Granada is located at the autonomous community of Andalusia and has one of the largest cultural heritages in the country. Endowed with relics from various epochs of history, there’s lots to do and plenty to admire in Granada. In addition to the world famous Alhambra and the streets of the Albayzín, designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, Granada has a Renaissance cathedral and plenty of other sites as the white-walled house gardens of the Realejo quarter. Among the things that make Granada unique is the Science Museum, the Sierra Nevada resort, the beaches at Costa Tropical, La Alpujarra´s architecture, the house-caves where Grandinos used to live, and of course, the granadine cuisine.
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[su_heading]WHAT TO SEE IN GRANADA[/su_heading]
Alhambra: Alhambra was originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications and then was extensively rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar, who built its current palace-fortress complex. The Alhambra resembles many medieval Christian strongholds in its threefold arrangement as a castle, a palace and a residential annex for subordinates. The citadel, its oldest part, is built on the isolated foreland which terminates the plateau on the northwest side. Despite the limitations presented by the characteristics of the spaces through which runs the route of the visit to the monument (with numerous narrow stays, steps and slopes, mainly for conservation purposes), there is an itinerary providing access to around the 50% of Alhambra for any person with impaired mobility. The Alcazaba Tower and the interior of the Nasrid Palaces unfortunately are not accessible.
Generalife: The Generalife consists of a palace and gardens which were built between 1302 and 1309. The complex consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Water-Garden Courtyard), which has a long pool framed by flowerbeds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, and the Jardím de la Sultana (Courtyard of the Cypress). The former is thought to best preserve the style of the medieval Persian garden in Andalusia. Originally the palace was linked to the Alhambra by a covered walkway across the ravine that now divides them. The Generalife is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.
Royal Chapel of Granada: The Royal Chapel of Granada (Capilla Real de Granada) is an Isabelline style building located in the heart of Granada , next to the Cathedral. There visitors can find the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, their daughter Joanna of Castile and her husband, Philip I of Castile. The chapel has a museum in the sacristy with paintings by Membling, van der Weyden, Botticelli and Beruguete. The paintings belonged to the collection of Queen Isabella, whose crown and sceptre, together with King Fernando´s sword are kept there. The exterior of the chapel follows the Isabelline style. It also has side chapels, a nave in Gothic ribbed vault.
Monastery of St. Jerome: The Monastery of St. Jerome (Monasterio de San Jerónimo) is a Roman Catholic church and Hieronymite monastery. The Monastery church follows the usual plan for churches of this order, a Latin Cross with an elevated choir at the foot and the altar behind a wide staircase. The main attraction of the Monastery is the sacristy, one of the best examples of Spanish Baroque. The viewer is dazzled by the sight of the effect the light has on the ornamentation created by Luis Cabello, who produced more than a thousand carvings. The monastery has two cloisters, each built around a garden. The older of the two has more genuinely Renaissance decoration while the other is now the enclosure of the monastery’s community of monks.
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