Ferdinand VII
Nineteenth-century photographs of the Alhambra
Conservation
The impact of the Alhambra on the wider world
Introduction
Art and architecture
Ballet-Héroïque
Musical compositions
Literature
Mathematics
Astronomy/Space
The Alhambra today
VI. Conclusion
Endnote
Appendix