Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay

Entrance to the Alhambra

	Large bronze model showing the setting of the Alhambra above Granada.



	Above: Model of the Alhambra Left: Map of the Alhambra Below: Entrance signs with Spanish and the original Arabic. The Arabic name was al-qalat al-hamra', "the red fortress," although its stonework doesn't seem much redder than any other fort. The contrast with the surrounding trees led one Arab writer to call it "a ruby set among emeralds."

	The Alcazaba is actually the oldest part of the Alhambra and may have been built on a Roman fort. It was the headquarters for the garrison of the palace.

	The heart of the Alhambra. A tour of this complex is like eating all your trick or treat candy in one sitting. I actually felt a little queasy from sheer sensory overload. Not that there's anything in the least displeasing - exactly the opposite - it's just too much for the senses.