Alhambra - 1

The first thing that comes to mind when trying describe the Alhambra is: O. M. G. !! This place is amazing. To make our visit even more special, E booked us with a small group tour limited to no more than 12 people. Turns out that in winter, this service (being more expensive) is limited in demand and we got a personal tour - it was only us and the guide.



Our guide, Senne, a young man from Belgium educated in the Philosophy of History at Salamanca was a delightful font of everything you can possibly image. From moorish spain and the reconquest by Isabell and Ferdand to the war of the Spanish succession to Franco and recent spanish history, we were given the full stories of people and events that was thoroughly engaging.

But the castle and fort that is Alhambra is amazing and wonderful. The intricacy of decoration (including Arabesque) and the connections between the various sorts of decorations to the islamic faith is impressive.

For example, since moslem do not make images of people or animals, geometry plays a central role in the designs. However, the artist always inserts an imperfection since to seek perfection would be hubris and affront to Allah since only he is perfect. In the arches below we see what resembles stalagmites. In fact, these are to suggest the cave where Gabriel spoke to Muhammad.

These "stalagmites" are parts of many decorations, such as this 8-pointed star (which is also significant, but I forgot why). The arabic script is repeated everywhere extolling the virtues of Allah and the sultan and stating verses from the Koran.

The detail here is breathtaking. If you have ever checked out on the gigapixel images on the web, you will be familiar with the experience. There is design on every scale at which you look. The shape of ceiling, the shape of the windows, the geometry of the designs, the script, the "stalagmites", the choice of color, the use of plant shapes (arabesque), etc. No matter where or how closely you look there are new details to be explored. And, unlike one of those gigapixel images, every element has meaning and all these meanings tie together with the religion.

Christianity seems hamstrung by comparison. In Christian churches one finds pictures and statues filled with symbolism and buildings in a cross shape but here, the building carries a full spectrum of meanings for the devout that exceed anything I've ever seen.

In the next installment, we'll see more amazing sights.