Water flows from the Lion Fountain in the Court of Lions at Alhambra Palace in Granada January 14, 2012. The fountain's new water system and the whole court was tested for first time on Saturday after around nine years of restoration process, said the regional government.
12/21/2011
The first of twelve fully restored marble lions that stand watch in Spain's Alhambra in Granada returned to its spot Monday after being restored by experts.
A miniature crane lowered the 300-kilogramme (660-pound) stone lion "number 8" into place at the foot of a fountain in the Court of the Lions at the heart of the building, one of Spain's biggest tourist attractions.
"It is an historic event," said Paulino Plata, a cultural official for the Andalucia region, as the lion returned to the spot where it had sat for centuries before it was moved for restoration work that began in 2002. The lions were removed from the courtyard for refurbishing four years ago.
Rich in Islamic art and architecture, the Alhambra was a fortress for the Nasrid dynasty which lived there from the 13th century.
The Court of the Lions was built in the 14th century by Sultan Mohamed V.
The other 11 lions are due to be brought up one by one in the coming days from an inner room where they have been on show pending their complete restoration.
The twelve lions encircle the fountain at the center of the courtyard.
The work of restoration and transfer of the sculptures was performed by a multidisciplinary team of more than 200 people, including engineers of the Patronage's conservation service, the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute and the Andalusian Historical Heritage Institute, along with experts from the universities of Granada and Seville. The cost of the operation was 2.16 million euros ($2.8 million).
Granada
The name may have been derived either from the Spanish word granada, "pomegranate," a locally abundant fruit that is found in the many gardens through out the city and appears on the city's coat of arms, or from its Moorish name, Karnattah (Gharnatah), possibly meaning "hill of strangers." It is said that when the Muslims arrived in the 8th century they found a community of well established Jews and called it 'Gharnata al-Yahud' or 'Gharnata of the Jews'. Ghanat in Hebrew means pomegranate. In the ancient and medieval worlds, pomegranates symbolized birth and death.
It is possible that the Jews arrived in Granada around the same time period as the Romans, or as early as the 6th century BC, after King Nebuchadnezzar enacted the 'Babylonian exile' in 586BC.
Granada was the site of an Iberian settlement Elibyrge in the 5th century BC and of the Roman Illiberis. The Alhambra, on a hill overlooking Granada was not only the last but the longest lasting dynasty (254 years) in their nearly 800 years on the peninsula. (711 to 1492) It was a royal fortified city of the Nazrid dynasty Sultans and the final stronghold of the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula, surrendered to the Roman Catholic kingdom's monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I on January 02, 1492. Known as the 'Reconquista' or Reconquest.
The Albayzin quarter is located north of the Darro river on the hill opposite the Alhambra. Its name may be derived from the Arabic Rabad el-Bayyazin "quarter of the falconers," the Bab al-Bayyazin "gate of the falconers," or it may refer to Muslims from the city of Baeza who settled in the quarter in the thirteenth-century.
Steep and narrow winding streets characterise the Albayzin, which is famous for its remains of medieval houses, mosques and baths.
El Albayzín is a district of present day Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, that retains the narrow winding streets of its Medieval Moorish past. It was declared a world heritage site in 1984, along with the more famous Alhambra.
It rises on a hill facing the Alhambra and many tourists journey into the Albayzin primarily for the spectactular views of the Alhambra from the viewing point by the church of San Nicolas.
Highlights within the area include the remains of an Arab bath complex, Granada's archeological museum, and the church of San Salvador, built on the remains of a Moorish mosque. The Albayzin also contains some original Moorish houses and a wide-range of restaurants, including several streets whose eateries are inspired by North Africa.
Sacromonte Caves
Sacromonte is a hill above the Albayzín which forms the neighbourhood of the Sacromonte. For about five centuries it has been populated by the gypsy community. The rock structure in this area, formed five million years ago after an ice melt, is called the Alhambra formation. It is a mixture of quartz, clay and round pebbles which are soft enough to excavate and cohesive and stable enough to form the walls of small caves. Some of the caves are natural but most are man made. Consequently most of the dwellings in this area are caves.
The mixture of Arabic influences combined with many centuries of gypsy influence eventually created flamenco. Some of the best flamenco performers turned their caves into public places where visitors could come to hear and see flamenco in its natural habitat. Knowadays the caves have electricity and modern plumbing although these modern facilities have only been introduced in the the last 50 years or so. The interior of the flamenco caves are normally adorned with copperware and photos of previous moments of glory.
Some of the caves are known by the name of the artists who performed there, for example; Lola Medina, el Pitilin, Manolo Amaya, la Golondrina, la Faraona and María la Canastera. In many cases the artists lived in and brought up their families in the caves and often the entire family were extremely gifted flamenco artists. This type of family flamenco known as Zambra.
Despite their humble origins, the caves of the Sacromonte achieved international fame and they were visited by many artists from Hollywood, nobel prize winners, royalty and famous politicians as well as thousands of flamenco enthusiasts from all over the world. It was a rich environment for the development of flamenco artists.
The caves of the Sacromonte have always provided a rich pool of artists who are attracted to migrate to the most famous flamenco shows in places such as New York or Paris. In the large cities of the world you can see wonderful performances of gypsy folklore featuring the most highly talented artists. However here in the Sacromonte you can see authentic flamenco performances which maintain their original, indigenous colour and character and they still manage to attract the interest of the many visitors to Granada who wish to see flamenco performances in the original setting.
