Submitted by Dakota Edwards on the 2017 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
The Alhambra is still important today. It’s not simply a tourist spot, though its function as such generates a lot of capital for Granada that in turn allows the city to restore and preserve more historical sites. Culturally, it is representative of a rich history of diversity in Spain, but also of an intolerance that the people of Granada are interested in reversing. Though primarily a Catholic city, more Jewish and Muslim worshipers are being encouraged to demonstrate their faith. The Alhambra need not be a symbol of Catholic power. It was an incredible journey to venture through the halls of the Alhambra and observe, essentially, a war of religions on a battlefield of art. And to me, an individual who is not religious (though somewhat spiritual), the visit was one of awe and wonder. It was beautiful and such beauty is not easy to find. The tranquility of the gardens, the majesty of the court of lions, the clearness of the fountain water; these are all things to be celebrated for their connection to the Earth and the way they impact the people of Granada–the way they impact the people of the world.
Pathway to the entrance to the Alhambra, originally a castle built by the Nasarid rulers in Granada in the 13th century that was taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492.
