Stories of the Alhambra

All the Alhambra stories They summarize a whole set of legendary stories halfway between reality and fiction. But all of them have a deep component lyrical and human that will fascinate you Not in vain, the Alhambra, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1984, has more than eight centuries of history.

It was Muhammad I, initiator of the Nasrid dynasty, who ordered its construction, although there was already a previous location in the same place. Likewise, his successors expanded the palatine complex, which is also made up of the Generalife and Alcazabaamong other dependencies. As a curiosity, we will tell you that it owes its name to the reddish color of the clay that was used to build it. But, without further ado, we are going to tell you stories about the Alhambra, one of the most beautiful monuments on the planet, on a par with wonders such as the El Escorial Monastery, to give you just one example.

The Legend of the Moor's Sigh

Many of the stories of the Alhambra are carried out by Boabdil, last sultan of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. Specifically, this one that we are going to tell you about is, perhaps, the most famous of those narrated regarding the Granada monument.

He says that after handing over the keys to the city to the Catholic kingsBoabdil went into exile in the company of his mother and all her entourage. Upon reaching the hill that today is called, precisely, the Sigh of the Moor, he turned his eyes towards Granada, sighed and began to cry. Then, his mother told him: «Cry as a woman what you have not known how to defend as a man».

Legend of the door of Justice

The Door of Justice is one of the most important in the Alhambra and, to a great extent, has symbolized its constructive perfection. For this reason, there are several stories that have her as the protagonist. We will tell you two.

The first says that its builders were sure and proud of the strength of the building. For this reason, they said that the day that the hand carved in the outer arch of the door of Justice and the key of its inner arch were united, that is to say that the Alhambra fell, it would be the day of the end of the world.

For its part, the second history of the Alhambra related to this door was all a challenge for visitors. Its creators themselves said that it was impossible for a knight sitting on his horse to reach to touch the aforementioned hand of the external bow. They were so sure of it that they offered whoever achieved it the Nasrid kingdom itself.

The legend of the sundial

The Alhambra is a colossal construction of about one hundred and five thousand square meters. But, in addition, according to another legend of the monument, it works like a sundial. This means that, by virtue of the rooms where the sun is between and those that are in the shade, we can know the solar time at any time. Especially at noon this circumstance can be perfectly appreciated.

The legend of the enchanted soldier, a beautiful story of the Alhambra

We haven't told you yet that millions of visitors to the Alhambra have been captivated by its beauty. Among them, the American writer washington irving (1783-1859), who visited it at the beginning of the XNUMXth century and left us a whole book of legends linked to the monument.

One of them is that of the enchanted soldier. A student from Salamanca he arrived in Granada with the aim of raising funds to pay for his career. In the summer, he used to travel with his guitar and, by performing songs, he would get good money.

Arrived in the city, he observed a strange soldier anachronistic in appearance. He wore armor and carried a spear. Out of curiosity, he asked who he was. His answer left her petrified. The soldier told him that he had suffered from an enchantment for three hundred years. A Muslim alfaqui condemned him to stand guard over King Boabdil's treasure for all eternity.

Likewise, it could only come out of hiding once every hundred years. Touched, the student asked him how he could help him. Given his interest, the soldier offered him half the treasure if he managed to reverse his enchantment.

To do this, the student had to take a young Christian woman and a fasting priest to the Alhambra. The first was easy to find, but the second was not. He only found an obese priest who liked good food. He was only able to convince him to fast by offering him a share of the treasure.

That same night they went up to the place where the soldier was, not without bringing a basket of food so that the priest could satisfy his gluttony once the work was finished. Arrived there, the soldier pronounced a spell and the walls of one of the towers of the Alhambra opened. So all could see a magnificent treasure.

However, the priest could not take it anymore and pounced on the basket of food. At the moment he began to devour a capon the three visitors found themselves outside the tower and with its walls sealed. They had not been able to complete the spell that would save the soldier. And, of course, they had missed out on the treasure riches.

However, this story of the Alhambra has a romantic ending. He says that the girl and the student fell in love and lived happily with some money that the latter had kept in his pocket when they were inside the tower.

Legend of the Abencerrajes room

This room is one of the most famous in the Alhambra. The Abencerrajes were an aristocratic family who lived in the monument. According to legend, they were rivals of the Zenetes, who conspired against them to annihilate them. With this objective, they invented a romantic relationship between one of the Abencerrajes and one of the sultan's wives.

Precisely this room was the president's bedroom and, therefore, lacked windows. Therefore, it was the perfect place to commit a crime. Thus, the sultan, full of anger, summoned the thirty-seven knights of the Abencerraje family to a party in his room. There he beheaded them all.

He did it on the patio fountain and the legend says that the russet that can still be seen today in the cup of that fountain and in the channel that carries the water to the Patio de los Leones is due to the blood of the murdered nobles.

Legend of the Courtyard of the Lions

It is precisely this patio that we are going to talk to you about now because it also has its legend. A beautiful princess named Zaira He traveled to Granada with his father and stayed in these rooms. This was a ruthless king who hid a terrible secret.

The princess fell in love with a young man whom she saw secretly. But they were discovered by the girl's father, who sentenced his daughter's lover to death. She this she entered the rooms of her father to ask for mercy, but she did not find him there. What she did find was a diary in which the monarch acknowledged having killed the legitimate king and his wife, Zaira's real parents.

It is said that, then, the young woman gathered the monarch and his men in the Patio de los Leones and, using a talisman, turned them all into stone figures. These would be exactly the Lions that today we can contemplate in that patio of the Alhambra.

Legend of the three princesses, one of the most beautiful stories of the Alhambra

This legend says that there was a king who had three daughters: Zaida, zorayda y Zorahida. An astrologer warned him that the stars indicated that they should not marry because it would bring ruin to the dynasty. Then, the monarch locked them in a tower so that they could not fall in love.

However, through the window they fell in love with three christian knights who were captives in Granada. When their families paid the ransom for them, they agreed with the young women to leave the city together. But when the time comes Zorahida, who was the youngest, backed down and stayed. She died young and desolate, but on her grave grew a flower known as "the rose of the Alhambra".

The legend of the Mexuar tiles

Among the palaces of the Alhambra, that of Mexico was destined for the Justice administration. The sultan was installed in it inside a raised chamber hidden by latticework. From it, he listened to arguments and delivered sentences, a faculty that he had attributed to his charge.

On the door of the room where the president was, there was a tile that said: «Enter and ask. Do not be afraid to ask for justice that you will find it».

Legend of the Moor's chair

We end our journey through the stories of the Alhambra by telling you about the Moorish chair, which takes us back to Boabdil. He says that he had a dissolute life and that the inhabitants of Granada rose up to protest against it. They forced the president to flee the city and settle on the hill that can be seen beyond the Generalife. From it, Boabdil sat down to contemplate Grenada between sighs

In conclusion, we have told you some of the most popular Alhambra stories. But, as is logical, a jewel that is so centuries old has generated many others that are equally exciting. For example, that of ahmed al kamel or of the candle bell. Don't you find these stories exciting?