Granada Spain
Pictures and guide to Granada Spain, a historic and beautiful city.
Historic Cities of Spain - Granada
Granada Spain - One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Granada has a rich historic, cultural and monumental heritage, and is located in one of the most picturesque regions of Spain. Having the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains as its backdrop, Granada is definately one of the must visit destinations in southern Spain.
Perhaps best known for its amazing Moorish monument, the Alhambra Palace, Granada Spain has a history going back much further than the Arab occupation, its earliest civilised people being an Iberian tribe known as the Turdulos, who even produced their own coins.
The city later had contact with Greeks, Phoenicians and Carthaginians, before the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century BC. The Romans called the city Iliberis, and after the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was further developed by the Visigoths, until it grew to its zenith of importance under the Moors during the 8th to 15th centuries, finally ended by defeat at the hands of the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella (2nd January 1492).
The great Alhambra Palace was built in various stages and over many centuries, gradually remodelled, extended and embellished, the Alcazaba was begun in the 9th century, and other palaces, sections and fortifications added over the ensueing centuries, including additions by the Christian conquerors such as the still unfinished Palace of Carlos V.
Fine though it is, the Alhambra Palace is just one of the wonderful attractions of Granada, and also from the Arab occupation, the Albaicin district, is a charming and charismatic area of the city, formerly home to 27 mosques, it comprises a maze of narrow, cobbled streets and alleyways, and offers some stunning views across to the Alhambra Palace and the Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance, for instance from the Mirador de San Nicholas.
Also on your list of places to visit in Granada Spain should be the immense cathedral, and the adjoining Chapel Royal (Capilla Real), burial place of Ferdinand and Isabella, both stunning to the point of taking your breath away, with their beauty and craftsmanship, the Chapel Royal was begun in 1506 and the cathedral in 1523.
Another stunning location is the La Cartuja Monastery, founded in 1495, and now displaying hundreds of wonderful paintings, together with more breathtaking architecture. Among the many excellent museums in the city are two which are close together in the Albaicin district, the Archaeological Museum (housed in the Casa de Castril), and the Museum of Saint John of God (in the Casa de los Pisa).
Granada is located inland from the Costa Tropical and Costa del Sol, it can be accessed from the A-44 (A-7) or the A-92.
Granada Links: Granada - Granada Map - Granada Weather - Transfers - Corpus Christi Granada - Granada Guide
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