Moorish castle on vozdvizhenka. Moorish castle of sintra Moorish castle in spain
Gibraltar has always had a special meaning for many peoples and civilizations since prehistoric times. The peninsula at different times was owned by the Moors, the Spaniards, the British. For the longest period of known history, Gibraltar was dominated by the Moors, who occupied the territory from 711 to 1309, and then, after a break, from 1350 to 1462, that is, a total of 710 years.
The Muslim invasion of Europe in 711 started from Gibraltar. The troops of Tariq ibn Ziyad and Musa ibn Nusayr landed here or nearby. Gibraltar was the first step towards conquering most of Spain and part of France. In the last years of the Moorish rule, Gibraltar acquired a special significance, becoming a key point in the supply from the African continent.
The construction of the Moorish Castle began in the 8th century (probably in 711), documentary records of the year of completion have not been preserved. The fortified walls enclosed a considerable space, stretching from the top to sea coast. The most notable parts of the remaining ruins are the Tower of Remembrance on top of the rock and the Gate Tower with a domed roof. The castle is unique in the Iberian Peninsula, where no other buildings of the Marinid dynasty have been preserved.
Memory Tower
The Tower of Remembrance is the tallest built during the Muslim domination of the Iberian Peninsula, and the castle, in turn, is the largest in terms of area. The fortress played an important role in the Muslim invasion of the peninsula and is of historical value not only for Gibraltar, but also for the west of Europe.
The current tower and most of the fortress were rebuilt in the late Moorish period, at the beginning of the 14th century, after the capture and almost complete destruction of the Gibraltar fortifications, first by the Spaniards, and then by the returning Moors.
Today's state
Currently, the Moorish Castle is considered one of the main tourist attractions of Gibraltar. The image of the castle in 1995 was placed on the back of the Gibraltar five-pound note.
The name "Moorish Castle" (or El Castillo in Spanish) is used local residents to designate the residential areas adjacent to the castle.
Until 2010, part of the fortress was used as a prison.
MOORITAN CASTLE ON VODVIZHENKA
My house will forever stand in Moscow...
Arseny Morozov
On the eve of the outgoing year 1899, when the lilac twilight descended early on the city and the golden tops of the churches sank in a snow blizzard, the gothic windows of a mansion of unusual architecture lit up brightly on old Vozdvizhenka.
The amazement of Muscovites knew no bounds: against the backdrop of Moscow courtyards, this Moorish castle seemed like a fairy tale.
Indeed, the architecture of the house is unusual: the facade is copied from the central part of the ancient Portuguese castle of Sintra, near Lisbon, and the interior is brilliant eclecticism, where Baroque and Empire coexist with strict Gothic and Moorish style.
Architect V. Mazyrin with the future owner Arseniy Morozov in 1887 went on a long journey, first to Spain, then to Portugal.
Their imagination was completely shocked by the ensemble of Sintra Castle - the former palace of the kings of Portugal. It stands on a hill, adjacent to it is a castle of the 16th century, where even the halls of the 13th century have been preserved. And the old royal residence is still in excellent condition today. European music festivals are held here every year.
Until recently, Marquise Olga Kadavale, nee Kutuzova, lived in Sintra Castle. In 1992, the great-grand-nephew of the great Russian commander Field Marshal Kutuzov, Illarion Ilyich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, during a meeting at the Moscow Moorish Castle, where the House of Friendship is now located, told me this amazing story.
So, the facade of the House of Friendship is almost an exact copy of the central part of Sintra Castle. “Only a castle in Portugal is densely entwined with climbing grapes,” said Illarion Kutuzov. I asked 194 distinguished guests to go outside and look at the eastern rotunda of the building, decorated with an elegant carving of a stone branch of grapes. "Yes. North. Russia ... - thoughtfully continued Illarion Ilyich. “But how charming, how elegant, what a fiction!”
I also asked why the whole building was decorated with shells, to which he could not answer. But when I began to collect material about the architect Mazyrin, his grandson Sergei Ivanovich Savchenkov, an orientalist, told me a marvelous legend. Sometime in ancient times, Sant'Iago arrived in the Pyrenees. During the long journey, the bottom of his ship was overgrown with huge shells. The monks carried these holy shells to the castles and monasteries of Spain. And noble grandees decorated their magnificent estates with them. In Spain, in the city of Salamanca, there is today the famous castle of shells - Casa de Con-chas. This legend was told to the grandson of V. Mazyrin during a diplomatic reception in the 1970s. Spanish consul Eugenio Bregalat. Openwork stone weaves are made by Mazyrin in the Manueline style - in honor of King Manuel of Portugal.
So, the mansion on Vozdvizhenka was built in the Spanish-Moorish style with a Portuguese motif. The interior of the mansion is brilliantly eclectic: the main living room leads us into the Knights' Hall, decorated in the Romanesque style. In the Knight's Hall, the owner arranged feasts, balls were held in the Golden Hall, and the boudoir of Vera Sergeevna's wife was designed in the best examples of the Art Nouveau style. In addition to countless guests, a tame lynx roamed the house, and stuffed boars, foxes and wolves "inhabited" secluded corners. And bearskins everywhere: the owner of the hunter killed eighty-two huge beasts in his life. The Great White Hall - baroque style - is decorated with paintings, sculptures, symbolizing the muses. The golden hall, made in the Empire style, is decorated with gilded stucco, set off by the white color of the stucco ceiling. The marble hall is designed in the Roman style. And only the bedroom-study of the owner was decorated in the Moorish style.
According to the architect Yu.F. Diderikhs, the builder of the Riga station, Morozov ordered the architect: "You, Mazyrin, make sure that all the halls are made in different styles." Mazyrin brilliantly coped with the task, and in 1899 the house was completely built and equipped. New 20th century the owners met in their beautiful mansion…
Muscovites marveled at the unprecedented architecture, the press published malicious jokes about Arseny Morozov, according to which the owner wanted to demonstrate his power and wealth. Leo Tolstoy in the novel "Resurrection" wrote: "The house is being built huge and in some kind of complex, unusual style."
When in the late 90s. Mazyrin completed the construction, appearance mansion shook the imagination of Muscovites. Opinions were the most contradictory, to which Arseniy Morozov told the brothers: “My house will forever stand in Moscow, but it is not known what will happen to your collections!” His words turned out to be prophetic. The collection of Western European painting, which Ivan Abramovich Morozov had collected all his life, formed the basis of the Museum of New Western Painting in 1941, and later, in 1947, the collection was divided between the Hermitage and the A.S. Pushkin. The owner of the Moorish castle managed to outdo his brothers, well-known collectors of Western European art.
But the fate of Arseny Morozov was no less tragic than the fate of the rich collections of his brothers.
Arseny Morozov seriously believed in talismans. Those who have visited the House of Friendship, the former mansion of the owner, probably noticed that on the fireplace, under the window, there is a stone knot in the form of ropes - an oriental symbol of longevity and prosperity. Unfortunately, the talisman did not help - Arseniy Morozov died at the age of 35 in 1908. It was in Tver during a feast, when the owner made a ridiculous bet - a test of willpower. Having shot himself in the leg and not showing the guests any discomfort, he sat at the table until late in the evening. Two days later, Arseniy Morozov, Savva Morozov's nephew, died, somewhat repeating the fate of his uncle. The owner of the mansion was briefly outlived by its creator Viktor Aleksandrovich Mazyrin.
Prior to the construction of the Morozov mansion, Maeyrin designed the pavilions at the World Exhibition in Paris (1889) and the pavilions of the Central Asian Exhibition in Moscow (1891). He also built a Russian pavilion at the World Exhibition in Antwerp in 1894. In 1912, V. Mazyrin built two more tenement houses in Moscow, which have survived to this day: the first - in Podsosensky Lane, the second - in Furmanny, the exterior of house No. 22, preserved to this day, lined with red-yellow tiles. Finally, Viktor Alexandrovich built a dacha for Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin.
This is very interesting story. That summer, Fyodor Chaliapin and Viktor Mazyrin were visiting Konstantin Korovin's dacha, which stood on the picturesque Nerl River. Konstantin Korovin writes in his memoirs as follows: “This summer (1903 - Auth.) Chaliapin stayed with me for a long time. He decided to build a house nearby. He even asked me to do the project. Mazyrin was invited as an architect. In August, Fyodor Chaliapin went to swim in the river every morning, Mazyrin certainly went with him, apparently, they all discussed the project of Chaliapin's new dacha along the way. Korovin recalled: “... Mazyrin was short, frail. Coming to the bath, he quickly undressed, threw himself into the water and dived. Chaliapin told me: “The devil knows. Anchutka is a real seahorse. But I can not…"
Soon Fyodor Chaliapin bought a huge forest estate on the Nerl River and hurried with construction. Konstantin Korovin made a project of a house-terem. The place where the house for F.I. Chaliapin, was called Ratukhino. In the first years after the revolution, this charming house-terem with all the outbuildings was burned down ... They burned down the estate of Alexander Blok in Shakhmatovo, burned down and plundered the estate of Sergei Rachmaninoff. The composer was very sad when he saw his piano lying broken on the ground ... Fedor Ivanovich, seeing how Rachmaninov was going through, and noticing tears in his eyes, cheerfully said: “Do not grieve, do not grieve. Anchutka to you new house rebuild…”
But Viktor Mazyrin was no longer able to build or create. He died in Moscow shortly after the revolution, and was buried at the Pyatnitskoye cemetery.
And the Moorish castle, like a precious pearl, adorns Vozdvizhenka, which once in ancient times bore the name Orbat - from the Arabic word for "suburb". The street has been known since the 13th century, it was the beginning of the road from the Moscow Kremlin and led to the west, to Velikiy Novgorod and Smolensk. Since the 17th century the street began to be called Smolenskaya, from the beginning of the century - Vozdvizhenka.
In the middle of the XVI century. the site on which the building of the House of Friendship now stands was inhabited by the Slobodians, who served the court of Ivan the Terrible, in the 16th century. here was the court of the boyar Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - Boris Morozov. In the XVIII century. this plot of land belonged to the Chief Jägermeister of Peter I - Semyon Kirillovich Naryshkin, his vast stone chambers flaunted here. From the second half of XVIII in. these possessions pass into the hands of the princes Dolgorukov.
Today, this pearl of architectural art, crowning Vozdvizhenka Street, is the Reception House of the Government of the Russian Federation.
... Cars are flying along Vozdvizhenka, pedestrians are in a hurry, but everyone's gaze involuntarily lingers on an old castle that came to us from the Silver Age of poetic Russia. And a hundred years ago, at the end of the 19th century, carriages were rushing along Vozdvizhenka, passers-by were in a hurry, and a strange, unusual castle emerged from the snow whirlwind, shining with illuminated high windows, the like of which is not in Moscow.
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From the book of 100 famous symbols of Ukraine author Khoroshevsky Andrey YurievichIn 711, detachments of Arab and Berber warriors, having crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, invaded the Iberian Peninsula. Since then, maurus (from the Greek word for "dark") - the name of one of the Berber tribes of northwest Africa - has spread to all the Muslim conquerors of Spain.
The origin of Moorish art dates back to the heyday of the Caliphate of Cordoba - a vast, powerful and prosperous state, whose independence was proclaimed in 929 in the face of the rest of the Muslim world. Soon Arab Spain became the most populated, richest and most comfortable country in Europe. But in the 11th century, the Caliphate of Cordoba collapsed, although this did not delay the further development of the "Moorish style" in art. He only acquired the features of greater lyricism, intimacy, refined sensuality and, at the same time, even greater vitality.
Moorish art reached its peak in the famous architectural complex"Alhambra", which is associated with many poetic legends about love, warriors and chivalry. Palace Ensemble The Alhambras took shape at different times and, of course, did not have the original general plan, but at the same time it is distinguished by an amazing architectural unity. It was here that Moorish culture experienced its heyday, its short “golden age”.
The honor of founding the Alhambra, as the new government seat of the Moorish Nasrid dynasty, belongs to its first emir, Al-Ahmar. On the highest Red Hill of Granada, where an ancient Roman fortress had existed since the 9th century, he began to build a new castle in 1239. However, the palace and administrative buildings of the Alhambra that have survived to this day belong to XIV century, when enlightened sovereigns ruled in Granada - Iusuf I and his son Muhammad I. Largely thanks to Muhammad I, the Alhambra has survived to this day: he perfected the arts that brought glory to his empire. Mohammed I communicated with architects, artists and workers; he spent a lot of time in the gardens, where he himself planted trees, rare plants, beautiful bushes and the most beautiful flowers. And the strong walls of the Alhambra did not betray to anyone the treasures of Moorish art that they sheltered.
The main residence in the Alhambra was the Comares Palace, and the now world-famous Myrtle Courtyard served as its compositional center. This name was adopted only in the 17th century, and it came from a rectangular reservoir, which occupies most of the courtyard and is planted along its long sides with trimmed myrtle trees. The mirror surface of the reservoir, raised almost to the level of the marble floor, plays a huge role in this courtyard. Reflecting in its unsteady refraction the golden-pink tower of Comares (its height is 45 meters), towering on the north side of the courtyard, and the blue sky, the reservoir expands the space and creates a feeling of spaciousness.
In the tower of Comares, the entire space is occupied by the magnificent square Throne Room (or “Hall of Ambassadors”), in which, directly opposite the entrance, was the throne of the rulers of Granada. The "Hall of Ambassadors" was built in the XIV century and is the most extensive in the Alhambra: its dimensions are 11.3 × 11.3 × 18.2 meters. At floor level, it has nine large arched windows, three of which are separated by marble columns in the center.
The thickness of the walls of the "Hall of Ambassadors" reaches three meters, so each of the windows forms an independent, richly decorated room - like a loggia. Loggia windows add poetic intimacy to the main hall of the Alhambra, from which the rulers of Granada observed pictures of peaceful life and the wonderful nature of Granada.
In the Hall of Ambassadors, the skilled Moorish architects showed their talent for manipulating light, channeling it through the intricately carved windows that were previously covered with stained glass. The light falls on the glittering walls, illuminating the entire hall with a penetrating shimmering glow. Soft light comes not only from the lower windows, but also from the 20 upper ones, taken away by bars. Higher up, the shadows thicken, but even they cannot hide the inspired creation of the Arab masters - the famous cedar wood stacked ceiling. The ceiling is bordered by a stalactite frieze and consists of three inclined planes tapering upward, ending in a small stalactite dome in the center.
The "Hall of Ambassadors" is not only the largest, but also the most historical hall of the Alhambra. True, some historians are not completely sure that some real events took place in it. For example, legends say that in this hall Queen Isabella received Christopher Columbus and in the same hall Sultan Boabdil surrendered Granada to the Catholic kings of Spain.
In contrast to the open and illuminated space of the Myrtle Courtyard, the shaded arched passage to the Comares Tower attracts you with a mysterious, cool semi-darkness. The entrance to the tower is preceded by an elongated, narrow "Hall of la Barca" - "Hall of the Boat". Some researchers explain this name by the similarity of the painting on the ceiling of the hall with the keel of the ship. However, the Spanish writer Carlos Pascual raises the etymology of the word "barka" to the Arabic "baraka" - "blessing, grace", and this seems the most plausible.
Closely adjacent to the Comares Palace is the Lion's Courtyard, which is a type of palace building-garden. The private life of the Granada sultans flowed here, and this circumstance gave it a more chamber, intimate character.
The entire building of the palace-garden belongs to the second half of the 14th century. In the center of a small open courtyard is a fountain surrounded by figures of 12 lions, which later gave the name to the entire courtyard. The lions are carved from some special semi-precious marble and arranged like the rays of a star.
These archaic sculptures were brought here from the old palace in Albaicin. The number of lions is not accidental. According to legend, 12 lions supported the throne of King Solomon. This was told to Sultan Mohammed al-Ghani by his vizier ibn Nagrella, a Jew by birth. He also advised the Sultan to decorate the fountain with figures of lions. Meticulous researchers also attribute this story to legends, since the lions at the fountain allegedly appeared only in the 16th century - after the fall of Granada.
But no matter how historians and art historians argue, they agree on one thing: silence itself lives in the Lion's Courtyard, broken only by the murmur of water jets, to the patterns of which ornamental patterns are added.
Water, which came in abundance from the mountain slopes of the Sierra Nevada, filled the streams, gardens, fountains of the Alhambra and was the earth element that the Moors most valued. For Arab buildings, fountains, streams and waterfalls are no less characteristic than columns for Greek ones. It is no coincidence that the inscription on the fountain in the Lion's Courtyard has been preserved: "Look at the water and look at the reservoir, and you will not be able to decide whether the water is calm or the marble is flowing."
The marble bowl of the fountain is also decorated with other excerpts from the poems of ibn-Zumruk, for example, this one: “This is a garden, the buildings in it are so beautiful that God does not allow another beauty to exist that can compare with them.”
On the western side of the Lion's Courtyard is the "Hall of Stalactites", so named because of the lace decoration of its ceiling. Unfortunately, this ceiling died at the end of the 16th century during a fire and in 1614 it was replaced with an elliptical covering.
On the northern side of the Lion's Courtyard is the vast "Hall of the Two Sisters". Two Christian sisters languished in it, dying of longing for their beloved ones separated from them. This square hall is one of the most perfect buildings of the Alhambra. It is notable for its magnificent ornamental decoration, in which Arab craftsmen skillfully played with the cold sheen of tiles, the warmth and nobility of wood, and the plasticity of a matte knock.
The "Hall of the Two Sisters" promises a lot of consolation for the visitor's eyes; any dreamer will find new fantasies in its decoration. The stucco decorations of this hall, reminiscent of stalactites, have triumphed over time and reach their perfection here: not a single tile is like another in these carved honeycombs ... The presence of beauty in the "Hall of the Two Sisters" is felt so strongly, as if she settled here only yesterday.
Opposite this hall is the “Abenserhav Hall”, where visitors enter with involuntary trepidation. In 1482, as the legend says again, bloody murders took place here. To free his son Boabdil the way to the throne, his father summoned 36 more applicants to the Alhambra. They were met in this hall by the executioner who was already waiting and cut their throats. It is said that even now, after more than five centuries, blood stains can sometimes be seen here.
Moorish poets called Granada and the Alhambra "the joy of children, the unfading garden of flowers and fruits", "the true paradise of Mohammed". The image of paradise among Muslims is colorful and luxurious and, unlike the Christian one, is permeated with all the joys of life. It is a wonderful garden in which cool rivers flow and earthly pleasures reign.
When the Alhambra was being built, the reconquista was ending in Spain - the centuries-old struggle of the Spaniards against the Arab conquerors. Having crossed the threshold of the Alhambra, the ruler of Granada wanted to leave his bitter thoughts, not to remember the dangers, betrayals and civil strife and not to worry about what tomorrow would bring. Serenity still reigns here, a sweet and alluring dream, everything here is subject to sophisticated, sensual luxury.
In medieval Arabic treatises, beauty was associated with impeccable sophistication of form, with a thrill of bright colors and light. Hence the craving of Muslim architects for objects that are sparkling, transparent, shiny, iridescent and reflecting light. Therefore, in the Alhambra, the marble columns shine like pearls; its courtyards and bright window openings, flooded with sun and at the same time darkened by galleries, radiate enchanting magic.
Infinitely repeating completely simple elements, the Moorish masters thereby created the most complex forms. Islam forbade depicting living beings, and they drew their inspiration from nature. A leaf torn off in the garden turned into geometric perfection, even Arabic writing became a special form of art. Each arch of the Alhambra is enclosed in a patterned frame, the ornament of which is woven with a script of Arabic letters. “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger,” this phrase is repeated countless times.
It is said that when the Castilian and Aragonese Christian armies approached the Alhambra, Sultan Boabdil hid in a secret place outside the Alhambra so as not to see the Christian flag fly over the Moorish palace. And his mother said to him: “You mourn like a woman what you could not defend like a man.”
The Christian ruler Ferdinand the Magnificent in 1515 gave a special order to preserve the Alhambra - "such an exceptional and magnificent structure." Now on the territory of the Alhambra there is a royal palace, which was erected by one of the following Spanish kings. The architect Pedro Machuca was then engaged in the restoration of the Alhambra and followed its gardens. But he was also a student of the great Michelangelo, and therefore, following the king's command, he planned to build a magnificent building in the Renaissance style.
The palace of the Spanish king with its pilasters and bas-reliefs is completely different from the airy architecture of the Alhambra. It represents a different era, different tastes, a completely different system of aesthetic and moral values, and therefore looks somewhat alien among the buildings of the Moorish ensemble. The American writer W. Irving even compared him "with an arrogant and uninvited guest."
In 1536, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, moved his residence to Granada and, with great difficulty, agreed not to rebuild the Alhambra. True, he wanted to attach a rotunda to it, but it was never finished.
Moorish castle Alhambra. Part 1.Tell me what castles
Is it clear in the distance?
- First castle: the Alhambra
- Glorious in the world is the name.
Beyond the walls of Alijares
- The beauty of the marvelous structure,
Decorated their kingdoms
The architect is the best, famous, "
The Alhambra is an architectural and park ensemble located on a hilly terrace in the eastern part of the city of Granada in southern Spain.
In 711, detachments of Arab and Berber warriors, having crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, invaded the Iberian Peninsula. Since then, maurus (from the Greek word for "dark") - the name of one of the Berber tribes of northwest Africa - has spread to all the Muslim conquerors of Spain.
The origin of Moorish art dates back to the heyday of the Caliphate of Cordoba, a vast, powerful and prosperous state, whose independence was proclaimed in 929 in the face of the rest of the Muslim world. Soon Arab Spain became the most populated, richest and most comfortable country in Europe.
But in the 11th century, the Caliphate of Cordoba collapsed, although this did not delay the further development of the "Moorish style" in art. He only acquired the features of greater lyricism, intimacy, refined sensuality and, at the same time, even greater vitality. Moorish art reached its peak in the famous architectural complex "Alhambra", which is associated with many poetic legends about love, warriors and chivalry.
The palace ensemble of the Alhambra was formed at different times and, of course, did not have the original general plan, but at the same time it is distinguished by an amazing architectural unity. It was here that Moorish culture experienced its heyday, its short "golden age".
The honor of founding the Alhambra, as the new government seat of the Moorish Nasrid dynasty, belongs to its first emir, Al-Ahmar. On the highest Red Hill of Granada, where an ancient Roman fortress had existed since the 9th century, he began to build a new castle in 1239.
However, the palace and administrative buildings of the Alhambra that have survived to our time date back to the 14th century, when enlightened sovereigns ruled in Granada - Iusuf I and his son Muhammad I. It was largely thanks to Muhammad I that the Alhambra has survived to this day: he improved the arts that brought glory his empire
Mohammed I communicated with architects, artists and workers; he spent a lot of time in the gardens, where he himself planted trees, rare plants, beautiful bushes and the most beautiful flowers. And the strong walls of the Alhambra did not betray to anyone the treasures of Moorish art that they sheltered. The main residence in the Alhambra was the Comares Palace, and the now world-famous Myrtle Courtyard served as its compositional center.
This name was adopted only in the 17th century, and it came from a rectangular reservoir, which occupies most of the courtyard and is planted along its long sides with trimmed myrtle trees. The mirror surface of the reservoir, raised almost to the level of the marble floor, plays a huge role in this courtyard.
When the Alhambra was being built, the reconquista was ending in Spain - the centuries-old struggle of the Spaniards against the Arab conquerors.
Having crossed the threshold of the Alhambra, the ruler of Granada wanted to leave his bitter thoughts, not to remember the dangers, betrayals and civil strife and not to worry about what tomorrow would bring. Serenity still reigns here, a sweet and alluring dream, everything here is subject to sophisticated, sensual luxury.
In medieval Arabic treatises, beauty was associated with impeccable sophistication of form, with a thrill of bright colors and light. Hence the craving of Muslim architects for objects that are sparkling, transparent, shiny, iridescent and reflecting light. Therefore, in the Alhambra, the marble columns shine like pearls; its courtyards and bright window openings, flooded with sun and at the same time darkened by galleries, radiate enchanting magic. Infinitely repeating completely simple elements, the Moorish masters thereby created the most complex forms.
Islam forbade depicting living beings, and they drew their inspiration from nature. A leaf torn off in the garden turned into geometric perfection, even Arabic writing became a special form of art. Each arch of the Alhambra is enclosed in a patterned frame, the ornament of which is woven with a script of Arabic letters. “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger” - this phrase is repeated countless times
It is said that when the Castilian and Aragonese Christian armies approached the Alhambra, Sultan Boabdil hid in a secret place outside the Alhambra so as not to see the Christian flag fly over the Moorish palace. And his mother said to him: “You mourn like a woman what you could not protect like a man.”
The Christian ruler Ferdinand the Magnificent in 1515 gave a special order to preserve the Alhambra - "such an exceptional and magnificent structure
Now on the territory of the Alhambra there is a royal palace, which was erected by one of the following Spanish kings. The architect Pedro Machuca was then engaged in the restoration of the Alhambra and followed its gardens. But he was also a student of the great Michelangelo, and therefore, following the king's command, he planned to build a magnificent building in the Renaissance style.
In 1536, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, moved his residence to Granada and, with great difficulty, agreed not to rebuild the Alhambra. True, he wanted to attach a rotunda to it, but it was never finished.
In 1812, the French occupation army, leaving, blew up some of the Alhambra buildings. By order of Marshal Soult, explosives were planted under many towers and demolished. There is a legend that they were going to blow up the palace complex, but it was saved by the corporal of the disabled team, Jose Garcia, throwing himself on a powder cord; in honor of his feat, at the entrance to the Alcazaba from Algibes Square, a Memorial plaque. But there is no documentary evidence of this event. In 1821, the Alhambra was hit by an earthquake.
At the same time, work began on the restoration of the Alhambra, in which architects José Contreras Osorio (who led the work in 1841-1843), his son Rafael Contreras y Munoz (in 1847-1890) and grandson Mariano Contreras Granja (in 1890-1910). However, according to modern ideas, their restoration was far from scientific, they proceeded from the widespread at that time and very distorted ideas about Moorish architecture, which even gave rise to the architectural style "Alhambrism".
The Alhambra was brought closer to its historical appearance by the architect-restorer Leopoldo Torres Balbas, curator of the museum complex in 1923-1936.
From the second third of the XIX century. The Alhambra began to attract European and American romantics - writers and artists; in particular, she made a strong impression on Washington Irving, who lived in Spain in 1829-1832, as well as on George Noel Gordon Byron, Francois-René de Chateaubriand, Victor Hugo, Edward Bulwer-Lytton and others.
Architecture
Alcazaba
Alcazaba (from the Arabic word al-kasba, meaning "fortress") - the citadel of the Alhambra; it was here that the first fortifications were built.
cube tower (more correctly: a round tower), or La Taona, a semicircular tower with observation deck, which overlooks the valley of the Darro River and the Albayzin quarter. Built in 1586. It is part of the wall connecting the Alcazaba with the rest of the complex.
Adarve sentinel path on the northern wall.
Armory Square - the space between the walls of the Alcazaba. Here are the foundations of the houses where the garrison and the population serving it lived, the remains of a water cistern and the entrance to the underground prison is visible.
Weapon tower. It connected the Alcazaba with the Albaicin quarter through the Armory Gate (Puerta de las Armas). It gave the opportunity to go to the courtyard and to the Nasrid palace. The transition is made in the form of a knee to simplify the defense.
watchtower- the highest tower of the citadel (about 27 m high), square in plan, four-storied. It was on it that in 1492 the conquerors raised the flag of the Order of Santiago and the royal banners.
Later it was used as a dwelling (until the middle of the 20th century, members of the Corps of War Invalids lived here, ringing the bell on holidays). It had teeth, but in 1522 they were destroyed by an earthquake. The bell was installed in 1492 (which is why it was also called the Bell Tower, Torre de la Campana), but the current belfry dates from 1840 (it was destroyed by lightning in 1882 and restored).
Ommage Tower- six-story, 26 m high, in the Christian era, it served as a donjon. According to legend, al-Ahmar lived in it before the construction of the palace. The first floor was used as a prison and as a food warehouse.
Hidalgo Tower
- A low defensive tower at the foot of the Watchtower, next to the former stables.
Broken tower (Torre Quebrada). A high tower in the center of the wide eastern wall. It was built on the site of an older tower, which became part of it. It got its name because of the crack that crossed it from top to bottom.
Powder tower-
The southernmost, low tower next to the Watch. Gunpowder was stored here.
Sultana's Tower
-. A small tower in the southern inner wall, adjacent to the Adarve Gardens. In addition to defensive purposes, it was used as a warehouse and as a dwelling.
broken tower.High tower in the center of the wide eastern wall. It was built on the site of an older tower, which became part of it. It got its name because of the crack that crossed it from top to bottom.
Adarve Garden - built in the 17th century. in place of the moat between the outer and inner southern walls.
The area of reservoirs and adjacent buildings
The Square of the Waters is located between the Alcazaba, on the one hand, and the Nasrid palaces and the palace of Charles V, on the other. It got its name from underground cisterns dug in this place by the Comte de Tendilla in 1494. Tourists enter the Alcazaba from it.
Gate of Justice and Charles V Fountain
The Gate of Justice, or the Gate of the Esplanade, since at one time a vast space stretched in front of them, is the entrance to the Alhambra from the Alhambra forest. Erected in 1348. Above the outer gate there is an Arabic image of a hand (possibly the hand of Fatima, the daughter of the prophet), above the inner one - a key, as well as a statue of the Madonna in a niche, made by Roberto Aleman already at the direction of the Catholic kings.
wine gate- the inner gate that connected the area of the reservoirs with the medina. One of the oldest buildings in the Alhambra. The construction of these gates is attributed to the era of Muhammad III, that is, to 1302-1309. The decoration of the western facade was made at the end of the 13th - the beginning of the 14th century, the eastern one - later than 1367. According to one version, the name of the gate is explained by the fact that tax-free wine was sold here, according to another, that the ancient Arabic name “Bib al -hamra "" (Red Gate), which turned into "Bib al-jamra" (Wine Gate). The French composer Claude Debussy dedicated the prelude "Gate of the Alhambra" to this gate.
Courtyard of the Madrasah the ruins of a madrasah - a school where the children of the emirs studied. The contours of individual rooms have been restored.
Nasrid Palace
It consists of three monumental ensembles: Meshuara - buildings for audiences and courts, the Comares Palace - the official residence of the emir, the Palace of Lions - private apartments.
Mechouar
The oldest part of the complex, noticeably rebuilt after the Christian conquest. The name comes from the Arabic word maswur - the place where the shura, that is, the council of ministers, gathers.
Courtyard of the Golden Room
Mechouara Hall
In the center of the hall, a patterned wooden ceiling from Christian times is supported by four columns with Mozarab consoles. The ceiling was made in the 16th century, before that there was a skylight in its center (there were no side windows).
The upper part of the walls is decorated with plaster ornaments, the lower part is decorated with tiles, which are interspersed with panels depicting the coats of arms of Charles V, the Mendoza family, the Pillars of Hercules, etc. In the Christian period, it served as a chapel.
Chapel.. A small room adjoining the Mechouar, overlooking the Albaicín. The walls are covered with quotations from the Koran and praises of Mohammed V. In the eastern part there is a mihrab. In 1590 there was an explosion here; in 1917 the room was restored.
Mechouar's courtyard or the courtyard of the Golden Room. Located between Mechouar and the Comares Palace, on its northern side is the entrance to the Golden Room of this palace.
Courtyard of Machuca Located east of Mechouar. In the middle there is a pool in the style of the ancient Roman nymphs, in the northern part there is a restored portico, above which rises the Machuca tower (Torre de Machuca). The previously existing symmetrical portico in the southern part of the courtyard is symbolically marked by a row of cypress trees trimmed in the form of a portico. The courtyard is named after the architect Pedro Machuca, who kept his plans in an adjoining building while he was building the palace of Charles V.
To be continued
