Introduction to Granada

About 660m (2,200 ft.) above sea level in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Granada sprawls over two main hills, the Alhambra and the Albaicín, and is crossed by two rivers, the Genil and the Darro. This former stronghold of Moorish Spain is full of romance and folklore.

Granada's Alhambra, the hilltop fortress palace of the Nasrid kings, the last Muslim rulers of Spain, is one of the world's fabled landmarks. This monumental edifice is arguably Spain's greatest attraction. (Castilians claim that the Prado in Madrid is número uno.)

Washington Irving (Tales of the Alhambra) used the symbol of this city, the pomegranate (granada), to conjure a spirit of romance. In fact, the name probably derives from the Moorish word karnattah. Some historians have suggested that it comes from Garnatha Alyehud, the name of an old Jewish ghetto.

In Spain the city is known for its ties to another writer: Federico García Lorca. Born in 1898, this Spanish poet/dramatist was shot by soldiers in 1936 in the first months of the Spanish Civil War. During Franco's rule, García Lorca's works were banned in Spain, but he's once again honored in Granada, where he grew up.

Granada came to prominence in the 1200s at the peak of Muslim power. Even after Seville and Córdoba had fallen to the Catholic monarchs, Granada stood as the last surviving Islamic capital in Spain. It's where the sultans took their last stand against the Catholic invaders.

Fleeing Seville and Córdoba to the west, thousands of Moors flocked to this last stronghold. Many of them were artisans, and the Alhambra and other buildings testify to their skills.

On January 2, 1492, Granada fell to the Catholics when Boabdil, the last of the Moorish kings, turned his beloved city over to Ferdinand and Isabella. Isabella immediately began to "Christianize" Granada, ordering the construction of a cathedral and its adjoining royal chapel. She also ordered that Muslim mosques be repurposed for Christian use. Although some great architectural monuments were destroyed in the process, the Moorish district of the Albaicín fortunately remains more or less intact, allowing a peek at the architectural glory that existed during the Middle Ages.

Under subsequent Catholic monarchs, Granada prospered until the 1500s when it fell into a decline that lasted many years.

Today Granada is back, with an economy fueled by tourism, light industry, and the University of Granada.

Budget at least 2 days -- preferably 3 -- to see this city of the pomegranate.