Granada (,,
DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
of the
province of Granada
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropical). ...
, in the
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
of
Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Granada is located at the foot of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
mountains, at the confluence of four rivers, the
Darro, the
Genil
The Genil River is the main (left) tributary of the river Guadalquivir in Andalusia, Spain. The Roman ''Singilis'', its modern name derives from the Moorish rendering of the Roman name: ''Sinyil, Sannil'', and ''Sinnil''.
Route
The source of the ...
, the
Monachil and the Beiro. Ascribed to the
Vega de Granada
The Vega de Granada is a ''comarca'' (county, but with no administrative role) in the province of Granada, southeastern Spain. According to the 2007 census (INE), the comarca has a population of 500,121 inhabitants, which is over half the overa ...
''comarca'', the city sits at an average elevation of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
, yet is only one hour by car from the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
coast, the
Costa Tropical
Costa Granadina is a comarca in southern Spain, corresponding to the Mediterranean coastline of the province of Granada. It is also but less frequently called the Costa Tropical or Costa de Granada. It is crossed by the N-340 coastal highway th ...
. Nearby is the
Sierra Nevada Ski Station
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station is a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada in the province of Granada in southeastern Spain. The ski area is on the northwestern slopes of Veleta, the third highest peak in Peninsular Spain and the most southerly ski res ...
, where the
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 were held 12–25 February in Spain at Sierra Nevada near Granada city. The championships were to be held in 1995, but were postponed due to lack of snow. :de:Alpine Skiweltmeisterschaft 1996
Men's com ...
were held.
In the 2021 national
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, the population of the city of Granada proper was 227,383, and the population of the entire municipal area was estimated to be 231,775, ranking as the
20th-largest urban area of Spain. About 3.3% of the population did not hold Spanish citizenship, the largest number of these people (31%; or 1% of the total population) coming from
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. Its nearest airport is
Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport.
The area was settled since ancient times by
Iberians
The Iberians ( la, Hibērī, from el, Ἴβηρες, ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among ...
,
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, and
Visigoths
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...
. The current settlement became a major city of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
in the 11th century during the
Zirid Taifa of Granada.
In the 13th century it became the capital of the
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...
under
Nasrid rule, the last
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
-ruled state in the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
. Granada was
conquered in 1492 by the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
and progressively transformed into a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
city over the course of the 16th century.
The
Alhambra
The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
, a medieval
Nasrid citadel and palace, is located in Granada. It is one of the most famous monuments of
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...
and one of the most visited tourist sites in Spain. Islamic-period influence and
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The term "Moorish" com ...
are also preserved in the
Albaicín
The Albaicín (), also known as Albayzín (from ar, ٱلْبَيّازِينْ, translit=al-Bayyāzīn), is a district of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is centered around a hill on the north side of the Darro Rive ...
neighborhood and other medieval monuments in the city.
The 16th century also saw a flourishing of
Mudéjar architecture
Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...
and
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
, followed later by
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
and
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churrigueresco''), also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th c ...
styles. The
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
has an estimated 47,000 undergraduate students spread over five different campuses in the city. The
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
(in Spanish, ''granada'') is the
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
device of Granada.
Etymology
Granada's historical name in the
Arabic language
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
was ('). The word ''Gárnata'' (or ''Karnata'') possibly means "hill of strangers".
History
Pre-Umayyad history
![Arqueológico 03 (42189174461)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Arqueol%C3%B3gico_03_%2842189174461%29.jpg)
The region surrounding what today is Granada has been populated since at least 5500BC. Archeological artifacts found in the city indicate that the site of the city, including the area around the present-day avenue of ''Gran Vía de Colón'', was inhabited since the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. The most ancient ruins found in the area belong to an
oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
called ''Ilturir'', founded by the
Iberian Bastetani
The Bastetani or Bastuli were an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken the Iberian language. The relationship between the Iberian Bastetani and the Tartessian Mastieni ...
tribe around 650BC.
The name Elibyrge is also attested in reference to this area. This settlement became later known as ''Iliberri'' or ''Iliberis''.
In 44BC ''Iliberis'' became a
Roman colony
A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term ''colony''.
Characteri ...
and in 27BC it became a Roman ''
municipium
In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...
'' named ''Florentia Iliberritana'' ('Flourishing Iliberri').
The identification of present-day Granada with the Roman-era ''Iliberis'' and the historical continuity between the two settlements has long been debated by scholars.
Modern archeological digs on the
Albaicín
The Albaicín (), also known as Albayzín (from ar, ٱلْبَيّازِينْ, translit=al-Bayyāzīn), is a district of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is centered around a hill on the north side of the Darro Rive ...
hill have uncovered finds demonstrating the presence of a significant Roman town on that site. Little is known, however, about the history of the city in the period between the end of the
Roman era
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
and the 11th century. An important Christian
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
circa 300 AD, the
Synod of Elvira
The Synod of Elvira ( la, Concilium Eliberritanum, es, Concilio de Elvira) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.. Its date has not been exactly determined but is belie ...
, took place near this area (the name ''Elvira'' being derived from the name ''Iliberri''), but there is no concrete archeological or documentary evidence establishing the exact location of the meeting. It may have taken place in the former Roman town or it may have taken place somewhere in the surrounding region, which was known as Elvira.
Founding and early history
The
Umayyad conquest of Hispania
The Umayyad conquest of Hispania, also known as the Umayyad conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom, was the initial expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate over Hispania (in the Iberian Peninsula) from 711 to 718. The conquest resulted in the decline of t ...
, starting in 711AD, brought large parts of the Iberian Peninsula under Moorish control and established
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
. The earliest Arabic historical sources mention that a town named ''Qashtīliya'', later known as ''Madīnat Ilbīra'' (Elvira), was located on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Elvira mountains (near present-day
Atarfe
Atarfe is a Spanish city in the north central part of the Vega of Granada in the province of Granada, Andalusia. It borders the municipalities of Moclín, Colomera, Albolote, Maracena, Granada, Santa Fe, and Pinos Puente. By this village run the ...
) and became the most important settlement in the area.
A smaller settlement and fortress (''ḥiṣn'') named ''Ġarnāṭa'' (also transliterated as ''Gharnāṭa)'' existed on the south side of the Darro River or on the site of the current Albaicín neighbourhood. The latter had a mainly
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
population and thus was also known as ''Gharnāṭat al-Yahūd'' ("''Gharnāṭa'' of the Jews").
The district around the city was known as ''Kūrat Ilbīra'' (roughly "Province of Elvira"). After 743 the town of ''Ilbīra'' was settled by soldiers from the region of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
who played a role in supporting
Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of the
Emirate of Córdoba
The Emirate of Córdoba ( ar, إمارة قرطبة, ) was a medieval Islamic kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. Its founding in the mid-eighth century would mark the beginning of seven hundred years of Muslim rule in what is now Spain and Port ...
and a new
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
dynasty.
In the late 9th century, during the reign of
Abdallah (r. 844–912), the city and its surrounding district were the site of conflict between ''
muwallad''s (Muslim converts) who were loyal to the central government and Arabs, led by Sawwār ibn Ḥamdūn, who resented them.
At the beginning of the 11th century, the area became dominated by the Zirids, a
Sanhaja
The Sanhaja ( ber, Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen; ar, صنهاجة, ''Ṣanhaja'' or زناگة ''Znaga'') were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Ma ...
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
group and offshoot of the
Zirids
The Zirid dynasty ( ar, الزيريون, translit=az-zīriyyūn), Banu Ziri ( ar, بنو زيري, translit=banū zīrī), or the Zirid state ( ar, الدولة الزيرية, translit=ad-dawla az-zīriyya) was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from ...
who ruled parts of
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. This group became an important contingent in the army of
ʿAbd al-Malik al-Muẓaffar
ʿAbd al-Malik, originally called Sayf al-Dawla, later al-Muẓaffar. His full Arabic name comprises a '' kunya'' (Abū Marwān), '' ism'' (ʿAbd al-Malik), ''nasab'' (Ibn Abī ʿĀmir), ''nisba'' (al-Maʿāfirī) and '' laḳab'' (al-Muẓaffar). ...
, the prime minister of Caliph
Hisham II
Hisham II or Abu'l-Walid Hisham II al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah (, Abū'l-Walīd Hishām al-Muʾayyad bi-ʾllāh) (son of Al-Hakam II and Subh of Cordoba) was the third Umayyad Caliph of Spain, in Al-Andalus from 976 to 1009, and 1010–13.
Reign
In 9 ...
(r. 976–1009) and successor to
Ibn Abi ʿAmir al-Mansur (Almanzor) as ''de facto'' ruler of the
Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and parts o ...
. For their service, the Zirids were granted control of the province of Elvira.
When the Caliphate collapsed after 1009 and the
Fitna (civil war) began, the Zirid leader
Zawi ben Ziri
Zawi ibn Ziri as-Sanhaji or Al-Mansur Zawi ibn Ziri ibn Manad as-Sanhaji ( ar, المنصور زاوي بن زيري بن مناد الصنهاجي), was a chief in the Berber Sanhaja tribe. He arrived in Spain in 1000 (391) during the reign of A ...
established an independent kingdom for himself, the
Taifa of Granada
The Taifa of Granada ( ar, طائفة غرناطة, rtl=yes, , es, Taifa de Granada) or Zirid Kingdom of Granada was a Berber Muslim kingdom which was formed in al-Andalus in 1013, following the deposition of Caliph Hisham II in 1009. The king ...
. Arab sources such as
al-Idrisi consider him to be the founder of the city of Granada.
His surviving memoirs – the only ones for the Spanish "Middle Ages" – provide considerable detail for this brief period.
Because ''Madīnat Ilbīra'' was situated on a low plain and, as a result, difficult to protect from attacks, the ruler decided to transfer his residence to the higher situated area of ''Ġarnāṭa''. According to Arabic sources ''Ilbīra'' was razed during the Fitna, afterwards it was not restored at its previous place and instead ''Ġarnāṭa'', the former Jewish town, replaced it as the main city. In a short time this town was transformed into one of the most important cities of
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
. Until the 11th century it had a mixed population of Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
![PuertaMonaita](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/PuertaMonaita.JPG)
The Zirids built their citadel and palace, known as the ''al-Qaṣaba al-Qadīma'' ("Old Citadel"), on the hill now occupied by the Albaicín neighborhood.
It was connected to two smaller fortresses on the Sabika hill (site of the future
Alhambra
The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
) and Mauror hill to the south.
The city around it grew during the 11th century to include the Albaicín, the Sabika, the Mauror, and a part of the surrounding plains. The city was fortified with walls encompassing an area of approximately 75
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s.
The northern part of these walls, near the Albaicin citadel, have survived to the present day, along with two of its gates: ''Bāb al-Unaydar'' (now called ''Puerta Monaita'' in Spanish) and ''Bāb al-Ziyāda'' (now known as ''Arco de las Pesas'' or ''Puerta Nueva'').
The city and its residences were supplied with water through an extensive network of underground
cisterns
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
and pipes.
On the Darro River, along the wall connecting the Zirid citadel with the Sabika hill, was a
sluice gate
Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...
called ''Bāb al-Difāf'' ("Gate of the Tambourines"), which could be closed or opened to control the flow of the river and retain water if necessary. The nearby
Bañuelo, a former
hammam
A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited f ...
(bathhouse), also likely dates from this time, as does the former
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
of a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in the Albaicín, now part of the Church of San José.
Under the Zirid kings
Habbus ibn Maksan and
Badis, the most powerful figure was the Jewish administrator known as
Samuel ha-Nagid
Samuel ibn Naghrillah (, ''Sh'muel HaLevi ben Yosef HaNagid''; ''ʾAbū ʾIsḥāq ʾIsmāʿīl bin an-Naghrīlah''), also known as Samuel HaNagid (, ''Shmuel HaNagid'', lit. ''Samuel the Prince'') and Isma’il ibn Naghrilla (born 993; died 1056 ...
(in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
) or Isma'il ibn Nagrilla (in Arabic). Samuel was a highly educated member of the former elites of Cordoba, who fled that city after the outbreak of the Fitna. He eventually found his way to Granada, where Habbus ibn Maksan appointed him his secretary in 1020 and entrusted him with many important responsibilities, including tax collection. Under Badis, he even took charge of the army.
During this period, the Muslim king was looked upon as a mainly symbolic figurehead. Granada was the center of Jewish Sephardi culture and scholarship. According to Daniel Eisenberg:
After Samuel's death, his son Joseph took over after his position but proved to lack his father's diplomacy, bringing on the
1066 Granada massacre
The 1066 Granada massacre took place on 30 December 1066 (9 Tevet 4827; 10 Safar 459 AH) when a Muslim mob stormed the royal palace in Granada, in the Taifa of Granada, killed and crucified the Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela, and massacred m ...
,
which ended the
Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain
The golden age of Jewish culture in Spain, which coincided with the Middle Ages in Europe, was a period of Muslim rule during which, intermittently, Jews were generally accepted in society and Jewish religious, cultural, and economic life flou ...
.
From the late 11th century to the early 13th century, Al-Andalus was dominated by two successive North African Berber empires. The
Almoravids
The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...
ruled Granada from 1090 and the
Almohads
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fo ...
from 1166. Evidence from the artistic and archeological remains of this period suggest that the city thrived under the Almoravids but declined under the Almohads.
Remnants of the Almohad period in the city include the
Alcázar Genil, built in 1218–1219 (but later redecorated under the Nasrids), and possibly the former minaret attached to the present-day Church of San Juan de los Reyes in the Albaicin.
Nasrid Emirate of Granada
![CoA Nasrid kings Alhambra Granada Spain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/CoA_Nasrid_kings_Alhambra_Granada_Spain.jpg)
In 1228
Idris al-Ma'mun
Abu al-Ala Idris al-Ma'mun ( ar, أبو العلا المأمون إدريس بن المنصور; ''Abū Al-`lā Al-Mā'mūn Idrīs ibn Al-Manṣūr''; died 16 or 17 October 1232) was an Almohad rival caliph who reigned in part of the empire fro ...
, the last effective
Almohad
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the Tawhid, unity of God) was a North African Berbers, Berber M ...
ruler in al-Andalus, left the Iberian Peninsula. As Almohad rule collapsed local leaders and factions emerged across the region. With the ''
Reconquista
The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
'' in full swing, the Christian kingdoms of
Castile and
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
– under kings
Ferdinand III and
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
, respectively – made major conquests across al-Andalus. Castile captured
Cordoba in 1236 and
Seville in 1248. Meanwhile, the ambitious
Ibn al-Ahmar
, predecessor = None
, successor = Muhammad II
, succession2 = Taifa King of Arjona
, reign2 =
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Arjona, Almohad Caliphate
, death_date =
, death_place = near Granada, Emirate of Granada ...
(Muhammad I) established what became the last and longest reigning
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
dynasty in the Iberian peninsula, the
Nasrids, who ruled the
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...
. On multiple occasions Ibn al-Ahmar aligned himself with Ferdinand III, eventually agreeing to become his vassal in 1246. Granada thereafter became a
tributary state
A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This tok ...
to the Kingdom of Castile, although this was often interrupted by wars between the two states.
The political history of the emirate was turbulent and intertwined with that of its neighbours. The Nasrids sometimes provided refuge or military aid to Castilian kings and noblemen, even against other Muslim states, while in turn the Castilians provided refuge and aid to some Nasrid emirs against other Nasrid rivals. On other occasions the Nasrids attempted to leverage the aid of the North African
Marinids
The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...
to ward off Castile, although Marinid interventions in the Peninsula ended after
Battle of Rio Salado
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
(1340).
The population of the emirate was also swelled by Muslim refugees from the territories newly conquered by Castile and Aragon, resulting in a small yet densely-populated territory which was more uniformly Muslim and Arabic-speaking than before. The city itself expanded and new neighbourhoods grew around the Albaicín (named after refugees from
Baeza) and in Antequeruela (named after refugees from
Antequera
Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...
after 1410). A new set of walls was constructed further north during the 13th–14th centuries, with ''Bab Ilbirah'' (present-day ''Puerta de Elvira'') as its western entrance.
A major Muslim cemetery existed outside this gate. The city's heart was its Great Mosque (on the site of the present-day
Granada Cathedral
Granada Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Incarnation ( es, Catedral de Granada, Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación de Granada) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Granada, capital of the province of the same name in ...
) and the commercial district known as the ''qaysariyya'' (the
Alcaicería).
Next to this was the only major
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
built in al-Andalus, the ''Madrasa al-Yusufiyya'' (known today as the
Palacio de la Madraza), founded in 1349.
Other monuments from this era include the ''al-Funduq al-Jadida'' ("New Inn" or
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
, now known as the
Corral del Carbón
The Corral del Carbón, originally al-Funduq al-Jadida, is a 14th-century historic building in the Spanish city of Granada (Andalusia). It is the only Nasrid ''alhóndiga'' or ''funduq'' (a commercial warehouse or inn) preserved in the Iberian p ...
), built in the early 14th century,
the
Maristan
A bimaristan (; ), also known as ''dar al-shifa'' (also ''darüşşifa'' in Turkish) or simply maristan, is a hospital in the historic Islamic world.
Etymology
''Bimaristan'' is a Persian word ( ''bīmārestān'') meaning "hospital", with ' ...
(hospital), built in 1365–1367 and demolished in 1843,
and the main mosque of the Albaicín, dating from the 13th century.
When Ibn Al-Ahmar established himself in the city he moved the royal palace from the old Zirid citadel on the Albaicín hill to the Sabika hill, beginning construction on what became the present Alhambra.
The Alhambra acted as a self-contained palace-city, with its own mosque, hammams, fortress, and residential quarters for workers and servants. The most celebrated palaces that survive today, such as the
Comares Palace
The Court of the Myrtles () is the central part of the Comares Palace () inside the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain. It is located east of the Mexuar and west of the Palace of the Lions. It was begun by the Nasrid sultan Isma'il I in th ...
and the
Palace of the Lions, generally date from the reigns of YusufI (r. 1333–1354) and his son MuhammadV (r. 1354–1391, with interruptions). Some smaller examples of Nasrid palace architecture in the city have survived in the
Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo
The Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo is a former Nasrid palace and convent in Granada, Spain. It is located in the Realejo quarter of the city.
History
The original construction of the palace is believed to date from the reign of Muhammad II ( ...
(late 13th century) and the
Dar al-Horra
Dar al-Horra (; ) is a former 15th-century Nasrid palace located in the Albaicín quarter of Granada, Spain. Since the early 16th century it was used as part of the Monastery of Santa Isabel la Real. It is now a historic monument.
History
The ...
(15th century).
![Granada by Piri Reis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Granada_by_Piri_Reis.jpg)
Partly due to the heavy tributary payments to Castile, Granada's economy specialized in the trade of high-value goods.
Integrated within the European mercantile network, the ports of the kingdom fostered intense trading relations with the
Genoese, but also with the Catalans, and to a lesser extent, with the Venetians, the Florentines, and the Portuguese. It provided connections with Muslim and Arab trade centers, particularly for
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
from
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
and the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
, and exported
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
and
dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...
s produced in the area.
Despite its frontier position, Granada was also an important Islamic intellectual and cultural center, especially in the time of MuhammadV, with figures such as
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun (; ar, أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي, ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732-808 AH) was an Arab
The Historical Muhammad', Irving M. Zeitlin, (Polity Press, 2007), p. 21; "It is, of ...
and
Ibn al-Khatib
Lisan ad-Din Ibn al-Khatib ( ar, لسان الدين ابن الخطيب, Lisān ad-Dīn Ibn al-Khaṭīb) (Born 16 November 1313, Loja– died 1374, Fes; full name in ar, محمد بن عبد الله بن سعيد بن عبد الله بن س ...
serving in the Nasrid court.
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berbers, Berber Maghrebi people, Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, ...
, a famous traveller and historian, visited the Emirate of Granada in 1350. He described it as a powerful and self-sufficient kingdom in its own right, although frequently embroiled in skirmishes with the Kingdom of Castile. In his journal, Ibn Battuta called Granada the "metropolis of Andalusia and the bride of its cities."
End of Muslim rule and 16th-century changes
![La Rendición de Granada - Pradilla](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/La_Rendici%C3%B3n_de_Granada_-_Pradilla.jpg)
On 2 January 1492, the last Muslim ruler in Iberia, Emir
Muhammad XII
Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الثاني عشر, Abū ʿAbdi-llāh Muḥammad ath-thānī ʿashar) (c. 1460–1533), known in Europe as Boabdil (a Spanish rendering of the name ''Abu Abdallah''), was the ...
, known as "Boabdil" to the Spanish, surrendered complete control of the
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...
to the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
(
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...
and
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
), after the last episode of the
Granada War
The Granada War ( es, Guerra de Granada) was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1491 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada. It e ...
.
The 1492 capitulation of the Kingdom of Granada to the Catholic Monarchs is one of the most significant events in Granada's history. It brought the demise of the last Muslim-controlled polity in the Iberian Peninsula. The terms of the surrender, outlined in the
Treaty of Granada
The Treaty of Granada, also known as the Capitulation of Granada or simply the Capitulations, was signed and ratified on November 25, 1491, between Muhammad XII of Granada, Boabdil, the sultan of Emirate of Granada, Granada, and Catholic Monarchs ...
at the end of 1491, explicitly allowed the Muslim inhabitants, known as ''
mudéjar
Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...
es'', to continue unmolested in the practice of their faith and customs. This had been a traditional practice during Castilian (and
Aragonese) conquests of Muslim cities since the takeover of
Toledo in the 11th century. The terms of the surrender pressured Jewish inhabitants to convert or leave within three years, but this provision was quickly superseded by the
Alhambra Decree
The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ( Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Arag ...
, issued only a few months later on March 31, which instead forced all Jews in Spain to convert or be expelled within four months. Those who converted became known as ''
conversos
A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert", () was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of his or her descendants.
To safeguard the Old Christian po ...
'' (converts). This move, along with the progressive erosion of other guarantees provided by the surrender treaty, raised tensions and fears within the remaining Muslim community during the 1490s. Many of the city's affluent Muslims and its traditional ruling classes emigrated to North Africa in the early years after the conquest, but these early emigrants numbered only a few thousand, with the rest of the population unable to afford leaving.
By 1499, Cardinal
Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros
Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517), spelled Ximenes in his own lifetime, and commonly referred to today as simply Cisneros, was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginnings ...
grew frustrated with the slow pace of the efforts of the first
archbishop of Granada
The archdiocese of Granada ( la, archidioecesis Granatensis) is an ecclesiastical province of the Catholic Church in Spain. ,
Hernando de Talavera
Hernando de Talavera, O.S.H. (c. 1430 – 14 May 1507) was a Spanish clergyman and councilor to Queen Isabel of Castile. He began his career as a monk of the Order of Saint Jerome, was appointed the queen's confessor and with her support an ...
, to convert non-Christians and undertook a program of forced
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
s, creating the ''converso'' class for Muslims and Jews. Cisneros's new strategy, which was a direct violation of the terms of the treaty, provoked the
Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1499–1501) centered in the rural
Alpujarras
The Alpujarra (, Arabic: ''al-bussarat'') is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, ...
region southeast of the city. The rebellion lasted until 1500 in Granada and continued until 1501 in the Alpujarras. Responding to the rebellion of 1501, the
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...
rescinded the Treaty of Granada, and mandated that Granada's Muslims convert or emigrate. Many of the remaining Muslim elites subsequently emigrated to North Africa. The majority of the Granada's ''mudéjares'' converted (becoming the so-called ''
moriscos
Moriscos (, ; pt, mouriscos ; Spanish for "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish Crown commanded to convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed the open ...
'' or Moorish) so that they could stay. Both populations of converts were subject to persecution, execution, or exile, and each had cells that practiced their original religion in secrecy (the so-called ''
marranos
Marranos were Spanish and Portuguese Jews living in the Iberian Peninsula who converted or were forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages, but continued to practice Judaism in secrecy.
The term specifically refers to the charg ...
'' in the case of the ''conversos'' accused of the charge of
crypto-Judaism
Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; practitioners are referred to as "crypto-Jews" (origin from Greek ''kryptos'' – , 'hidden').
The term is especially applied historically to Sp ...
).
![Braun Granada HAAB](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Braun_Granada_HAAB.jpg)
Over the course of the 16th century, Granada took on an ever more Catholic and Castilian character, as immigrants arrived from other regions of Castile, lured by the promise of economic opportunities in the newly conquered city. At the time of the city's surrender in 1492 it had a population of 50,000 which included only a handful of Christians (mostly captives), but by 1561 (the year of the first royal
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of the city) the population was composed of over 30,000 Christian immigrants and approximately 15,000 ''moriscos''. After 1492 the city's first churches had been installed in some converted mosques. The vast majority of the city's remaining mosques were subsequently converted into churches during and after the mass conversions of 1500. In 1531,
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
founded the
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
on the site of the former madrasa built by Yusuf I.
Granada's Town Council did not fully establish until almost nine years after the Castilian conquest, upon the concession of the so-called 'Constitutive Charter' of the Ayuntamiento of Granada on 23 September 1500. From then on, the municipal institution became a crucible for the "
Old Christian
Old Christian ( es, cristiano viejo, pt, cristão-velho, ca, cristià vell) was a social and law-effective category used in the Iberian Peninsula from the late 15th and early 16th century onwards, to distinguish Portuguese and Spanish people atte ...
" and the converted ''morisco'' elites, resulting in strong factionalism, particularly after 1508. The new period also saw the creation of a number of other new institutions such as the Cathedral Cabildo, the , the Royal Chapel and the
Royal Chancellery
Chancellor of Poland ( pl, Kanclerz - , from la, cancellarius) was one of the highest officials in the historic Poland. This office functioned from the early Polish kingdom of the 12th century until the end of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwea ...
. For the rest of the 16th century the Granadan ruling oligarchy featured roughly a 40% of (Jewish) ''conversos'' and about a 31% of ''
hidalgo
Hidalgo may refer to:
People
* Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility
* Hidalgo (surname)
Places
Mexico
* Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico
* Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila
* Hidalgo, Nuevo Le ...
s''. From the 1520s onward, the mosque structures themselves began to be replaced with new church buildings, a process which continued for most of the century. In December 1568, during a period of renewed persecution against ''moriscos'', the
Second Morisco Rebellion broke out in the Alpujarras. Although the city's ''morisco'' population played little role in the rebellion, King
Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
ordered the expulsion of the vast majority of the ''morisco'' population from the
Kingdom of Granada
)
, common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino
, capital = Granada
, religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...
, with the exception of those artisans and professionals judged essential to the economy. The expelled population was redistributed to other cities throughout the Crown of Castile. The
final expulsion of all ''moriscos'' from Castile and Aragon was carried out between 1609 and 1614.
Later history and present day
![Plataforma de Vico grabada por Francisco Heylan unida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Plataforma_de_Vico_grabada_por_Francisco_Heylan_unida.jpg)
During the 17th century, despite the importance of immigration, the population of the city stagnated at about 55,000, contrary to the trend of population increase experienced in the rural areas of the
Kingdom of Granada
)
, common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino
, capital = Granada
, religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...
, where the hammer of depopulation caused by the expulsion of the ''moriscos'' had taken a far greater toll in the previous century. The 17th-century demographic stagnation in the city and overall steady population increase in the wider kingdom went in line with the demographic disaster experienced throughout the century in the rest of the Crown of Castile. The city was overshadowed in importance by other cities including
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
and the capital,
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
.
Between 1810 and 1812 Granada was occupied by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's army during the Peninsular War. The French troops occupied the Alhambra as a fortified position and caused significant damage to the monument. Upon evacuating the city, they attempted to dynamite the whole complex, successfully blowing up eight towers before the remaining fuses were disabled by Spanish soldier José Garcia, thus saving what remains today. In 1830 Washington Irving lived in Granada and wrote his ''Tales of the Alhambra'', which revived some international interest in southern Spain and in its Islamic-era monuments.
In the 1930s the tensions that eventually divided Spain were evident in Granada, with frequent riots and friction between landowners and peasants. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Granada was one of the cities that joined the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist uprising. There was local resistance against the Nationalists, particularly from the working classes in the Albaicín, which was violently repressed. During the 1950s and 1960s, under the Francoist Spain, Franco regime, the province of Granada was one of the poorest areas in Spain. In recent decades tourism has become a major industry in the city.
Geography
Location
![(Granada) Greenhouses of Almería, Spain (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/%28Granada%29_Greenhouses_of_Almer%C3%ADa%2C_Spain_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The city of Granada sits on the
Vega de Granada
The Vega de Granada is a ''comarca'' (county, but with no administrative role) in the province of Granada, southeastern Spain. According to the 2007 census (INE), the comarca has a population of 500,121 inhabitants, which is over half the overa ...
, one of the depressions or plains located within the Baetic System, Baetic mountain ranges, continued to the west by those of Archidona and Hoya of Antequera, Antequera and to the East by those of Hoya of Guadix, Guadix, Hoya of Baza, Baza and Huéscar.
The fertile soil of the Vega, apt for agriculture, is irrigated by the water streams originated in
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
, as well as minor secondary ranges, all drained by the catchment basin of the Genil River, that cuts across the city centre following an east to west direction. The
Monachil, a left-bank tributary of the former, also passes through the city, discharging into the Genil to the west of the city centre.
Climate
Granada has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (''Csa'') close to a cold semi-arid climate (''BSk'') Summers are hot and dry with daily temperatures averaging in the hottest month (July); however, temperatures reaching over are not uncommon in the summer months. Winters are cool and damp, with most of the rainfall concentrated from November through to January. The coldest month is January with daytime temperatures hovering at and dropping to around during the night. Frost is common as temperatures usually reach below-freezing in the early morning. Snow is rare and occurs once every few years. Spring and autumn are unpredictable, with temperatures ranging from mild to warm. Early summer in 2017 confronted the city with two massive heat waves that broke long-standing record temperatures starting on June 13, 2017, with a new maximum high for the month at 40.6 °C (old record 40.0), which was topped three times within the span of four days at 40.9 °C on June 14, 41.3 (June 15) and, eventually, 41.5 (June 17). The second extreme surge in temperatures followed roughly a month later when readings soared to 45.7 and 45.3 °C on July 12 and 13, respectively, surpassing the old July record by almost 3 degrees.
Demographics
Urban areas
In the municipality of Granada there are five urban areas: Granada city, Alquería del Fargue, Bobadilla, Cerrillo de Maracena and Lancha del Genil. Due to the expansion of Granada city, Cerrillo de Maracena has been integrated into it.
Population pyramid
According to the municipal register of inhabitants, in 2021 the municipality of Granada had a population of 231,775 people, of whom 106,987 were men (46.15%) and 124,738 were women (53.85%). Since the 90's, there has been a slight decrease in the population of Granada city, in favour of smaller towns in the metropolitan area.
According to the population pyramid:
* People younger than 20 years old are 19% of the total population
* People between 20-40 years old are 23%
* People between 40-60 years old are 29%
* People older than 60 years old are 29%
Foreign population
18,455 people living in the municipality of Granada in 2021 were of foreign nationality, which represents 7.95% of total population, rate lower than the national average. Resident foreigners come from all continents, the most numerous being Morocco, Moroccan (4,890), China, Chinese (1,047), Senegal, Senegalese (947), Colombia, Colombian (889), Italy, Italian (854) and Bolivia, Bolivian (763).
Heritage and monuments
Alhambra
![Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra, Granada (Spain)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Nasrid_Palaces%2C_Alhambra%2C_Granada_%28Spain%29.jpg)
The Alhambra is a fortified palace complex located on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which overlooks the city of Granada. It is one of the most famous monuments of
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...
and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
.
It is one of Spain's major tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
The complex was begun in 1238 by MuhammadI Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir, on the site of earlier fortresses and of the 11th-century palace of vizier Samuel ibn Naghrillah.
Later Nasrid rulers continuously modified the site, most notably during the reigns of YusufI and MuhammadV in the 14th century. During this era, the Alhambra was a self-contained city separate from the rest of Granada below. It contained most of the amenities of a Muslim city such as a Congregational mosque, Friday mosque, hammams (public baths), roads, houses, artisan workshops, a Tanning (leather), tannery, and a sophisticated water supply system.
As a royal city and citadel, it contained at least six major palaces, most of them located along the northern edge where they commanded views over the
Albaicín
The Albaicín (), also known as Albayzín (from ar, ٱلْبَيّازِينْ, translit=al-Bayyāzīn), is a district of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is centered around a hill on the north side of the Darro Rive ...
quarter. The most famous and best-preserved are the Mexuar, the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions, and the Partal Palace, which form the main attraction to visitors today. The other palaces are known from historical sources and from modern excavations. At the Alhambra's western tip is the Alcazaba of the Alhambra, Alcazaba fortress, the centerpiece of its defensive system. The architecture of the Nasrid palaces reflects the tradition of
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The term "Moorish" com ...
developed over previous centuries. Decoration is focused on the inside of the building and was executed primarily with Zellij, tile mosaics on lower walls and carved stucco on the upper walls. Islamic geometric patterns, Geometric patterns, Arabesque, vegetal motifs, and Islamic calligraphy, Arabic calligraphy were the main types of decorative motifs. Additionally, "stalactite"-like sculpting, known as ''muqarnas'', was used for three-dimensional features like Vault (architecture), vaulted ceilings.
After the conclusion of the ''Reconquista'' in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered. In 1526,
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
commissioned a new Renaissance-style palace, now known as the Palace of Charles V, in direct juxtaposition with the Nasrid palaces, but it was left uncompleted in the early 17th century. Other notable Renaissance additions from the reign of CharlesV include the Emperor's Chambers and the ''Peinador de la Reina'' ('Queen's Robing Room'), which are connected to the former Nasrid Palaces.
In the 18th century the Alhambra fell into severe neglect and parts of it were demolished by French troops in 1812. Through the course of the 19th century, the Alhambra was "rediscovered" by British, American, and other European Romanticism, Romantic travelers and intellectuals. The most influential of them was Washington Irving, whose ''Tales of the Alhambra'' (1832) brought international attention to the site. The Alhambra became one of the first Islamic monuments to become the object of modern scientific study and has been the subject of numerous restorations since the 19th century, a process which continues today.
Generalife
![Granada-Day2-33_(48004306883)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Granada-Day2-33_%2848004306883%29.jpg)
The Generalife is a Nasrid-era country estate or summer palace located just east of the Alhambra, on a sloping site above it. It was first built by Muhammad II of Granada, Muhammad II and Muhammad III of Granada, Muhammad III in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This palace features several rectangular garden courtyards with decorated pavilions at either end and it was originally linked to the Alhambra by a walled corridor that crosses the valley between the two. It underwent modifications and redecoration under multiple later Nasrid rulers.
The Generalife also underwent major alterations by Christian Spanish builders in the 16th century, which imparted Renaissance elements on the palace. In the 20th century a large area of modern landscaped gardens, known as the ''Jardines Nuevos'' ('New Gardens'), were added to the south of the Nasrid palace and form the main approach to it today. These date in large part to the work of Leopoldo Torres Balbás and Francisco Prieto Moreno, between 1931 and 1951, who incorporated both Italy, Italian and Moorish influences in their design.
An open-air auditorium was also added in 1952. Along with the Alhambra, the Generalife is a major tourist attraction and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
Cathedral
![Spain Andalusia Granada BW 2015-10-25 13-20-43](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Spain_Andalusia_Granada_BW_2015-10-25_13-20-43.jpg)
The cathedral of Granada is built over the Nasrid Great Mosque of Granada, in the centre of the city. Its construction began during the Spanish Renaissance in the early 16th century, shortly after the Granada War, conquest of Granada by the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
, who commissioned the works to Juan Gil de Hontañón and Enrique Egas. Numerous grand buildings were built in the reign of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, so that the cathedral is contemporary to the Palace of Charles V, Christian palace of the Alhambra, the University of Granada, University and the Real Chancillería (Supreme Court).
The church was conceived on the model of the Cathedral of Toledo, for what initially was a Gothic architecture, Gothic architectural project, as was customary in Spain in the early decades of the 16th century. However, Egas was relieved by the Catholic hierarchy in 1529, and the continuation of the work was assigned to Diego Siloe, who built upon the example of his predecessor, but changed the approach towards a fully Renaissance aesthetic.
The architect drew new Renaissance lines for the whole building over the gothic foundations, with an ambulatory and five naves instead of the usual three. Over time, the bishopric continued to commission new architectural projects of importance, such as the redesign of the main façade, undertaken in 1664 by Alonso Cano (1601–1667) to introduce Baroque elements. In 1706 Francisco de Hurtado Izquierdo and later his collaborator José Bada built the current tabernacle of the cathedral.
Highlights of the church's components include the main chapel, where may be found the praying statues of the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
, which consists of a series of Corinthian order, Corinthian columns with the entablature resting on their Capital (architecture), capitals, and the vault (architecture), vault over all. The spaces of the walls between the columns are perforated by a series of windows. The design of the Church tabernacle, tabernacle of 1706 preserves the classic proportions of the church, with its multiple columns crossing the forms of Diego de Siloé.
Royal Chapel
![Granada Cathedral rear (8169710093)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Granada_Cathedral_rear_%288169710093%29.jpg)
The
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
chose the city of Granada as their burial site by a royal decree dated September 13, 1504. The Royal Chapel of Granada, built over the former terrace of the Great Mosque, ranks with other important Granadan buildings such as the Lonja and the Catedral e Iglesia del Sagrario. In it are buried the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
, their daughter Joanna of Castile (''Juana la Loca'') and her husband Philip I of Castile, Felipe I (''Felipe el Hermoso''). Construction of the Chapel started in 1505, directed by its designer, Enrique Egas. Built in several stages, the continuing evolution of its design joined Gothic architecture, Gothic construction and decoration with Renaissance ideals, as seen in the tombs and the 17th and 18th century Granadan art in the Chapel of Santa Cruz. Over the years the church acquired a treasury of works of art, liturgical objects and relics.
The Royal Chapel was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, Historic Artistic Monument on May 19, 1884, taking consideration of BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural) status in the current legislation of Spanish Historical Heritage (Law 16/1985 of 25 June). The most important parts of the chapel are its main retable, grid and Vault (architecture), vault. In the Sacristy-Museum is the legacy of the Catholic Monarchs. Its art gallery is highlighted by works of the Flemish, Italian and Spanish schools.
File:Hans Memling 031.jpg, Hans Memling - Diptych of Granada, left wing: ''Acceptance of the Cross'', h. 1475
File:Juan de Flandes Nativity Granada 012.jpg, Juan de Flandes - ''Birth of Christ'', 1435-1438
File:OrazioneOrtoBotticelli.jpg, Sandro Botticelli - ''Prayer of the Garden'', 1498-1500
Albayzín
![Granada-Day2-19_(48004333411)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Granada-Day2-19_%2848004333411%29.jpg)
The historic neighbourhood, located on the hillsides north of the Alhambra, still retains much of its medieval street plan dating back to the Nasrid period, although it has undergone physical and demographic changes since then. Archeological evidence indicates that Iberians inhabited the main hill of the present-day Albaicin towards the 7th centuryBC and that a significant town was located here during the Roman period.
During the early Islamic period, up to the 10th century, the location hosted only the small settlement of ''Gharnāṭa'' (Granada), until in the 11th century the creation of the Zirid Taifa kingdom transformed the location into one of the most important cities in Al-Andalus.
During this period, the city's main citadel and palace, the ''al-Qaṣaba al-Qadīma'' ("Old Citadel"), was located on the top of this hill.
During the Nasrid period, the citadel was moved to the Alhambra and the old district became known as ( ar, ٱلْبَيّازِينْ), from which its present name derives. Among the various Nasrid-period houses and other structures, one notable establishment was the Maristan, a type of historic hospital (bimaristan) which also took care of the mentally ill.
Through the course of the 16th century, after the surrender of Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, the district underwent some of the some changes that occurred throughout the city. Mosques were replaced with new parish churches, particularly after 1501. These new churches were often built in a mix of Mudéjar art, Mudéjar and Renaissance styles, such as the Church of Santa Ana, the Church of San Cristóbal, and the Church of San Miguel Bajo, among others. Some, like the churches of El Salvador, San José, and San Juan de los Reyes, preserve parts of former mosques.
New civic institutions were also built in this area, such as the
Royal Chancellery
Chancellor of Poland ( pl, Kanclerz - , from la, cancellarius) was one of the highest officials in the historic Poland. This office functioned from the early Polish kingdom of the 12th century until the end of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwea ...
(''Real Chancillería''), which overlooks Plaza Nueva, a wide public square expanded during the 16th century.
During the 16th century the most of the city's ''morisco'' population was concentrated in the Albaicín, but after the 1568 rebellion and their subsequent expulsion, the district was depopulated.
As a result, many of the remaining Christian residents expanded their residences to form ''carmen''s, traditional semi-rural houses with gardens or orchards, many examples of which survive today. Some of these houses and mansions, such as Casa de Zafra and the Dar al-Horra, date back to the Nasrid period.
In 1994 the UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing the Alhambra was extended to incorporate the Albaicín as well.
In addition to its historic houses and mansions, churches, and the Royal Chancellery, the district also preserves sections of the 11th-century Zirid city walls (part of the former Zirid citadel), the 14th-century Nasrid walls, the Bañuelo (a former Islamic-era bathhouse), and numerous cisterns from the Islamic period that were part of a water supply system providing water to most of the city's houses.
Sacromonte
The Sacromonte neighbourhood is located on the Valparaíso hill, one of several hills that make up Granada. This neighborhood is known as the old neighbourhood of the Romani people, Romani, who settled in Granada after the conquest of the city. It is one of the most picturesque neighborhoods, full of whitewashed caves cut into the rock and used as residences. The sound of strumming guitars may still be heard there in the performance of flamenco ''Flamenco#Cante (song), cantes'' and ''quejíos'', so that over time it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Granada.
At the top of this hill is the Abbey of Sacromonte and the College of Sacromonte, founded in the 17th century by the then Archbishop of Granada Pedro de Castro, 1st Duke of la Conquista, Pedro de Castro. The Abbey of Sacromonte was built to monitor and guard the alleged relics of the evangelists of Baetica. Those are of questionable authenticity, but since their finding the area has been a religious pilgrimage destination.
The abbey complex consists of the catacombs, the abbey (17th–18th centuries), the Colegio Viejo de San Dionisio Areopagita (17th century) and the Colegio Nuevo (19th century). The interior of the church is simple and small but has numerous excellent works of art, which accentuate the size and rich carving of the ''Crucificado de Risueño'', an object of devotion for the Romani people, who sing and dance in the procession of Holy Week. The facilities also include a museum, which houses the works acquired by the Foundation.
Charterhouse
![Cartuja de Granada Cupula del Sagrario](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Cartuja_de_Granada_Cupula_del_Sagrario.jpg)
The Charterhouse of Granada is a monastery of cloistered monks, located in what was a farm or Muslim almunia called ''Aynadamar'' ("fountain of tears") that had an abundance of water and fruit trees. The initiative to build the monastery in that place was begun by Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, known as Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, El Gran Capitán. The charterhouse was founded in 1506; construction started ten years later, and continued for the following 300 years.
The Monastery suffered heavy damage during the Peninsular War and lost considerable property in 1837 as a result of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal, confiscations of Mendizábal. Currently, the monastery belongs to the Carthusian Order, Carthusians, reporting directly to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Granada, Archdiocese of Granada.
The street entrance to the complex is an ornate arch of Plateresque style. Through it one reaches a large courtyard, at the end which is a wide staircase leading to the entrance of the church. The church, of early 16th century style and plan, has three entrances, one for the faithful and the other two for monks and clergy. Its plan has a single nave divided into four sections, highlighting the retables of Juan Sánchez Cotán and the chancel's glass doors, adorned with mother-of-pearl, silver, rare woods and ivory. The Presbytery (architecture), presbytery is covered by Ellipse, elliptical Vault (architecture), vaulting. The main altar, between the chancel arch and the church tabernacle, is gilded wood.
The church's tabernacle and sancta sanctorum are considered a masterpiece of Baroque Spanish art in its blend of architecture, painting and sculpture. The dome that covers this area is decorated with frescoes by the Córdoba artist Antonio Palomino (18th century) representing the triumph of the Church Militant, faith, and religious life.
The courtyard, with galleries of arches on Doric order columns opening on it, is centered by a fountain. The Chapter House of Legos is the oldest building of the monastery (1517). It is rectangular and covered with groin vaulting.
Mosque of Granada
The Mosque of Granada was inaugurated in 2003 on the summit of the neighborhood of Albayzin. The mosque was built near the Church of San Salvador and the Church of San Nicolás. The Church of San Salvador was built on the site of the Great Mosque of Albayzin. The Society for the Return of Islam in Spain purchased the site in 1981, but it took many years for the plans to be approved. The mosque's initial funding was supplied by Shaykh Abdalqadir as-sufi al-Murabit, Shaykh 'Abdalqadir as-Sufi al-Murabit who envisioned providing Granada's new Spanish Muslim community with a mosque. Additional funding came from Malaysia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. In 1991 the CIE (Comunidad Islámica en España) hired the architect Renato Ramirez Sanchez to design the mosque. In the 1990s, there was a heated debate pertaining to the design of the minaret. Construction eventually began in 2001. The mosque now serves about 500 people.
Palace of the Marqués de Salar
The Palace of the Marqués de Salar was built in one of the most emblematic streets of Granada, the Carrera del Darro, at number 5. This place is an architectural example of the classical Granada during the Renaissance architecture, Renaissance transformation of the 16th century, XVI
th century. It was built by the Marqués de Salar, great-grandson of both Hernán Pérez del Pulgar (known by the name of ''El de la Hazañas'' [The One of the Valiant Deeds]) and Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (''El Gran Capitán'' [The Great Captain]), Captain-General of the Castilian-Aragonese forces that concluded the Reconquest of the peninsula. The palace is now the museum of perfumes El Patio de los Perfumes, with of floor space on two floors and of patio to relax surrounded by flowers and perfumes.
Other museums and monuments
![Palacio Carlos V west](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Palacio_Carlos_V_west.jpg)
* Monasterio de San Jerónimo, Granada, Monasterio de San Jerónimo (16th-century Monastery of Saint Jerome)
* San Juan de Dios Hospital (Granada), San Juan de Dios Hospital (historic hospital)
*
Palacio de la Madraza (remains of 14th-century madrasa incorporated into 18th-century city hall)
* Archaeological Museum of Granada (in the 16th-century Castril Palace)
* Museo de Bellas Artes de Granada (Museum of Fine Arts)
*El Bañuelo (11th or 12th-century bathhouse)
*
Corral del Carbón
The Corral del Carbón, originally al-Funduq al-Jadida, is a 14th-century historic building in the Spanish city of Granada (Andalusia). It is the only Nasrid ''alhóndiga'' or ''funduq'' (a commercial warehouse or inn) preserved in the Iberian p ...
(14th-century caravanserai, later converted to theatre)
*
Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo
The Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo is a former Nasrid palace and convent in Granada, Spain. It is located in the Realejo quarter of the city.
History
The original construction of the palace is believed to date from the reign of Muhammad II ( ...
(13th-century palace, later converted to convent)
*Palacio de los Olvidados (16th century house and museum displaying torture instruments of the Spanish Inquisition)
*Church of San Salvador (16th-century church, including remains of 13th-century mosque)
Since 1988, there is in Granada a monument honoring Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon.
Politics and administration
Metropolitan area of Granada
Granada's metropolitan area consists of about fifty municipalities and the capital. Although it is not formally constituted as a political and administrative body, there are several public services that are combined. The arrival of many inhabitants of the capital and other towns in the province, influences a large population growth. Despite the fact that the capital loses inhabitants, who move to neighboring towns. The main causes of the exodus towards the towns of the metropolitan area are, mainly, the difficulty of accessing a home in the capital because of the high prices it has and labor reasons, because in the towns of the periphery the majority are being located of industrial estates.
Capital of Granada Province
The city of Granada is the capital of the province of the same name, thus all administrative entities of provincial scope dependent on the regional government and the state are located there. There is a provincial delegation from each of the governmental departments to the Regional Government of Andalusia, Junta de Andalucía, coordinated by a government delegate under the Ministry of the Interior. Government of Spain, The national government of Spain has a Government Delegation (Spain), sub-delegation in Granada, subordinate to the government delegate in the autonomous community.
Judicial administration
The headquarters of the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla is in Granada, located in Plaza Nueva, in the building of the historic High Court of Justice of Andalusia, Royal Chancery, as well as the Superior Prosecutor's Office of Andalusia, located in the building of the Bank of Spain. It has a Provincial Court, located in Corteza del Carmen Street, and is also head of the Judicial Party No. 3 of the province, whose demarcation includes the city and 49 towns, some of them very populated, in the metropolitan area region.
Most of the courts are located in two administrative buildings, in Plaza Nueva and Avenida del Sur. The set of judicial bodies is as follows:
* Superior Court of Justice: President. Civil-Criminal Chamber. Contentious-Administrative Room. Social room.
* Provincial Court: President. Criminal: 2; Civil: 3
* Courts
Municipal organization
![Francisco Cuenca 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Francisco_Cuenca_2017.png)
Its political administration is carried out through a City Council, of democratic management, whose components are chosen every four years by universal suffrage. The electoral roll is composed of all residents registered in Granada over 18 years of age, of Spain, Spanish nationality and of the other member countries of the European Union. According to the provisions of the General Electoral Regime Law, which establishes the number of eligible councilors according to the population of the municipality, the Municipal Corporation of Granada is made up of 27 councilors.
In the municipal elections held in 2019 the constitution of the City Council was eleven councilors belonging to the People's Party (Spain), Popular Party, eight to the Socialist Party, four belonging to Citizens Party, three to Vamos, Granada and one to the United Left-Socialist Alternative-For the People. Luis Salvador (politician), Luis Salvador, leader of Citizens, became mayor with support from the PP and Vox.
Municipal districts and neighborhoods
The municipality of Granada consists of eight districts whose population is distributed in the attached chart according to the 2009 census of the City of Granada. These districts formed a set of 36 Neighbourhood, neighborhoods. All boundaries of districts and neighborhoods were modified in February 2013.
Municipal service areas
The municipal government team has organized the distribution of management responsibilities, structuring itself in the following service areas: ''Weddings and Palaces, Equal opportunities, Economy, Education, Communication office, Unified license management, Youth, Environment, Municipal Office of Consumer Information, Citizen Participation, Group of Civil Protection Volunteers, Local Police''.
Districts
Realejo
Realejo was the Jewish district in the time of the Nasrid Granada. (The centuries since the Jewish population were so important that Granada was known in Al-Andalus under the name of "Granada of the Jews", ar, غرناطة اليهود ''Gharnāṭah al-Yahūd''.) It is today a district made up of many Granadinian villas, with gardens opening onto the streets, called ''Los Cármenes''.
Cartuja
This district contains the Carthusian monastery of the same name: Cartuja. This is an old monastery started in a late Gothic style with Baroque exuberant interior decorations. In this district also, many buildings were created with the extension of the
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
.
Bib-Rambla
The toponym derives from a gate (Bab al-Ramla, or the Gate of the Ears) that was built when Granada was controlled by the Nasrid dynasty. Nowadays, Bib-Rambla is a high point for gastronomy, especially in its terraces of restaurants, open on beautiful days. The Arab bazaar, the ''
Alcaicería'', is made up of several narrow streets, which start from this place and continue as far as the cathedral.
Sacromonte
The Sacromonte neighborhood is located on the extension of the hill of Albaicín, along the Darro River. This area, which became famous by the nineteenth century for its predominantly Romani people in Spain, Gitano inhabitants, is characterized by cave houses, which are dug into the hillside. The area has a reputation as a major center of flamenco song and dance, including the Zambra, ''Zambra Gitana'', an Andalusian dance originating in the Middle East. The zone is a protected cultural environment under the auspices of the ''Centro de Interpretación del Sacromonte'', a cultural center dedicated to the preservation of Gitano cultural forms.
Zaidín
This formerly blue collar but now upmarket neighborhood houses 100,000 residents of Granada, making it the largest neighborhood or 'barrio'. Traditionally populated by Romani people in Spain, Romani people, now many residents are from North and West Africa, China, and many South American countries. Every Saturday morning it hosts a large outdoor market or "mercadillo", where many people come and sell their wares of fruits and vegetables, clothes and shoes, and other bits and bobs.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Granada is part of the Arabic-Andalusian cuisine tradition, with a strong Arab and Jewish heritage, which is reflected in its condiments and spices, such as cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins, almonds or honey. The writer Miguel Alcobendas, author of the ''traditional cuisine of Granada'', says that it has its origin in living together, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century (when Granada surrendered to the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
), of Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, Nasrid Kingdom from Granada. Subsequently, there was a miscegenation with the kitchen of the Christians, in which the pork acquired an importance in the kitchen of Granada more than in the rest of Spain, since its consumption allowed its eaters to demonstrate a certain distance from the persecuted religions, since Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork, both Muslims and Jews have it banned.
The climatic differences of the different regions of the province, from the coast to the peaks of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
propitiates a great variety of raw materials: vegetables, meats and sausages, and fish that are combined in a multitude of dishes and recipes for soups and stews.
The famous and reputed Trevélez ham comes from the Sierra of Granada, to which other pork derivatives are added, sausages such as chorizo, black pudding and pork tenderloin.
Ham and beans, two products of the land, are combined in one of its most typical dishes, beans with ham; Other known dishes are the Sacromonte tortilla, which among other ingredients must have cooked brains and veal crustaillas, chopped and sauteed before mixing with the egg. It is also worth mentioning "papas a lo pobre", potatoes which are usually served with egg and fried peppers, as well as with pieces of pork or ham.
Among the stews and potajes, the pot of San Antón stands out, which is eaten mainly towards the second half of January; cabbage stew, which combines vegetables and legumes; the stew of green beans and fennel; The thistle and pumpkin casserole, with noodles and aromatic herbs, or gypsy pottery are other dishes of the land.
Confectionery is well represented in the gastronomy of Granada, for sweets prepared by the nuns can be purchased in the numerous convents of the city: the ''pestiños'' of Vélez or those of the ''Encarnación'', the puff pastry, puff pastries of San Jerónimo, the ovos moles of San Antón, the Zafra biscuit, sweet potato rolls, ''cocas'', ''roscos'' from Santo Tomas and ''mantecados''. Aljojábanas, honey and cheese dumplings and some of the fritters called , as well as fig bread, Moorish ''roscos'' and an almond cake called ''soyá'' are all of Arabic heritage.
Unlike in other provinces of Andalusia, in Granada ''tapas'' (appetizers or snacks) are usually free in bars and restaurants. "Bar hopping" (''Ir de tapas'') and eating tapas in the time between finishing work and having dinner is a deeply rooted traditional activity among the people of Granada. There are different tapas routes around the city.
Economy
Granada produces agricultural products such as barley, wheat, sugarcane and tobacco. Besides these crops, olive trees as well as oranges, lemons, figs, almonds, and pomegranates are also commonly grown. For manufacturing, sugar refining is also made in the city. Vineyards and wines are also a significant contributor to the city and region. In 2020, Granada exported a total of $1.3 billion products.
Leisure and entertainment
In Granada there is a wide program of leisure and entertainment, which covers a large number of fields, available to both visitors and citizens themselves. Of the leisure activities carried out, the following can be highlighted:
* The zambras of Sacromonte. Old bridal parties held by the gypsies of the city, and that disappeared for years before their current vindication. They develop in the caves of the Sacromonte neighborhood and have a unique character in the world of flamenco. There are also more classic flamenco shows in the Albaicín. These flamenco shows, usually linked to restaurants, are one of the city's cultural attractions.
* Festivals. Granada has a very complete range of events: International Music and Dance Festival, International Jazz Festival, Granada Festival South Cinemas and International Tango Festival, among others.
* Concerts. Throughout the year there is a stable program of concerts in the Manuel de Falla Auditorium and theater and opera performances in the Congress Palace.
* Parties. Throughout the year several parties are held on significant dates for religious, civil or cultural reasons.
Social welfare
Education
University
The
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
(UGR), founded in 1531 by the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
, meant the continuation of higher studies in La Madraza, when the city was the capital of the last Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, Nasrid Kingdom. The university has become internationally recognised in many university fields: teaching, research, cultural and services to its members and its surroundings. It is therefore one of the destinations that receives more exchange students from the Erasmus Program13 and the fourth Spanish university in number of students, after the Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Seville. The university has around 47,000 undergraduate students.
Obligatory education
In the city there are a total of 69 compulsory secondary education centers. Infant and primary education is taught in 104 centers, distributed among private, concerted and public centers. There are also five adult education centers.
Health
Its public health system is the exclusive competence of the autonomous community, which provides two types of attention: primary, which constitutes the first level of access to the system; and the specialized one. Health centers and offices constitute the offer of primary care, differing from each other in the level of care they provide.
Hospital network
Its hospital network is basically composed of public hospitals managed by the Andalusian Health Service and other smaller private management centers. This network covers the needs of the city and its Metropolitan Area. In total there are 2047 beds.
* The Hospital of the Health Campus, was inaugurated completely in July 2016 and is the second largest in Spain – after La Paz Hospital – and is the reference center in the city for the areas of Allergology, Pathological Anatomy, Hematology, Internal Medicine, Mental Health, Pulmonology, Radiotherapy or Urology, among others; Orthopedic and Traumatological Surgery; Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine; Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neurophysiology, Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Otorhino, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Vascular Surgery.
* The Virgen de las Nieves Regional Hospital (popularly known as Ruiz de Alda Hospital), is formed by a general hospital, a maternal and child hospital, all located in the same enclosure, and is maintained as a nerve center of Digestive, Respiratory, Oncology, Hematology and Transplants. It includes the San Juan de Dios Hospital, a peripheral center of specialties and a therapeutic unit for the mental illnesses.
* The Hospital of San Rafael, has a hospitalization capacity of 190 beds and as a day hospital has 45 places of geriatrics and 15 of Alzheimer's. It is owned by the Hospital Order of San Juan de Dios. It is especially dedicated to the comprehensive care of the elderly, possessing a large number of analysis and rehabilitation services. The hospital activity is arranged with the Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucía.
* La Inmaculada Clinic is a private hospital belonging to the ASISA insurance company born as a concerted hospital of the Spanish Health System in 1975. Through an agreement with the University of Granada, the center also participates in the training of students of the Faculty of Medicine.
* Nuestra Señora de la Salud Clinic is a private hospital that has 71 rooms and belongs to the medical insurance company Adeslas. Serves insured private medical companies. It currently has a new location with a newly built site. It is very close to the Alhambra, near the Serrallo Tunnels, being its previous location on the Avenue of the Armed Forces (Granada).
Health centers
The local primary care network currently consists of eight health centers distributed by the different districts of the city and are the following: Zaidín Sur, Zaidín Centro-Este, Realejo, Las Flores, La Caleta, Góngora, Doctores, Cartuja and Albaycín.
Municipal competitions
Article 42 of the General Health Law provides that municipalities, without prejudice to the powers of other public administrations, will have the following minimum responsibilities in matters related to health.
* Sanitary control of the environment: air pollution, water supply, sewage sanitation and urban and industrial waste.
* Sanitary control of industries, activities and services, transport, noise and vibration.
* Sanitary control of buildings and places of housing and human coexistence, especially of food centers, hairdressers, saunas and centers of personal hygiene, hotels and residential centers, schools, tourist camps and areas of physical activity sports and recreation.
* Sanitary control of the distribution and supply of perishable food, beverages and other products, directly or indirectly related to human use or consumption, as well as the means of transport.
* Sanitary control of cemeteries and mortuary health police.
Citizen Security
The coordination between the State security forces (National Police Corps, National Police, Civil Guard (Spain), Civil Guard, Municipal police, Local Police and Autonomous Police) and the City of Granada is carried out by the local Citizen Security Board. This body allows the correct communication of the security forces in matters of security, within its competence the prevention of crime, road safety and the correct development of events.
The daily citizen security is in charge of the State and local Security Forces and Bodies (Spain) according to the powers that each estate has, trying to act in a coordinated and collaborative way in the prosecution and resolution of all types of crimes that produce the citizens.
Social services
The City of Granada has the Social Services Area to provide the necessary help and advice that the most disadvantaged and needy groups and people may need. For this reason, the Social Welfare Delegation of the City of Granada has several municipal community social services centers, one for each local district, coordinated by Los Mondragones Municipal Administration located on the Fuerzas Armadas Avenue. In its internal organization the services provided are organized around each municipal center and therefore of each municipal district but also around groups.
Parks and gardens in Granada
The city of Granada has a significant number of parks and gardens, including:
![ParqueCiencias EntradaAtardecer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/ParqueCiencias_EntradaAtardecer.jpg)
* The gardens of
Alhambra
The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
and Generalife
* Campo del Príncipe Gardens
* Gardens of the Royal Hospital
* Gardens of Paseo del Salón and of La Bomba (Bien de Interés Cultural, BIC)
* Gardens of the Triumph
* Gardens of Violón
* Córdoba Gardens Palace
* Zaidín Park
* Plaza de la Trinidad
* 28 de Febrero Park
* Almunia de Aynadamar Park
* Park Federico García Lorca, Federico García Lorca Park
* Fuente Nueva University Park
Transport
Construction of a light rail network, the Granada metro, began in 2007, but was greatly delayed by the 2008–present Spanish financial crisis, Spanish economic crisis. Service finally started on 21 September 2017.
The single line crosses Granada and covers the towns of Albolote, Maracena and Armilla, Granada, Armilla. Other transportation options in the city of Granada are trains, taxis or buses.
Bus
The main company operating Granada urban buses, bus transport in Granada is Transportes Rober. There is also bus transportation to and from the airport with the company Alsa.
Rail
Granada railway station has rail connections with many cities in Spain. There are several types of train service to and from Granada
* Short-distance trains
* Medium distance trains
* Long-distance trains
* AVE (high speed long distance) via the Antequera–Granada high-speed rail line. The closest AVE connection is in
Antequera
Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...
.
Taxi
Granada has a wide network of taxis to help travellers reach their destinations. Official Granada taxis are white with a green stripe.
Airport
The nearest civil airport is Federico García Lorca Airport, about west of Granada. The was the first civil airport serving the city and its surroundings but it was replaced by the former airport in the 1970s and repurposed for military uses.
Granada Public Transportation statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Granada, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 42 min. 9% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 10 min, while 8% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 2.7 km, while 0% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.
Sports
![Los Cármenes 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Los_C%C3%A1rmenes_1.jpg)
Granada has a association football, football team:
* Granada CF, in La Liga 2
Granada has a basketball team:
* Fundación CB Granada, in Liga ACB
Skiing:
*
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 were held 12–25 February in Spain at Sierra Nevada near Granada city. The championships were to be held in 1995, but were postponed due to lack of snow. :de:Alpine Skiweltmeisterschaft 1996
Men's com ...
Bullfighting:
* Granada has a 14,507-capacity bullring named Plaza de toros de Granada.
Notable people
*Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon (1120–1190), translator and physician
*Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Zuhri, Al-Zuhri ( 1130s–1150s), geographer
*Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi (1213–1286), geographer, historian and poet
* Álvaro de Bazán (1526–1588), admiral
* Alonso Cano (1601–1667), painter, sculptor and architect
* Pedro Rodríguez Cubero (1656 – 1704), governor of Spanish New Mexico between 1697 and 1703.
* Pedro de Mena (1628–1688), baroque sculptor
* José de Mora (1642–1724), baroque sculptor
* Francisco Martínez de la Rosa (1787–1862), statesman, politician, dramatist and poet
* Ángel Ganivet (1865–1898), writer and dramatist
* Mariana de Pineda Muñoz, Mariana Pineda (1804–1831), liberalist heroine
* Eugenia de Montijo (1826–1920), last Empress consort of France
* Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871–1949), painter, photographer, designer and scenographer
* Pablo de Loyzaga (1872–1951), sculptor and professor of fine arts
*Emilio Herrera Linares (1879–1967), military engineer and physicist
* Melchor Fernández Almagro (1893–1966), literary critic, historian and journalist
* Federico García Lorca (1898–1936), poet and dramatist
* Francisco García Lorca (1902-1976), diplomat, writer from the Generation of '36 and historian
* Isabel García Lorca (1909–2002), teacher and writer
* Luis Rosales Camacho (1910–1992), poet and essayist from the Generation of '36
*José Tamayo (1920–2003), theatre director
* Manuel Jiménez de Parga (b. 1929), lawyer, politician, diplomat and jurist
* Miguel Ríos (born 1944) rock singer and composer
* (1946–2000), singer-songwriter
*Manuel Orantes (born 1949), tennis player
* Javier Egea (1952–1999), considered one of the most important Spanish poets of the 1980s
* Luis García Montero (born 1958), poet and literary critic
*Chus Gutiérrez (born 1962), film director, actress and journalist
*María José Rienda, María José Rienda Contreras (born 1975), ski racer
*Pilar Ramírez Tello (born 1976), English-Spanish translator who translated The Hunger Games and Divergent (book series), Divergent series to Spanish language, Spanish
*Pablo Aguilar (basketball), Pablo Aguilar Bermúdez (born 1989), basketball player
*Lidia Redondo (born 1992), gymnast
*Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (born 1993), Scotland international rugby union player (born in Granada, but moved to Scotland at age 3)
Twin towns and sister cities
Granada shares twin cities status with these cities:
* Aix-en-Provence, France, 1979
[
* Tetuán, Morocco, 1988][
* Tlemcen, Algeria, 1989][
* Coral Gables, Florida, United States, 1989]
* Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 1991[
* Marrakech, Morocco, 1994][
* Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2002][
]
See also
* Gate of the Ears
* Rafael Guillén
* El Fandi
* History of the Jews in Spain
* Synod of Elvira
The Synod of Elvira ( la, Concilium Eliberritanum, es, Concilio de Elvira) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.. Its date has not been exactly determined but is belie ...
* Memories of the Alhambra
Notes
References
Sources
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*
*
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*
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* Cortés Peña, Antonio Luis and Bernard Vincent. ''Historia de Granada''. 4 vols. Granada: Editorial Don Quijote, 1983.
* ''Historia del reino de Granada''. 3 vols. Granada: Universidad de Granada, Legado Andalusí, 2000.
*
External links
*
*
City council of Granada
Granada Tourism Guide
Granada city guide
a
HitchHikers Handbook
*
Webcam Granada/Alhambra
{{Authority control
Granada,
Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Granada
Capitals of former nations
Historic Jewish communities