Alhambra, the Islamic wonder in Spain. Granada, Spain.

After visiting a few historic buildings of the Arabic world, and tired of the permanent reference “you must see Alhambra, that is special!” I finally went there to prove with my own eyes the beauty of this place. I took a trip to Granada and Cordoba for a few days with some friends, to explore the wonderlands of the Islamic ancient word in Spain. The next Tricky Traveler photos will came from Spain, from Granada and Cordoba. Starting with some general photos from Alhambra, from St. Nicolas view point, with Sierra Nevada as background, and from the of the Albaicin neighborhood, in the end of the day. The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica which by starlight is silver but by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, evoked by the Moslem analysts who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an "alcazaba" (fortress), an "alcázar" (palace) and a small "medina" (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monument. It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba. The Alhambra is located on a strategic point, with a view over the whole city and the meadow (la Vega), and this fact leads to believe that other buildings were already on that site before the Muslims arrived. The complex is surrounded by ramparts and has an irregular shape. Some more details in tomorrow’s photos.