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Essay On Alhambra

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Introduction
Alhambra (Cast Alhambra), the palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs of Granada is located on Sabika hill that overlooks the city of Granada in Spain. In Arabic Al-Hamra’ means “the red one” so the name Alhambra is probably derived from the colour of the sun-dried tapia, or bricks made of fine gravel and clay, of which the outer walls of the palace are built. Alhambra's Islamic palaces, as we know them today, were built for the last Muslim emirs in Spain and the court of the Nasrid dynasty. Moorish poets described it as "a pearl set in emeralds," an allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them. Figure 1 the Alhambra Palace
History
The history of the Alhambra building complex, stretches right back in Islamic times to the 9th century, it was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then …show more content…

In the Alhambra, a star shape made of rotating squares is also immensely used and the final impression of a never-ending maze leading the eye to numerous geometrical perspectives can be seen on most of the palace walls.
Arabesque
As mentioned earlier the interlacing decoration and stylised vegetal forms of decorations, these two combined can be called Arabesque, which by definition means “"surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements.” The plant ornamentation in the Alhambra is encouraged by the constant references to heaven as the garden of happiness. Examples of plants forming large adorning elements on walls can be seen all around the walls of the Sala de la Barca (Boat Room) – in the form of engraved tree trunks with numerous leaves and fruits. Figure 7 Ceiling of the Sala de la Barca in the Comares

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