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Granada – Greek: (Steph. Byz.) - Elibyrge; Latin: Illiberis (Ptol. ii. 4. § 11) or Illiberi Liberini (Pliny iii. 1. s. 3); Arabic: غرناطة – is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. It is situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of two rivers, Darro and Genil, at an elevation of 738 metres above sea level. At the 2005 census, the population of the city of Granada proper was 236,982, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 472,638, ranking as the 13th-largest urban area of the Spanish Kingdom. About 3.3% of the population did not hold Spanish citizenship, the largest number of these (31%) coming from South America. The Alhambra, a famous Moorish citadel and palace, is in Granada. It is the most remarkable item of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian historical legacy that makes Granada a hot spot among cultural and tourist cities in Spain. Granada is also well-known within Spain due to its prestigious university and, nowadays, wild night-life (though in the 1920s Federico García Lorca described the granadinos as "the worst bourgeoisie in Spain"). In fact, it is said that it is one of the three best cities for college students (the other two are Salamanca and Santiago de Compostela). The pomegranate (in Spanish, granada) is the heraldic device of Granada. The beauty of the sights of Granada is famous. A well known verse says:
History
Pre-Nasrid
Kingdom of Granada under the Christian Kingdoms In 1232 the progress of the Spanish Reconquista led to the subjugation of the last Islamic stronghold of Granada under Mohammed ibn Alhamar to the Christian forces of Ferdinand III of Castile. Thus the city of Granada became the seat of the Nasrid sultanate (until 1238) and kingdom (from 1238), one of the longest-lasting Islamic dynasties in the history of al-Andalus. The Nasrid sultans and kings were responsible for building most of the palaces in the Alhambra. The taifa became a vassal state of the Christian kingdom of Castile for the next 250 years. The Nasrid sultans and kings paid tribute to the Christian kings and cooperated with them in the battle against rebellious Muslims under Castilian rule. Initially the kingdom of Granada linked the commercial routes from Europe with those of the Maghreb. The territory constantly shrank, however, and by 1492, Granada controlled only a small territory on the Mediterranean coast. Muslim Granada was the sole remaining religiously homogenous area in the peninsula: those Christians who did not convert to Islam had been deported to North Africa or escaped to Christian countries. The only religious minority was a small Jewish community. Arabic was the official language, and was the mother tongue of the majority of the population, Muslim and Jew alike. On January 2, 1492, the last Muslim leader Boabdil surrendered complete control of the remnants of the last Moorish stronghold of Granada, to Ferdinand and Isabella, Los Reyes Católicos ("The Catholic Monarchs"). See Nasrid dynasty for a full list of the Nasrid rulers of Granada. The most prominent members of the dynasty were: After the fall of Granada The fall of the Moors is one of the more significant events in Granada's history. The Alhambra decree of the Christian Monarchs asked the predominantly Muslim population to convert to Roman Catholicism or to return to their ancestral lands in North Africa. Arabic lost its place in everyday life and was replaced by Castilian. The mosques, some on sites of former Christian churches, were converted to Christian uses. Part of the predominantly Muslim population was gradually converted to Roman Catholicism and remaining Muslims were eventually expelled to surrounding rural areas, leading to the Revolt of the Alpujarras in 1568. Jews were immediately expelled following the Alhambra decree of 1492. The fall of Granada holds an important place among the many significant events that mark the latter half of the 15th century. It ended the eight hundred year-long Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula. Freed from conflicts with the Muslims, a united Spain advanced to first rank among the nations of Europe, and embarked onto its greatest phase of expansion around the globe leading to the discovery of the Americas by Isabella's prodigy Christopher Columbus and followed by what was to become the Spanish Empire, one of the largest empires of the world for the coming centuries. Architecture There are many important Moorish and Catholic architectural sites in Granada: Although many Muslim buildings were destroyed by the Christian era in Granada those that are remaining make the most complete group of Moorish housing architecture in Europe. Palaces like Dar al Horra, or Alcazar Genil, or houses like the house of the Horno de Oro, the house of Chapiz, or the house of Abén Humeya, are only some of the most famous. Public Baths like El Bañuelo or Alhambra Baths, and the complex of Arab public fountains and wells (aljibes), are unique in Europe. The Nasrid infrastructure net that feeds them (acequias) still functions in its majority: The Royal Acequia and the Cadí Acequia are some of them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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