Submitted by Eleanor Helm during the 2023 fall semester in Granada, Spain…
This week, I had the amazing opportunity to explore the Alhambra–Granada’s massive palatial complex originally built in the 1200s in the era of the Muslim empire in Spain. It is an incredible example of the Islamic influence in Andalucia, remarkable not just for its beautiful architecture but also for the rich history it contains. Until now, I had spent the past two months looking out at the Alhambra from my host family’s house in the Albaicin (the old neighborhood on the hill across from the Alhambra) so to finally be able to set foot in this massive castle was all the more impressive. Then, being able to look out from the tower of the Alhambra and see my house from a completely different perspective was incredible in its own way, especially now that I was familiar with the neighborhood and could point out familiar landmarks nearby.
But the views from the towers of the Alhambra were just the beginning. Within the walls of the palace, the intricate geometric designs and the sheer size of the rooms transported me back to the time of the Islamic Golden Age when the Iberian Peninsula saw an explosion of science and art. The perfect dimensions of the arches, the endless fractal patterns covering the walls, the graceful Arabic script woven into the stucco designs, and the ingenious water systems throughout the building just went to show how much this society advanced mathematics and architecture during this period in history.
Moreover, It’s still difficult for me to comprehend how the Renaissance-style cathedral in Granada is only a 15-minute walk from the Alhambra when the two monuments seem like they’re from entirely different worlds. I think this is one of the biggest differences between Spain and the US: here in Granada, you can traverse centuries of history merely by taking a short walk around the city, whereas at home in Pennsylvania, the oldest buildings are still only a few hundred years old at the very oldest. That richness of history on all sides is something that I’ve deeply appreciated in my time here in Spain, and I can’t wait to see what more I discover here. (Submitted during Week 8)