| Once the last light left in Al-Andalus, now lit up with a lively street culture. |
| During the period of Muslim domination of Spain, Granada was the finest city on the peninsula. Today it is still home to the greatest Muslim legacy in Europe, and one of the most inspiring attractions on the Continent - the 11th-century Alhambra. |
| Weights measures system: | Metric |
| Population: | 238000 de habitantes. |
| Between June and September the weather remains hot enough in Granada to lease a sombrero and sleep with the windows open. The heat remains for much of the year during the day, cooling down at night in autumn and spring. From November to April the windows stay closed and the layers come out, though umbrellas are seldom needed. |
| Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | | Average high temp. | 12 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | | Average low temp. | 2 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | | Average rainfall | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | | Average humidity | 75 | 85 | 85 | 77 | 70 | 57 | 59 | 67 | 73 | 78 | 83 | 78 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Planes fly daily to and from Madrid and Barcelona from Granada's airport, 17km (10.5mi) west of the city. Some budget carriers fly from the UK. Buses operate from the Carretera de Jaén, 3km (2mi) northwest of the city centre. International services, as well as services to various Spanish destinations can be found here.
Car rental can be found across Spain but prices are high.
The train station (Avenida de Andaluces) is 1.5km (1mi) west of the centre, off Avenida de la Constitución. Trains run daily to and from destinations right across Spain. | |
| Granada has an affordable transport network with buses and trains networking the city. | |
| pre 20th history: | Granada began life as an Iberian settlement in the Albayzín district. Muslim forces took over from the Visigoths in 711, with the aid of the Jewish community around the foot of the Alhambra hill in what was called Garnata al Jahud, from which the name Granada derives (granada also happens to be Spanish for 'pomegranate', the fruit on the city's coat of arms).
After the fall of Córdoba (1236) and Seville (1248), Muslims sought refuge in Granada, where Mohammed ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr had recently established Seguir leyendo. an independent emirate. Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar to east of Almería, this 'Nasrid' emirate became the final remnant of Al-Andalus, ruled from the increasingly lavish Alhambra palace for 250 years. Granada became one of the richest cities in medieval Europe, flourishing with its swollen population of traders and artisans. Two centuries of artistic and scientific splendour peaked under emirs Yusuf I and Mohammed V in the 14th century.
But by the late 15th century the economy had stagnated and violent rivalry developed over the succession. One faction supported the emir, Abu al-Hasan, and his harem favourite Zoraya. The other faction backed Boabdil, Abu al-Hasan's son by his wife Aixa.
In 1482 Boabdil rebelled, setting off a confused civil war. The Christian armies that invaded the emirate that year took advantage, besieging towns and devastating the countryside, and in 1491 they finally laid siege to Granada. After eight months, Boabdil agreed to surrender the city in return for the Alpujarras valleys and 30,000 gold coins, plus political and religious freedom for his subjects. On 2 January 1492 the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, entered Granada ceremonially in Muslim dress. They set up court in the Alhambra for several years.
Religious persecution soon soured the scene. Jews were expelled from Spain. Persecution of Muslims led to revolts across the former emirate and eventually to their expulsion from Spain in the 17th century.
Without much of its talented populace, Granada sank into a decline that was only arrested by the interest drummed up by the Romantic movement in the 1830s. This set the stage for the restoration of Granada's Islamic heritage and the arrival of tourism. Ocultar. |
| Modern history: | | When the Nationalists took over Granada at the start of the civil war in 1936, an estimated 4000 granadinos (Granadans) with left or liberal connections were killed, among them Federico García Lorca, Granada's most famous writer. Though with the death of Franco in 1975 democracy was restored and Spain joined NATO and the European Community, Granada still has a reputation for conservatism. |
| recent history: | | Granada's first new mosque for 500 years was opened in the summer of 2003 to a backdrop of anxiety following the post-September 11 focus on radical extremism. Despite fears the leaders of the mosque, built in Granada's old town district of Albayzin, went out of their way to welcome all people into the house of worship and the controversy soon died down. |
 | | Long cool water pool inside Palacio Nazaríes, Alhambra Palace-Fortress | | Mark Avellino | | |
| Catedral | | | Keywordreligious/spiritual/architectural highlight | | | |
| | Direccion: Calle Cárcel Baja | | Teléfono: 958 22 29 59 | | | |
| | Adjoining the Capilla Real but entered separately, from Gran Vía de Colón, the cavernous Gothic-Renaissance cathedral was begun in 1521, and directed by Diego de Siloé from 1528 to 1563. Work was not completed until the 18th century. The main façade on Plaza de las Pasiegas, with four heavy buttresses forming three great arched bays, was designed in the 17th century by Alonso Cano. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Capilla Real | | www.capillareal.granada.com | | Keywordmuseum/religious/spiritual/architectural highlight/mausoleum | | | |
| | Direccion: Calle Oficios | | Teléfono: 958 22 92 39 | | | |
| | The Capilla Real, adjoining the cathedral, is Granada's outstanding Christian building. Spanish-history fans will enjoy this connection with the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, who commissioned this elaborate Isabelline Gothic style building as their mausoleum. It was not completed until 1521, hence their temporary interment in the Convento de San Francisco. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ | | Alhambra | | www.alhambra-patronato.es | | Keywordfortress/architectural highlight/Unesco World Heritage/palace | | | |
| | | Stretched along the top of the hill known as La Sabika, the Alhambra is the stuff of fairy tales and, once you've visited it, you'll long to return. | | _________________________________________________________________________________ |
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