The Many Sides of Granada...

All streets look to Alhambra (summer home)

For our final day in Granada (and Spain!), we were eager to see the town that had developed around the Alhambra and headed out to explore Albayzin (the Muslim Quarter) and Sacromonte (the Gypsy Quarters). 

Granada’s old Muslim Quarter sits on the hill facing the Alhambra.   The Quarter developed in the 1100s but survived long after the Christians conquered the territory.  All of the streets and plazas in the community were designed to have a view of the Alhambra and Summer Palace, which can be seen at almost every turn.  This made for a very beautiful walk and gave a completely different view of the magnificent citadel.

In order to block out the sun and intense summer heat, the streets are very narrow.  As a safety measure, the streets appear somewhat sporadic, with curves and dead-ends and no real main street.  These, paired with the hilly surround provided a secure place for people to live. 

The cobblestone streets are lined with gorgeous Carmens (large homes with walled vineyards, some which actually grow grapes and others that just offer nice gardens).  The word, Carmen, was created from the Arabic word, “karm” for “garden”.  The Christian conquerors, however, found this word very difficult to say and, as such, added the “en” on the end to make it more manageable. 

Perhaps the most beautiful view of the Alhambra is at Mirador St. Nicolas, which boasts a beautiful church and a large square with unblocked views of Alhambra and surrounding Sierra Nevada.    It also hosts the  Mezquita Mayor de Granada, which is the first new mosque built in the region in the last 500 years. 

After the conquest, many churches were built in Albayzin.  Some were built on empty land and other were built over existing mosques.  Interestingly, one way to determine whether it was new or rebuilt is to look for a well nearby.  As Muslims routinely wash before prayer, any church built next to a well is believed to have been built over existing mosques.

As for the wells in Albayzin, UNESCO’s official count is "29" but the locals know the number is not accurate.  It is a local “secret” that many people have wells right in their Carmens and homes but will not tell the authorities for concern about the associated restrictions as well as having to make their homes more available to the public.

The local neighbourhood is no longer primarily Muslim but rather comprised of a variety of local cultures.  But the community itself is very close knit.  The majority of people who live there spend all of their time there, eating at the local restaurants and going to the local shops.  To go to the downtown area is considered having to go to “Granada, a completely different city”!

Abutting the Albayzin is Sacromonte, Granada’s thriving Roma community.  Even though the districts sit right next to each other, however, their vibe, culture and even their climates feel completely different!

The gypsies, originally from Northern India, arrived in the mid-1400s and lived in relative harmony with both the Muslims and Christians for hundreds of years.  After the Reconquista, the gypsies apparently went to Isabella and Ferdinand and warned them that they needed gyspy support and then asked for a piece of land.  As a result, the royal couple gave them Sacromonte.

Unlike its neighbours, this community did not build large homes and gardens.  Instead, because of the very hilly landscape, the residents actually carved cave homes right into the mountain.  This allowed them protection from both strangers and also from the heat!

Today, many immigrants and “hippies” come and settle in the area, carving our space for themselves wherever they can find it.

The area feels quite desert-like, with cactuses and sand covering much of the space.  This area too has beautiful views of the Alhambra and the building of the caves up the hill give everyone a scenic view.