Day 17 The Alhambra and Shawarma!

Building began in 1237, but the Alhambra became the Moor’s swan song.  It’s height was in the 14th century, but by the time the Catholic Monarchs were clearing out all the Jews and Muslims, the Alhambra was the last to fall during the Reconquista.  It took the Monarchs over 250 years, going from north to south, but they finished the job in 1492.  Spain has remained Catholic ever since. 

Fortunately for history, conquering Charles V decided to build his own palace inside the Alhambra and not on top of it.  Thus another unique blend of Muslim and Christian art architecture.  In contrast to Christian art, Islamic artists expressed themselves with functional objects not icons and paintings or sculptures of Biblical characters and saints. 

A whole different feel and look.  Islamic doctrine is wary of any “graven images” or idols as they are forbidden by God.  Also, as the pictures depict, most of their craftsmanship can be seen in the plaster, primarily in calligraphy.,    It is everywhere, and very intricate.  Most has been bleached white by time,  a few traces of blue can still be seen. 

Finally, the outside landscaping  is not original!  So who knows what they were planting in the 1400’s.  They did enjoy lots of water, that is still flowing everywhere, but where the gardens are laid out is, at best, an educated guess.   But some good ideas, if it ever rains in California again.

 

Finally, another McKelvey tradition is to seek Shawarma, (شاورما‎) wherever it is served in the world.  It is of Middle Eastern origin, so we thought Granada would be a great place to look for it. (It is also known as doner kabab or gyro).  For the uninitiated, it is usually lamb, but may be veal, beef or chicken.  It is cooked on a rotating vertical spit, usually for the whole day.  The meat is combined with vegetables, then served in a burrito-like wrap.  Our family knows the drill.  A picture to prove the experience.

My rating: a 4 out of 5.  I would have gone 4.5 since the Shawarma is Halal, but the sign lowered it a half a point.  I hope this isn’t a franchise like Burger King.