Al Hambra - As I saw it

Sometimes is it is hype and at times it is hoopla. But we the lesser mortals always end up having a preconceived image of everything that we are about to read or see or visit much before the event actually takes place.

The Taj Mahal visit is one such event of my life which had happened while I was still studying in college. We went up with lot of enthusiasm and were extremely excited to take the final turn and face the Taj (one actually enters the premises and continue to move forward and then comes a point where we turn and face the Taj), the famous symbol of Love! I won’t say that I was disappointed but it definitely did not provide the ecstatic experience that I had expected... Well not at the first sight! But as we walked into the mausoleum it was definitely a great and incomparable experience.

On the same tour we got the opportunity to visit the Lotus Temple (Baha’i) in New Delhi for the very first time. I went there with little or no prior knowledge or study done. It did not have associated hype but I thought it was a great expression of art and it did sweep me off my foot.

Many a years after visiting those two places I happened to visit Al Hambra. I was excited to be able to stand in front of one of the greatest symbols of Andalusian Architecture and devour it through my eyes. My expectation was moderate though the excitement was immeasurable. Once inside I was totally "WOW-ed” by the intricacies, details and the ambience of this place. Though I won't compare this with any other monument or try and judge which is better but this is definitely one of the finest structures and inspired art around the globe.

The start was not very smooth. The entry ticket, which I found quite expensive, to begin with, had a time printed on it. We did not realize that one was permitted to enter the palace only within that window of time. We strolled leisurely enjoying the view of the other structures around and finally when we reached the entrance, we were denied entry. No amount of pleading from us as well as our native compatriot could change their mind. We had to return all the way back to the ticket counter and buy new tickets. After all we had re-routed our trip through Granada only to be able to see Al Hambra. I wish they had explained to us this verbally as not everyone is used to read all the details printed in a ticket.

But once inside the palace it was worth every bit of the trouble.

The literal meaning of Al Hambra in Arabic is "the Red one". It was part of the fortress complex of the Muslims rulers of Granada and also housed their courts. The palace has a series of courts and halls in a spatial order as the one move through public to more private spaces. The most famous court is the court of the lions. Today this is one of Spain's major tourist attractions. This is the confluence of Islamic and Christian Architecture and Culture in the European main lands.

This is a monument to experienced! I know this will continue to inspire Architects, Designers and Artist from around the world and influnece their works.

The Wikipedia is a good source for information on Al Hambra. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra