At the mouth of the Darro Valley lies the Plaza Nueva (Pl. E, 4; p. 75), another focus of traffic (tramways, see p. 73). On the left is the Audiencia, formerly the Chancilleria, built in 1531–87 for the Capitán General or governor. The pretty arcaded court was probably designed by Diego de Siloe (p. 76).

A few paces farther to the E. the Darro is not covered in. Here, on the right, on the site of an old mosque, is the church of Santa Ana (Pl. E, 3), a Renaissance building, perhaps designed by Diego de Siloe in 1541, with a fine plateresque portal and an admirable timber ceiling. The tower, built by Juan Castellar in 1561–3, with its azulejos and jutting roof resting on corbels, resembles a minaret.

Opposite the church, on the right bank of the Darro, begins the Carrera del Darro (Pl. E, 3, 2), one of the oldest parts of Granada, affording picturesque views, notably of the towers and walls of the Alhambra, which had its oldest approach from this quarter. (Part of a horseshoe arch of the bridge is seen on the left bank.) The Bañuelo, at No. 37, now occupied by poor families, is a Moorish bath, dating perhaps from the 11th century.

On the right side of the street we come to the church of San Pedro y San Pablo (Pl. E, 3, 2), with its fine timber ceiling. On the opposite bank of the Darro we observe traces of the landslip under the N.E. corner of the Alcazaba (p. 81), below which are the arches of an aqueduct. To the N. of the church is the Casa de Castril, a curious Renaissance building with an ornate portal by a pupil of Siloe.

We next reach the Alameda del Darro (Pl. E, 2), planted with elms; above us, on the right, is the Generalife (p. 87); on the left, Albaicín (p. 79). Crossing the bridge to the right we enter the steep Cuesta del Rey Chico (Pl. F, 2), which leads through the ravine mentioned at p. 79, and past the Moorish towers of the Alhambra, to the Puerta de Hierro (p. 87), the E. gate of the Alhambra, and to the Generalife.

From the Darro the Cuesta del Chapiz (Pl. E, D, 2) ascends to the N. to the old suburb of Albaida. The street is named after the Casa del Chapiz, erected early in the 16th cent. in the Mudejar style for two Morisco nobles, with two separate patios. The house, now a bakery, is entered from No. 14, at the corner of the Camino del Sacro Monte.

From this point the Camino del Sacro Monte (Pl. D, 2, 1) ascends the cactus-grown slope. The numerous poor Cuevas, or cave-dwellings, are chiefly occupied by gipsies (gitanos). The path ends at the (25 min.) Sacro Monte (to the N.E. of Pl. D, E, 1), a Benedictine monastery of the 17th cent., now a divinity and law school. The view of the Alhambra across the Darro valley, of the town and the Vega, is one of the finest near Granada.

Footpaths ascend from the Cuesta del Chapiz in 25 min., and from the Sacro Monte in ¾ hr., partly through deep gorges, to the chapel of San Miguel el Alto (Pl. D, 1), in the midst of aloes and cacti, where we enjoy a grand *View of the Alhambra, the town, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada.

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The side-streets of the Carrera del Darro (p. 78) ascend to the N. to Albaicín, a poor suburb (p. 74). Not far from San Pedro y San Pablo (p. 78) is the small Gothic church of San Juan de los Reyes (Pl. D, 2), an early 16th cent. edifice, whose tower was once a minaret.

Above this church, and of like date, is the Gothic church of San Nicolás (Pl. D, 2), also built on Moorish foundations, and containing a fine timber ceiling. The famous *View of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada is a favourite subject with artists. The Puerta de los Estandartes (Pl. D, 3), close by, is a relic of the Moorish Castle Wall, which runs down hence to the Puerta Monáita (Pl. C, 3, 4). On the N. side the Cuesta de la Alacaba (Pl. D, C, 3, 4) descends to the Paseo del Triunfo (p. 75).

On the way back to the Plaza Nueva we pass the Franciscan nunnery of Santa Isabel la Real (Pl. D, 3), whose church has a tasteful late-Gothic portal by Enrique de Egas.

c. The Alhambra.

The Alhambra occupies the plateau, 795 by 195 yds., of the Monte de la Assabica (p. 74), which rises abruptly from the Darro on the N. side, while on the S. it is separated by a gorge, the Assabica of the Moors, from the lower spur of the Monte Mauror (Pl. F, 3; p. 80). The axis of this range of hills is abruptly intersected by a second gorge, the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. 78), separating it on the E. side from the Cerro del Sol (p. 87), at the foot of which lies the Generalife (p. 87). On the narrow W. point of the plateau stands the castle of Alcazaba. Beyond the small glacis on its E. side, and beyond the Plaza de los Aljibes, rises the Alhambra itself, adjoining which, on the S.E., lies the Alta Alhambra, once quite a little town, where the retinue and servants of the court resided. The whole of these buildings, enclosed by a wall with numerous towers, were called by the Moors Medînat al-Hamrâ, literally ‘red city’, from the colour of its stone.

The History of the Alhambra begins with Mohammed I. (1232–72), the first Nasride sovereign. While the Zirites resided on the Albaicín hill (comp. p. 74), Mohammed chose the Alhambra Hill as a site for his palace. The building was continued by his son Mohammed II. (1272–1302), and the Alhambra mosque (p. 86) was erected by Mohammed III. (1302–9). Abu’l-Walîd Ismaîl (1309–25) was the first to erect a small palace outside of the Alcazaba, but this, with the exception of the Patio del Mexuar (p. 85), was taken down by Yûsuf I. (1333–54). Yûsuf began the stately Comares or myrtle-court palace, with its throne and audience room; to him are ascribed also the Comares tower (p. 83), the baths (p. 85), and the enclosing wall of the Alhambra Hill, with 23 additional towers. For the more sumptuous part of the pile Mohammed V. (1354–91) was chiefly responsible. To him was due the completion of the Myrtle Court, the erection of the Cuarto de Machuca, the summer abode of part of the family, and of the luxurious lion-court palace, the winter dwelling of the court and of the sovereign’s harem. The last Moorish king who made additions to the Alhambra was Mohammed VII. (1392–1408).

The ‘Catholic Kings’, as Ferdinand and Isabella are styled, took a great interest in the Alhambra; they restored the decorations of the interior and strengthened the walls. Charles V. visited Granada in 1526, but with less satisfactory results. Although an enthusiastic admirer of Moorish art, he caused many outbuildings of the Alhambra to be removed to make way for his new palace (p. 86). At length, after 1718, when Philip V. discontinued the payment of money for the upkeep of the buildings, they rapidly fell into decay, and in 1812 the French, on their retreat, blew up several of the towers. Since 1830, however, the work of restoration, though sometimes in doubtful taste, has been resumed.

It is hardly necessary to remind our readers of Washington Irving’s delightful ‘Tales of the Alhambra’, which were partly written on the spot. A series of magnificent views of the Alhambra is given in the monumental work of Jules Goury and Owen Jones, published at London in 1842. See also ‘The Alhambra’ by A. F. Calvert (2nd ed., London, 1907).

The Hill Tramway (rack-and-pinion; p. 73) ascends from the Puerta de los Molinos (Pl. G, 3) on the S. slope of Monte Mauror, affording a splendid view of Granada, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada on the left, to the Cuesta de las Cruces (p. 81) in the Alhambra Park, a few minutes’ walk from the entrance of the Alhambra.

The shortest Road to the Alhambra is the Calle de Gomeres (Pl. E, 4, 3), which ascends steeply from the Plaza Nueva to the S.E., between the hills of the Alcazaba and the Torres Bermejas, to the Puerta de las Granadas, the present chief entrance to the Alhambra Park.

The Puerta de las Granadas (Pl. 1; E, 3), erected by Pedro Machuca (p. 86), in the form of a triumphal arch, on the site of the Moorish Bîb Alaujar, occupied the centre of the wall connecting the Alcazaba with the Torres Bermejas, the fortifications on the W. point of the Monte Mauror, which were built at the same period as the Alcazaba, but have been frequently restored.

The *Torres Bermejas (Pl. F, 3; ‘red towers’), now a military prison, deserve a visit, which may be best paid on the way back from the Alhambra or the Generalife. The path diverges from the Cuesta de las Cruces (p. 81) a few paces to the E. of the Puerta de las Granadas. Adm. on application at the guard-house. The extensive buildings, with their underground stabling, the cistern, and the casemates, convey an excellent idea of an ancient Moorish fortress. Stairs, rather steep, ascend to the platform (azotea) on the chief tower, where we obtain a most picturesque view.

The *Alhambra Park (Alameda de la Alhambra; Pl. F, 3, 2), a ‘sacred grove’ unique of its kind, occupies the Assabica Valley (p. 79), reaching far up its slopes. It was planted at the end of the 18th cent. with elms exclusively, placed so close together as to form one dense roof of leafage, the home of countless nightingales. In March, when the sun shines through the leafless branches, the soil is temporarily covered with rich vegetation.

From the Puerta de las Granadas three roads ascend to the Alhambra. To the right is the Cuesta de las Cruces, leading up the S. side of the park to the hill-tramway and the Alhambra Hotels (p. 73); to the left is the rather fatiguing Cuesta Empedrada, the old route to the castle, ending at the Puerta Judiciaria (see below); between these is the easy Main Road, passing three fountains, and also leading to the hotels, but connected by side-paths with the Puerta Judiciaria. Carriages use this road and pass through the Puerta del Carril (Pl. 6; F, 2).

The entrance-tower, with the *Puerta Judiciaria (Pl. 5; E, F, 3), which, according to the inscription, was erected in the reign of Yûsuf I. in 1348, and was called by the Moors Bîbush-Sheria (‘gate of justice’), deserves special attention. Like many of the Alhambra towers, this was really an independent building, the road between the gates of which was made tortuous for defensive purposes. About halfway up is the horseshoe-shaped Outer Gate, above which is seen a hand with outstretched fingers, a symbol often used in the East and in S. Europe to avert the evil eye. The Inner Gateway still has its old Moorish doors studded with iron.

A narrow passage ascends thence to the House of Gómes Tortosa (on the right; Pl. 7, E, 3), the conservator of the Alhambra. Into the N. wing is built the *Puerta del Vino, probably once the main W. entrance of the Alta Alhambra (p. 86). This gate seems to have been once connected by a wall with the Puerta de Hierro (p. 87), so as to shut off the Alcazaba, the palace, and the mosque from the Alhambra suburb.

At the top of the hill we enter the broad Plaza de los Aljibes (Pl. 8; E, 3), so named from the cistern (al-jibb) filled with water from the Darro. The level of the plaza was raised about 16 ft. when Charles V. built his palace, and it is now adorned with hedges of myrtle. On the E. side rise the Moorish palace (p. 82) and the handsome building erected by the emperor (p. 86); on our left is the E. front of the Alcazaba with two towers, the Torre Quebrada and the Torre del Homenaje, 85 ft. in height (Pl. 10, 11; E, 3); to the N. we look down into the Darro Valley.

The Alcazaba (Pl. E, 3; Arabic Al-Kasaba, ‘the citadel’) stands about 460 ft. above the Plaza Nueva (p. 78). Except on the E. the hill falls away abruptly on all sides, and so suddenly on the N.E., in consequence of a landslip, that the castle-wall seems endangered. The only entrance to the castle is now the Puerta de la Alcazaba (Pl. 9; E, 3), at the S.W. angle of the Plaza de los Aljibes. The interior of the castle is now occupied by gardens. Of the original building scarcely anything remains except the ruined enclosing wall, with its huge towers and external terraces (Adarves). At several points the masonry resembles the concrete work of the Romans (p. 290).

At the W. extremity of the Alcazaba stands the ‘watch-tower’, the *Torre de la Vela (Pl. 13; E, 3), the Ghafar of the Moors, on which the three ‘pendones’ of Ferdinand and Isabella were displayed for the first time on 2nd Jan., 1492.

The Vela Tower commands a very extensive *View (doorkeeper 30 c.). At our feet lies the entire city; to the left, beyond the Alhambra Park, rise the Torres Bermejas; to the right, beyond the Darro, is the Albaicín; in front of us extends the almost circular green Vega, enclosed by brown and sun-scorched ranges of hills; to the S.E. towers the Sierra Nevada; to the S. and S.W. rise the Sierra de Almijara, Sierra Tejea, and Sierra de Alhama; to the W. are Santa Fe (p. 73) and the hills of Loja (p. 72); then, to the N.W., are the Sierra de Parapanda (p. 73), Sierra de Elvira, and other hills. Lastly, to the E., we see the Moorish Alhambra and the palace of Charles V., the church of Santa María (p. 86), the Generalife (p. 87), and the Silla del Moro (p. 88).

The *Jardín de los Adarves (Pl. 15; E, 3), the S. terrace, overgrown with venerable ivy and vines, is entered by a small door (recognized by the iron scallop-shells on it) to the left of the Alcazaba gate. The view is most picturesque, especially towards evening.

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The Moorish **Alhambra Palace (adm., see p. 74), commonly known as the Casa Real, adjoins the N.E. angle of the Plaza de los Aljibes. Like other Moorish secular buildings it is externally insignificant, and it is quite eclipsed by the huge palace of Charles V. (p. 86). Like the ancient Greek and Roman dwelling-houses it is entirely closed on the outside, while all the rooms open on an internal court as a common centre. When the house was enlarged a new court had to be added, and so too the kings of Granada built palace after palace, each with its own court and separate entrance.

On these buildings the highest efforts of Moorish art have been expended. Their structural value is small; the materials, chiefly wood and plaster, lack solidity, being often used for effect only; while architectural rules are constantly violated. But the ingenious disposition of the rooms and their sumptuous ornamentation, whose fairy-like effect is too often marred by decay or by faulty restoration, are unrivalled. The slender marble columns by which the light walls are supported recall the tent-poles of the nomads, while the mural decoration with its arabesques and flourishes reminds one of an Oriental carpet. Very curious too is the ‘stalactite’ vaulting, formed by minute and countless projections of the walls, ranged one above the other without visible support. The Semitic abhorrence of any representation of living beings accounts for the absence of sculpture, but some food for reflection was afforded by the inscriptions with which all the wall-spaces are framed, partly in the venerable Cufic characters (p. 150), partly in Andalusian flowing letters, extolling Allah and the reigning family.

The present low-lying Entrance (Entrada Moderna), adjacent to the emperor’s palace, leads into the—

*Myrtle Court (Patio de la Alberca or de los Arrayanes), which belongs to the Comares palace (p. 80), and derives its name from the myrtle-hedges (mesas de arrayanes) around its pond (alberca). The court is 121 ft. long and 75 ft. in breadth. At its N.E. end rises the Comares tower (see below); to the S.W. it is overlooked by Charles V.’s palace, which stands about 16 ft. higher. At each end of the court is a beautiful arcade, borne by six slender marble columns and paved with marble; that at the S.W. end, with its upper gallery, open at the top, deserves special admiration. At the N.E. end the arcades terminate in curious niches (Arabic ar-hanîya) with stalactite vaulting, once coloured blue.

The first door on the N.W. side of the court leads into the custodian’s rooms, and the next but one into the Patio del Mexuar (p. 85); opposite the latter door, from the S.E. wall of the court, stairs (generally closed) descend to the Baths (p. 85). Opposite the entrance of the palace is a door leading into the Sala de los Mocárabes (p. 84) and the Lions’ Court (p. 81). The stairs in the S.W. angle of the court lead into the interior of Charles V.’s palace (p. 86).

An ornate horseshoe arch at the N.E. end of the court gives access to the ante-room of the Comares Tower, the Sala de la Barca, whose barrel-vaulting was destroyed by a fire in 1899. By the entrance are two niches for water-vessels. The wall of the tower is pierced with a superb archway, right and left of which are two other fine niches.

The ruinous Torre de Comares, 148 ft. in height, built, it is said, by workmen from Comares, and crowned, with modern pinnacles, contains the—

**Hall of the Ambassadors (Sala de los Embajadores), a room in two stories, 36 ft. square and 59 ft. high, once the royal reception room. The last meeting of the Moors under Boabdil, before the capitulation of Granada, was held here in 1491. Inscriptions record that Yûsuf I. was the builder. The larch-wood dome of the hall has been compared to the facetted surface of a cut diamond. The immense thickness of the walls is apparent from the depth of the window-niches, each of which affords a different view. The central windows (so-called Ajimez, Arabic khamsîya) are each divided into two by a slender column. This hall is one of the most richly decorated in the Alhambra.

From the first window-niche on the right in the S.E. wall a passage leads to the Peinador de la Reina (p. 86) and to the lower floor.

We return to the Myrtle Court and (as indicated above) pass through the Sala de los Mocárabes into the—

**Court of the Lions (Patio de Los Leones), which owes its name to the Fuente de los Leones, a famous fountain borne by twelve lions. The building was begun by Mohammed V. in 1377. The court, 92 by 52 ft., is bordered all round with a colonnade, from which at each end protrudes a superb domed pavilion. The columns are alternately single and grouped. The tasteful elegance of this court, originally shaded by six orange-trees, contrasts strikingly with the showy pomp of the Myrtle Court. The fretwork decoration in stucco looks like carved ivory. Besides the lion-fountain, the court contains, at the ends of the arcade, eight flat marble fountain-basins. The fountains play on a few festival-days only.

The Court of the Lions, whose upper floor contained the women’s apartments, restored in 1907, is adjoined by handsome rooms all round. On the N.W. side is the present ante-room of the court, called the—

Sala de los Mocárabes, 72 ft. long, but only 13 ft. wide. The handsome barrel-vaulting in the Renaissance style was added after an explosion of gunpowder in 1614, but remains of the old dome and mural decoration have been brought to light.

The *Hall of the Abencerrages, to the S.W. of the Lions’ Court, derives its name from a noble family (p. 75), whose leading members, as the story goes, were beheaded at the fountain in the centre of this hall on account of an intrigue of Hamet, their chief, with king Boabdil’s wife. We note specially the magnificent door of entrance, and the curious way in which it is fitted to the doorposts. The central part of the hall rises in three stories, upon which open two lower alcoves with beautiful toothed arches and coffered ceilings. Over the gallery of the second story eight stalactite pendentives form the transition to the sixteen-sided third story, whose windows diffuse a subdued light. Lastly, the hall is roofed with massive stalactite vaulting.

Adjoining the Hall of the Abencerrages, on the left and right, are the Patinillo and the Aljibe or cistern.

The *Sala de la Justicia (also called Sala del Tribunal or de los Reyes), on the S.E. side of the Court of the Lions, is a hall in seven sections, with three arched entrances from the court, each divided by two columns. Between these open sections, which are roofed with lofty domes lighted from above, are two lower chambers. Adjoining the ends and the E. side are side-rooms or alcoves, some of them dark. The whole of this hall, with its honeycomb vaulting and stalactite arches, presents the appearance of some fantastic grotto.

The three larger side-rooms have ceiling-paintings of the early 15th century. The central picture, which has given rise to the different names of the hall (‘hall of justice’, ‘hall of the kings’, etc.), probably represents the first ten kings of Granada, beginning with Mohammed I., or, according to others, a meeting of council, or a court of justice. The paintings in the two other alcoves depict hunting and jousting scenes.

In the central alcove is a Moorish Trough (pila) of 1306, with curious reliefs of lions devouring stags, of eagles, etc.—The alabaster Tombstones in the alcove at the S.W. end of the hall are from the Rauda, the dilapidated royal vault of the Alhambra.

Opposite the Hall of the Abencerrages we ascend from the N.E. side of the Court of the Lions by a narrow passage (pasadizo) to the—

**Sala de las Dos Hermanas (Hall of the Two Sisters), which lies in the same axis as the Sala de los Ajimeces and Mirador de Daraxa, two other rooms situated at a higher level. This suite of rooms seems to have formed the winter residence of the ruler’s harem. The chief of these, whose ornamentation is perhaps the most exquisite in the Alhambra, has its name from the two marble slabs in the pavement. In particular we admire the beautiful doors, the mural decoration in stucco, and above all the honeycomb vaulting, the largest of all Arab roofs of the kind.

In a corner of the hall stands the *Alhambra Vase (‘el jarro de la Alhambra’), 4 ft. 5 in. in height, dating from 1320, and adorned with enamel, figures of animals (gazelles?), etc.

We next pass through the Sala de los Ajimeces, with its ajimeces (p. 83) and fine vaulting (a closed passage on the left leads hence to the Peinador de la Reina and the Patio de la Reja, p. 86), to the—

*Mirador de Daraxa (‘entrance-room’). This charming bay has three windows, reaching nearly to the ground and overlooking the Patio de Daraxa (p. 86).

We may now return through the Court of the Lions to the Myrtle Court, and from the N.W. side (as indicated at p. 83) of the latter descend through the Zaguán or forecourt to the Patio del Mexuar, lying 13 ft. lower. This is the oldest part of the Alhambra. On the N.E. side of the court is a pleasing Atrium, with columns and a horseshoe arch of 1522. The adjacent Cuarto Dorado also has Mudejar decoration of the time of Charles V.

The Mexuar (Arabic meshwâr, council-chamber), now the Capilla, was fitted up as such in 1537–44, but not used as the palace chapel till 1629. During the Moorish period it perhaps served as an audience chamber or law-court, and the gallery as a meeting-place for the council of state.—A modern door leads into the Mosala, the Moorish chapel built by Mohammed V., which belonged to the old Cuarto de Machuca (p. 80), now almost entirely occupied by gardens.

Nearly opposite the Christian Chapel in the Mexuar Court is the underground Viaduct leading to the Baths (right) and to the Patio de la Reja.

The extensive subterranean *Baths (Baños), to the N.E. of the Myrtle Court, in the style of those of ancient Rome (comp. p. 290), date from the time of Yûsuf I. The first room, now freely restored, resembling an Apodyterium, is the Sala de las Camas or de los Divanes, with two niches for couches, and is remarkable for its graceful superstructure. The gallery was destined for the singing girls. The chief bath-chamber (cuartos y sudoríficos) corresponds to the Tepidarium, and marble baths still exist. The heating apparatus (calorífero) has been destroyed.

From the Sala de las Camas we enter the *Patio de Daraxa (p. 85), planted with cypresses, formerly the inner garden of the palace, but altered by Charles V. Only the upper basin of the fountain is Moorish. The rooms on the upper floor (Aposentos de Carlos Quinto) contain the Alhambra archives.

The small Patio de la Reja, with its fountain and four cypresses, so called from its window-gratings, dates only from 1654–55.—The stairs at the N.E. corner lead (left) to the Hall of the Ambassadors (p. 83), and (right) to a new corridor which brings us to the—

*Peinador de la Reina (the ‘Queen’s Dressing-room’), on the upper floor of the Torre del Peinador erected by Yûsuf I. The ‘grotesque’ paintings, in the style of the Vatican logge, and the scenes from Charles V.’s expedition to Tunis (p. 323) are by Julio de Aquilés and Alex. Mayner.

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The *Palace of Charles V. (Pl. 17, E, 2; entrance, see p. 83) is a massive square pile of 207 ft. each way and 57 ft. in height, with a heavy rustica groundfloor and an upper story of the Ionic order, terminating in a Doric cornice. The building was designed by Pedro Machuca in the Italian high-Renaissance style, in 1526, and its cost was defrayed out of the tribute paid by the Moors. The only completed parts are the façades, the superb circular colonnaded court, of the Doric order below and the Ionic above, and the main staircase, which was not finished till 1635. The richly sculptured W. and S. portals, executed by many different masters, are specially attractive.

Passing round the S. side of the palace of Charles V., we cross the Plaza de los Alămos to the church of Santa María (Pl. 18; E, F, 2), which stands on the site of the Mezquita Real or Alhambra mosque.

The buildings of the Alta Alhambra (p. 79) also present several features of interest. To the N. of Santa María we cross the Alameda, pass (on the left) the ruins of the Rauda (p. 85) and the outside of the Court of the Lions, and then descend to the left to the Torre de las Damas (Pl. 20; E, 2), a fortified tower of the time of Yûsuf I., restored in 1907–8, with a sumptuous interior. Fine view from the Mirador (p. 87).—A few paces to the E. lies the Carmen de Arratía, a private house with a charming garden (above the gate is the inscription ‘Mezquita árabe de la Alhambra’). The house contains a Moorish Chapel, also dating from the time of Yûsuf I., with an elegant mihrâb or prayer-niche.

Farther on in the same direction we come to the Torre de los Picos (Pl. 21; F, 2) and cross a bastion (baluarte) to the Puerta de Hierro (Pl. 22; F, 2), restored by the ‘Catholic kings’, which forms the entrance to the Alhambra from the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. 78).

On the margin of the plateau above this road are four towers, the two finest of which, time permitting, we may visit under the guidance of the custodian, who lives in the Torre de la Pólvora. These are the Torre de la Cautiva (Pl. 23; F, 2), the chief room in which vies with the sumptuous halls of the Alhambra palace itself, and the Torre de las Infantas (Pl. 24; F, 2), an excellent point of view.

On the S.W. margin of the plateau, beyond the Torre del Agua (Pl. 25; F, 2), where towards evening we have a splendid view of the town, the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada, is a bastion above which rises the Puerta de los Siete Suelos (Pl. 26; F, 2). By this gate Boabdil, the last of the Moorish kings (p. 75), made his final exit from the Alhambra.

d. The Generalife.

At the foot of the Cerro del Sol, to the E. of the Alhambra, about 160 ft. above the Alhambra Hill, rises the *Palacio de Generalife (Pl. E, F, 1), once the famous summer residence of the Moorish kings, and now owned by the Marquesa de Campotéjar (p. 77). The name is a corruption of the Arabic Jennat al-Arîf, ‘garden of Arîf’, the original owner. According to the inscription it was redecorated by order of Abu’l-Walîd Ismaîl in 1319, but in 1494 it was altered and enlarged by Queen Isabella. The interior is very dilapidated; the ornamentation, which is about half-a-century earlier than that of the chief apartments in the Alhambra, is mostly whitewashed.

We ascend by the Camino del Cementerio, a continuation of the three Alhambra Park routes (p. 81), and by the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. 78), and ring at the Outer Gate (Pl. 27, F, 2; adm., see p. 74; fee to the porter, also to the gardener): A cypress-avenue leads thence to the N. to the Entrance (Pl. 28; F, 1).

The picturesque Court is still, as in Moorish times, planted with myrtle-hedges and orange-trees and intersected by a water-conduit. The buildings on the E. side date from the 16th cent.; along the W. side runs a Colonnade with pointed arches, the central door of which opens on a Mirador (Arabic manzar, i.e. belvedere), which is now a chapel. On the N. side we pass through a five-arched Gallery, and then through a three-arched Portal into a quadrangular Hall with two alcoves. Beyond this is a square room with a balcony commanding a splendid view of the Darro Valley. The modern side-rooms are uninteresting.

The *Park, to the E. of the main building and above it, was laid out in Moorish times. We first enter the Patio de los Cipreses, with a gallery built in 1584–6, and shaded with venerable cypresses. A Moorish flight of steps, with grooves for water on the balustrades, ascends to a Mirador (Pl. 29; F, 1), where we enjoy a glorious *View of Granada, the Alhambra, and the valley of the Darro.

A good survey of the Alhambra and of the whole Sierra Nevada is obtained from the Silla del Moro (Pl. F, 1), a spur of the Cerro del Sol. It is reached in 12 min. from the Cementerio road (p. 87) by a path diverging halfway between the gate of the Generalife and the cemetery, and then crossing a gorge.

11. From Granada viâ Bobadilla to Málaga.

119½ M. Railway in 6–6¼ hrs. (fares 28 p. 90, 22 p. 65, 15 p. 95 c.); railway restaurant at Bobadilla only (change carr.); views thus far on the left, afterwards on the right.

From Granada to (76 M.) Bobadilla, see pp. 73, 72. The train then continues to follow the Guadalhorce Valley.

At (84½ M.) Gobantes begins the *Hoyo de Chorro, a ravine, inaccessible before the railway was made, where the Guadalhorce forces its passage through the limestone slate rock of the coast-hills. The train is carried along the left bank by means of tunnels and of high bridges crossing lateral gorges. Little, however, of the grand rocky landscape, or of the interesting construction of the line, is seen from the train on its rapid descent.

Beyond (89 M.) Chorro are seen the first oranges, lemons, palms, and cypresses. On the short run to Málaga we are carried with more startling suddenness than anywhere else in Europe into the midst of an almost tropical vegetation, and finally to the coast-region of sugar-cane, cotton, and bananas (comp. p. 89).

96 M. Alora (328 ft.; pop. 10,300), the ancient Iluro, lies to the right at the foot of the Sierra del Hacho. The ‘huertas’, or garden-like fields, are watered by numerous runlets from the Guadalhorce. Beyond the last tunnel the valley expands. 101½ M. Pizarra. To the S. rises the Sierra de Mijas.

109 M. Cártama. The village, the Roman Cartima, lies 2½ M. to the S.W., on the right bank of the Guadalhorce, which was once navigable up to this point. The loftily situated castle is Moorish.

112½ M. Campanillas lies on the stream of that name, which waters the hilly wine-country of Axarquía to the N., and falls into the Guadalhorce. The valley broadens down into the plain, the Hoya de Málaga (p. 89). We now leave the Guadalhorce, which turns to the S.E.; to the S. we sight the Mediterranean.

119½ M. Málaga.—Arrival. At the Railway Station (Estación del Ferrocarril; Pl. A, 5) we find hotel-omnibuses, cabs (see p. 89), and an ‘omnibus general’ (¼ p.), which last goes to the Despacho Central, or town-office of the railway, by the so-called Puerta del Mar (Calle de Carvajal; Pl. C, 4).—Travellers arriving by Steamer pay for landing ½ p. for each person and ½ p. for each trunk; or a bargain may be made to convey luggage to the custom-house (Aduana) and to the hotel for 1–2 p.—The coasting steamers only are berthed at the quay.

Hotels (comp. p. 51). *Regina Hotel (Pl. a; C, 4), on the N. side of the Alameda, pens. 12–20 p.—*Hot. Colón (Pl. d; C, 3), Plaza de la Constitución; Hot. Victoria (Pl. b; C, 4), pens. 6–12 p., Hot. Niza (Pl. c; C, 3), Hot. Inglés (Pl. e; C, 3), pens. 7 p., Hot. Alhambra (Pl. f; C, 3), pens, from 7 fr., good, all in the Calle del Marqués de Larios; Hacienda de Giró (Engl. landlady, Mrs. Cooper), above La Caleta, with garden, pens. 8–15 p.

Cafés. Imperial, Inglés, and La Vinícola, all in the Calle del Marqués de Larios.—Beer. Gambrinus, same street; Cervecería de Munich, Plaza de la Constitución; Maier, Pasaje de Heredia, N. side of same plaza.

Cabs. Within the town, and to the E. to Hot. Hernán Cortés (p. 92): cab with two seats, per drive 1, per hr. 2 p., at night 2 and 2½ p.; with four seats, per drive 1½, per hr. 2½, at night per drive or hour 3 p. Bargain advisable, also as to luggage.—Outside the town according to bargain: to Palo (p. 92) about 5, to San José and La Concepción (p. 92) 8–9 p.—On certain festivals fares are raised.

Post & Telegraph Office (Correos y Telégrafos; Pl. D, 3), Calle del Cister.

Banks. Banco Hispano-Americano, Calle del Marqués de Larios; Hijos de Alvárez Fonseca, Calle Nueva; Rein & Co., Alameda de Carlos Haes 4.

Consuls. British, P. Staniforth; vice-consul, E. R. Thornton.—United States, E. J. Norton; vice-consul, T. R. Geary.—Lloyd’s Agent, Chas. Farguharson, Cortina del Muelle 69.

English Church in the Protestant Cemetery (Pl. F, 3).

Steamboat Lines. Hall Line (agent, Ign. Morales Hurtado, Alameda de Colón 13), weekly to Cadiz, Lisbon, and London; Compañía Trasatlántica (office, Viuda de Ant. Duarte), thrice monthly to Cadiz; Transports Maritimes (P. G. Chaix, Calle de Josefa de Ugarte Barrientos 26), on 20th of each month to Gibraltar, Madeira, etc. (comp. also p. 120 and R. 3); Navigation Mixte (P. G. Chaix), from Tangier viâ Málaga and Melilla to Oran (and Marseilles), see p. 123; also Sloman’s Line and others.

One Day. Forenoon: Alameda, Park (p. 90), Harbour (p. 90), Cathedral (p. 91), and view from its tower or from the Gibralfaro (p. 92); afternoon: Protestant Cemetery, Caleta, and Palo (p. 92).

Málaga, the capital of a province and seat of a bishop, one of the oldest and most famous of Mediterranean ports, with 111,900 inhab., lies picturesquely on the last spurs of a circus of hills, 47 M. long, the Sierra Tejea, S. de Alhama, S. de Abdalajis, and S. de Mijas, which enclose the broad Bahía de Málaga. The inner part of this bay is bounded on the E. by the Punta de los Cántales, and on the W. by the Torre de Pimentel, near Torremolinos; between these rises the Gibralfaro, the castle-hill of Málaga, abutting on the harbour. The coast-line is gradually being extended seawards by the alluvial deposits of the Guadalmedina (Arabic ‘town-river’), whose bed, generally dry (Rambla), separates the old town from the W. suburbs. To the W. stretches the wonderfully fertile Vega or Hoya de Málaga, where even the sugar-cane, cotton, sweet potatoes (Convolvulus batatas), and cherimolias (Anona cherimolia) are cultivated. Most famous among the products of this luxuriant region are the raisins (pasas) and the wines of Málaga, which are yielded by the Axarquía (p. 88), to the N.W., and by the Montes de Málaga and the hill of Colmenar, to the N.E., and which are chiefly exported by British and German firms. In the W. suburbs are several sugar, cotton, and iron factories, a rare phenomenon in Andalusia. To the E. are the villa-suburbs, the strangers’ quarter. Málaga is much resorted to as a winter residence, chiefly by British and Spanish visitors, on account of the mildness of its climate, the mean temperature of the three winter months being 55° Fahr.

The History of Málaga, the Malaca of antiquity, begins with the Phœnicians (p. 50), who gave the town its name. Down to the time of Posidonius, the contemporary of Pompey and Cicero, it retained its Punic character (Strabo III, 4), differing therein from the towns of Iberian or of Greek origin. The Syrian and other Asiatic merchants who settled here formed distinct guilds. Although the port was of some importance in ancient times, it now contains no memorials of either the Phœnician (except a few coins) or of the Roman period. In 571 Leovigild, the Visigoth (p. 69), wrested the town from the Byzantines. In 711 it was captured by the Moors, who regarded it as an earthly paradise, and whose Arabic writers vie with each other in extolling it. After 1246, along with Almería, it became one of the chief ports of the kingdom of Granada, but its mediæval glory ended with its conquest by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1487. For centuries Málaga remained utterly insignificant; but of late, in spite of the growing competition of Seville and Almería, its trade has improved considerably.

From the station we follow the tramway line and cross the Puente de Tetuán (Pl. B, 4) to the Paseo de la Alameda (Pl. B, C, 4), a promenade ¼ M. long and 138 ft. wide, planted with planes. At its W. end it is adorned with a marble Fountain executed in Genoa in 1560, and at the E. end with a statue of the Marqués de Larios. Adjoining this Paseo on the E. is the Plaza de Alfonso Suárez de Figueroa (Pl. C, 4), with a tasteful fountain, which leads to the new—

*Park (Parque or Jardines de Enrique Crooke Larios; Pl. C-E, 4, 3), planted with six rows of planes and palms and with fine flower-beds. View of the harbour, part of the cathedral, the Alcazaba, and the Gibralfaro.—The Paseo de Heredia (Pl. C, 5, 4) also, to the W. of the harbour, is planted with planes and palms.

The Harbour (Puerto; Pl. C, D, 4, 5) has been much improved since 1881. The E. pier, with the Lighthouse (Faro; Pl. D, 5), was already built in 1588. On the sand-hills behind the pier a poor suburb has sprung up, called the Barrio de Malagueta (Pl. E, F, 4, 3). On its N. side are the Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring; Pl. E, 3) and the Hospital Noble, erected for seamen by Dr. Noble, an English physician.—To the Caleta, see p. 92.

The Mercado (market-hall; Pl. B, C, 4), to the N. of the Alameda, deserves an early morning visit; the fish-stalls also are worth seeing. The horseshoe arch of the chief portal, with the motto of the Nasride dynasty (p. 74), is a relic of the Moorish wharf, the Atarazana (Arabic Dâr as-San῾a, ‘arsenal’ or ‘place of work’).

From the Alameda issues the Calle del Marqués de Larios (Pl. C, 4, 3), the chief business street of Málaga (many cafés) and also a favourite resort of the fashionable and leisured classes. Another important commercial thoroughfare, to the N.E. of the Plaza de la Constitución, is the Calle de Granada (Pl. C, D, 3), officially called Calle de Salvador Solier, from which the Calle de Molina Larios leads to the cathedral.

The *Cathedral (Pl. C, D, 3; open 7–11 and 3 to 4.30, in summer 4 to 5.30), a massive edifice, marred, however, by the buildings on the E. side, occupies the site of a Moorish mosque, which was converted in 1487 into the Gothic Church of the Incarnation (Encarnación). The present church, which is built entirely of white limestone, was probably planned by Diego de Siloe (p. 76) in 1538. The building progressed slowly, but in 1554 it already showed the arms of Philip II. of Spain and Queen Mary of England. In 1680 it was partly destroyed by an earthquake, but in 1719 the work was resumed with greater energy. It has, however, never been completed.

The chief W. façade, approached by a fine flight of marble steps and flanked with two projecting towers, rises opposite the Plaza del Obispo in two stories, articulated with Corinthian columns. Corresponding with the three portals are the round-arched windows of the second story. The N. tower, 280 ft. high, has a third story with Corinthian columns, surmounted by an octagon with a dome and lantern. The S. tower, like the central part of the façade, shows only the beginnings of a third story. The portals of the transept also are flanked with towers.

The Interior, with its nave and aisles and two rows of chapels, measures 377 by 246 ft. and is 131 ft. in height. The transept and the ambulatory are grandly proportioned. The round arches of the ornate vaulting are borne by two sets of pillars, one above the other, the lower being enriched with Corinthian pilasters.

In the nave is the Choir, with its admirable stalls (16–17th cent.). The carved *Statues of saints and other figures are by Pedro de Mena (d. 1693).

In the Right Aisle is the Capilla del Rosario (the 3rd), which contains a Madonna of the Rosary with six saints, by Alonso Cano.—In the 1st chapel of the Ambulatory, the Capilla de los Reyes, are kneeling statues of the ‘Catholic kings’ (p. 75) and an image of the Virgin which they always carried with them on their crusades.

The Capilla Mayor, designed by Al. Cano, is formed by a semicircle of light detached pillars. The handsome altar, in the form of a domed temple with four façades, is modern.

The N. Tower (entered from outside; over 200 steps; custodian 30–40 c.) commands a strikingly picturesque *View.

The Sagrario, the parish church to the N.W. of the cathedral, has a rich Gothic N. portal from the older cathedral.

The Calle de San Agustín, passing the Ayuntamiento (Pl. D, 3), leads back to the Calle de Granada (p. 90). At the N.E. end of the latter, on the right, near the Plaza de Riego (Pl. D, 2, 3), rises the church of Santiago el Mayor (Pl. D, 3), built on the site of a mosque in 1490, with a tower whose lower part is still Moorish.

If the traveller is undeterred by dirty streets and begging children, he may ascend from the Plaza de Riego to the S.E. viâ the Calle del Mundo Nuevo to the saddle of the Coracha and the Moorish castle of Alcazaba (Pl. D, 3; p. 81), the scanty ruins of which are chiefly inhabited by gipsies. This hill-town, once connected with the Gibralfaro by double walls, probably stands on the site of the earliest Phœnician settlement.

The *Gibralfaro (Pl. E, 2, 3; 558 ft.; from jebel, mountain, and pharos, lighthouse), whose original fortifications date back to the 13th cent., affords an extensive view, ranging to the S., in very clear weather, as far as the Monte Melila in Africa (p. 124). The ascent from the Coracha (p. 91) is fairly easy. Leave to see the castle must be obtained beforehand from the commandant, at the Gobierno Militar, Alameda de Colón 2. The same views may be obtained by walking round the old enclosing walls, but this is fatiguing.

At the foot of the Gibralfaro runs the Avenida de Pries (Pl. F, 3), leading to the villa-quarter of Caleta (Pl. F, G, 3), where are several pensions and many superb gardens. (Electric tramway from the Paseo de Alameda to Palo; also steam-tramway from the harbour to Vélez-Málaga.) Immediately on the left is the pretty Protestant cemetery, or Cementerio Inglés, founded in 1830 by the British consul W. Mark (usually open). The little English Church here was built in 1891. At the E. end of Caleta, beyond the Hot.-Restaurant Hernán Cortés (Pl. k; G, 3), roads diverge to the left for the Limonar Valley (Pl. G, 2, 1), where lie the residential suburbs of Limonar, Higueral, and Miramar.—We may follow the highroad, which affords charming views, but is generally very dusty, to the fishing-village of Palo, 2 M. beyond the Hot. Hernán Cortés.

A delightful excursion may be taken to the beautiful park of the Hacienda de San José, 2½ M. to the N. of Málaga, and to the villa of *La Concepción, a little beyond it. The latter contains an elegant modern temple with Roman antiquities. The road (carr., see p. 89) leads from the Plaza de Capuchinos up the Guadalmedina. From the Cementerio de San Miguel (comp. Pl. D, 1; tramway) walkers may wander along the water-conduit, halfway up the slope (40 min.), and then descend the avenue of plane-trees to the left to the highroad.