It could have been a letdown. Crowds beyond what I expected, with lots of tour groups and schools. And steady rain in what is predominantly an outside experience.
I’ve been waiting to visit this place for years, so I was a bit concerned when I got through the entrance.
Stuff you probably know
It’s a palace built by the Moors from AD 889 with multiple iterations as the nature of the Islamic occupation evolved. After the Reconquista, Isabella and Ferdinand established their palace here in 1492. A few centuries later the Spanish crown moved on, and the Alhambra fell into disrepair. It was damaged by the French under Napoleon and the Moorish architecture overshadowed by the Spanish constructions built upon it. The first real restoration work began in 1830, and it’s now a hugely popular world heritage site.
In the end, it was everything I could have hoped. The gardens make it, although the Nasrid Palaces are a direct link to a branch of European history oft ignored. It’s easy to forget that the Iberian peninsula was under Islamic rule for some 700 years.
It was a bit of a slog. I walked from central Granada, and it’s mostly uphill. And the rain persisted down... persistently.
Gallery
If the player causes you trouble, you can find the Google gallery here.