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Alcazaba - the fortress
The Alcazaba, or fortress, is the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was built in the mid-13th century by the Sultan Alhamar, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, after he fled from northern Andalucia and established what was to be the last Moorish stronghold against the Christian crusaders.
The largest tower of the fortress is the Torre de la Vela, so called for the great bell which hangs above it. When the Catholic Monarchs took Granada, they brought with them from Castile a bell called La Vela, "the sentinel", to ring the victory chimes from the Moorish castle. In the struggle between the creeds, the bell had become the symbol of Christianity, as the lamps of the mosques were the symbol of Islam.
La Vela has always been rung on great occasions of state, as well as to commemorate the Día de la Toma, the day of the conquest ("the taking") of the city, every January 2. But until quite recently it also played a role in the city's economic life, regulating the opening and closing of the sluice gates which flood the acequias on the plain below.
From the top of the Torre de la Vela, we gaze across the river valley at El Albaicin, with the Mirador de San Nicolás, marked in this photo by the white tower of its church, in the upper right hand corner.
Below us flows the River Darro, whose picturesque right bank - called the Carrera del Darro - is lined with ancient bridges, convents and palaces. Below are two photos taken from the Torre de la Vela, with the Chancillería on Plaza Nueva at the far left of the southern one, and the façades of the houses overlooking Paseo de los Tristes, at the far right of its northern companion. They overlap between Puente del Cadí and Convento de Zafra.
La Carrera del Darro, seen from the Alhambra
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GRANADA, CITY OF MY DREAMS, a book for the curious traveller, written and illustrated by Lorenzo Bohme and published by Editorial Natívola (2003) is now in its 3rd edition. To read about it and Nativola's other publications, click here. |
