The Gate of the Seven Floors of the Alhambra will open to the public in November

During the month of November and exceptionally, the Alhambra in Granada will open the Puerta de los Siete Suelos to the public, through which the Castilian troops accessed the Nasrid fortress once the pact of delivery of the kingdom was signed between Sultan Boabdil and the Catholic Monarchs.

This openness is in addition to the past initiatives that the Board of the Alhambra and Generalife of Granada carried out throughout this year to discover those spaces that for conservation reasons are normally closed to visitors. In this way, they have been able to see the Torre de la Pólvora, the Torre de la Cautiva, the Torre de los Picos or the Huertas del Generalife.

The Gate of the Seven Floors is one of the most mysterious places that we can find in the fortress, probably due to the existence of certain legends such as the one recorded by the writer Washington Irving in his famous "Tales of the Alhambra."

However, below we take a brief tour of the facilities to learn a little better about this historic setting so important to the history of Spain.

What is the Gate of the Seven Floors of the Alhambra like?

The so-called Puerta de los Siete Suelos was built in the XNUMXth century on top of a previous one and is located on the southern flank of the wall that protects and closes the Nasrid fortress. It stands out for its structural complexity, its ornamentation and its monumentality, characteristics with which the Moorish monarchs wanted to express their power and greatness.

Its layout is on a bend, a defensive element very characteristic of the time that was intended to reinforce the fortification, since it forced the enemy to carry out several attacks to gain access to the interior.

Before the Gate of the Seven Floors is an artillery bastion that was placed after the Christian conquest. It is the closest to the medina and it is believed that it could have had a certain ceremonial character since, according to the chronicles of the moment, military and fair parades were taking place before it.

During the Spanish War of Independence, the Napoleonic troops partially destroyed it by withdrawing from the Alhambra, blowing it up as well as a sector of the wall. It was not until the 60s of the XNUMXth century that the door could be rebuilt from a compilation of engravings.

Where does your name come from?

Muslims called it Bib Al-Gudun or Gate of Wells since in the fields in front of it there were dungeons that were used to hold prisoners. Its current name comes from the belief that under the bastion that defends it there are seven underground floors of which only two are known.

When can you visit the Gate of the Seven Floors?

During the month of November, visitors who want to will have the opportunity to access the Puerta de los Siete Suelos, a space that is normally closed for conservation reasons. The hours are every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 08:30 to 18:XNUMX. and it is only necessary to have purchased an Alhambra General or Alhambra Gardens ticket.

Knowing the Alhambra in Granada

Granada is known around the world for its Alhambra. Its name means red fortress and it is one of the most visited Spanish monuments because its attraction lies not only in the beautiful interior decoration but also in that it is a building that integrates perfectly with the surrounding landscape. In fact, it is a tourist attraction of such relevance that it was even proposed for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

It was built between the 1870th and XNUMXth centuries in times of the Nasrid kingdom, as a military fortress and palatine city, although it was also a Christian Royal House until it was declared a monument in XNUMX.

The Alcazaba, the Royal House, the Palace of Carlos V and the Patio de los Leones are some of the most popular areas of the Alhambra. So are the Generalife gardens that are located on the Cerro del Sol hill. The most beautiful thing about these gardens is the interplay between light, water and exuberant vegetation.

Where to buy tickets to visit the Alhambra?

Tickets to visit the Alhambra in Granada can be purchased online, at the ticket offices of the monument itself, through a travel agency that is an authorized agent, or by phone. It must be remembered that given the large number of visits it has per year, tickets must be purchased between one day and three months in advance of the chosen date but cannot be purchased on the same day.

What do you think of the initiative of the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra and Generalife of Granada to discover the most remote places of the Nasrid fortress? Have you visited any this year? Which one would you have liked or would like to discover?