initial commit of ebook 64822HEADmain

1 files changed, 6388 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/64822-0.txt b/64822-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..636a431
--- /dev/null
+++ b/64822-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6388 @@
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 64822 ***
+
+                             THE ALHAMBRA
+
+                    HE WHO SEVILLA HAS NOT SEEN
+                      HAS NOT SEEN A MARVEL GREAT;
+                    WHO TO GRANADA HAS NOT BEEN
+                      CAN HAVE NOTHING TO RELATE.
+
+                               _Spanish Popular Rhyme._
+
+
+            [Illustration: Signature: _Albert F. Calvert_]
+
+
+
+
+                            [Illustration:
+
+                                  THE
+                               ALHAMBRA
+                        BEING A BRIEF RECORD OF
+                      THE ARABIAN CONQUEST OF THE
+                      PENINSULA WITH A PARTICULAR
+                       ACCOUNT OF THE MOHAMMEDAN
+                      ARCHITECTURE AND DECORATION
+                         BY ALBERT F. CALVERT
+
+                  LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
+                  NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY, MCMVII
+                                   ]
+
+
+
+
+            E. Goodman and Son, The Phœnix Press, Taunton.
+
+
+                                  TO
+
+                    HIS MAJESTY KING ALFONSO XIII.
+
+                                 SIRE,
+
+The great interest your Majesty has evinced in the Moorish Monuments
+which adorn your Majesty’s loyal and noble country, and the gracious
+appreciation with which you were pleased to regard my first work on The
+Alhambra, inspired me with the presumption to solicit the honour of your
+Majesty’s August Patronage for this volume, which is humbly dedicated to
+your Majesty agreeably to your gracious permission, by
+
+                    Your Majesty’s humble Servant,
+
+                          ALBERT F. CALVERT.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+Although the admission may be construed by the censorious as betraying a
+lack of becoming diffidence, I am tempted to believe that no apology
+will be demanded for the publication of this volume by that section of
+the reading public for which it has been chiefly compiled. My temerity
+goes even further, and I anticipate with some confidence that visitors
+to the Alhambra, and pilgrims to that glorious Mecca of Moorish
+workmanship will recognise in this book an earnest attempt to supply a
+long-felt want. When I paid my first visit to Granada some years ago, I
+was surprised and disappointed to find that no such thing as an even
+fairly adequate illustrated souvenir of this “city of the dawn” was to
+be obtained. Many tomes, costly and valuable (not necessarily the same
+thing), have been written to place on record the wonders of “the
+glorious sanctuary of Spain,” but these are beyond the reach of the
+general public. Many beautiful pictures have caught odd ecstasies of
+this superb and perfectly harmonised palace of art, but these
+impressions are not available to the ordinary tourist.
+
+What is wanted, as I imagine, is a concise history and description of
+the Alhambra, illustrated with a series of pictures constituting a
+tangible remembrancer of the delights of this Granadian paradise
+
+    “Where glory rests ’tween laurels,
+     A torch to give thee light!”
+
+The Alhambra may be likened to an exquisite opera which can only be
+appreciated to the full when one is under the spell of its magic
+influence. But as the witchery of an inspired score can be recalled by
+the sound of an air whistled in the street, so--it is my hope--the pale
+ghost of this Moorish fairy-land may live again in the memories of
+travellers through the medium of this pictorial epitome.
+
+I desire, however, to submit an explanation--or excuse--for the unusual
+form in which this volume is issued. At the commencement of my work I
+experienced no little difficulty in collecting the requisite
+illustrations, for most of the obtainable photographs were ill-chosen
+and but carelessly developed, and I was compelled to press my own
+cameras into the service of my scheme. But when my designs became known,
+I was inundated with offers of pictures of every description until the
+embarrassment of artistic treasures entirely upset the original purpose
+of my book. Artists placed their studies at my disposal; collectors
+begged me, with irresistible Spanish courtesy, to regard their galleries
+as my own; and students directed my attention to little known
+publications on the subject.
+
+Don Mariano Contreras, Conservator of the Alhambra, the son of the
+gifted Raphaël Contreras, who devoted thirty-seven years of his life to
+the restoration of the Palace--gave me the benefit of his knowledge of
+this unique treasure-house of art; and I have also laid under
+contribution the beautiful plates of Owen Jones, who disposed of a Welsh
+inheritance in order to produce his great work on the _Plans,
+Elevations, Sections and Details of the Alhambra_. Jones’s _Grammar of
+Ornament_, which has been described as “beautiful enough to be the
+horn-book of the Angels,” also contains the result of his researches in
+the Alhambra, which occupied him for the greater part of eleven years. A
+selection of these illustrations is here rescued from the obscurity of
+public libraries and the inaccessible recesses of private collections.
+The inclusion of John F. Lewis’s drawings, and the reproduction of a
+series of pictures by James C. Murphy, who spent seven years in the
+study of the artistic marvels of the Alhambra, I do not feel called upon
+to defend. The photographs, several of which were placed at my disposal
+by Don Rafaël Garzón, represent the buildings as they appear to-day; the
+drawings were made before the Palace was damaged by the disastrous fire
+of September, 1890.
+
+For the historical portions of the description contained in the
+letterpress I have levied tribute on a variety of authors. _The History
+of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain_, by the learned Spanish
+Orientalist, Don Pascual de Gayángos; Raphaël Contreras’ _Etude
+Descriptive des Monuments Arabes_; Richard Ford’s reverent
+appreciations; Dr. R. Dozy’s history; Mr. Stanley Lane-Poole’s _The
+Moors in Spain_; Washington Irving’s fascinating writings; and _The
+Alhambra Album_, presented by Prince Dolgorouki in 1829, containing the
+autographs, poems and thoughts of succeeding generations of visitors to
+Granada, these and many others have been drawn upon in the following
+pages.
+
+But the multiplicity of my illustrations convinced me that if I adhered
+to my idea of furnishing an amount of letterpress sufficient to “carry”
+the blocks, I should only end in producing a book that would tax the
+physical endurance of my readers by reason of its bulk, and exhaust
+their patience with a tedious superabundance of minute descriptive
+pabulum. I resolved, therefore, to give pride of place to the pictorial
+side of the volume; to abandon the traditions regulating the proportions
+of prose to pictures; and make my appeal to the public by the beauty and
+variety of the illustrations I have collected, and the immensity of
+elaborate letterpress which I have not written.
+
+                                                               A. F. C.
+
+“ROYSTON,”
+
+      HAMPSTEAD, N.W., 1904.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
+
+
+The compilation of a book of this kind reveals in the author a
+refreshing optimism which does not always survive the ordeal of
+publication, and it is perhaps out of sympathy with the misgivings that
+assail him as he approaches the bar of public and critical opinion, that
+convention cedes to him the privilege of making some apology for the
+faith that is in him. In his preface he is permitted to explain himself,
+and this _apologia_ or justification, call it which you will, stands as
+the last word in his own defence. But the demand for a further edition
+is the outcome of an amiable conspiracy on the part of the public, and
+it is not required of the author to explain, justify, or excuse an issue
+for which he is not directly responsible. Any revision or amplification,
+however, which is to be found in a second impression, may be briefly
+referred to, and at the same time tradition allows him to express the
+feelings of gratitude and gratification that the occasion inspires. It
+has been my ambition to acknowledge the favour with which this book has
+been received, by having this edition produced with the greatest care on
+special paper, and by the addition of a number of new illustrations,
+including some half-tone and coloured plates reproduced from the
+_Monumentos Arquitectonicos de España_ and others, which I have acquired
+since it was first produced. It will be seen that several of the
+coloured pictures illustrate designs which are common to the Arabian
+ornamentation to be found in Cordova and Seville, and as being
+representative of the Moresco work of the period, they also appear in
+the companion volume on “Moorish Remains in Spain,” but it may be stated
+that the whole of the plates reproduced here are from photographs and
+drawings secured, or specially made to illustrate _The Alhambra_. In
+its pictorial appeal it has been my ambition to make this edition as
+worthy of its subject as means and ability permit, and I offer this
+assurance as an earnest of my sincere appreciation of the generous
+manner in which the Press and public rewarded my previous effort.
+
+                                                               A. F. C.
+
+
+
+
+List of Illustrations.
+
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+FRONTISPIECE
+
+PANELS AND INSCRIPTIONS IN THE ALHAMBRA                           xxxiii.
+
+VARIOUS MOSAICS FROM THE ALHAMBRA                                 xxxvii.
+
+PANEL ORNAMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA                                     xxxix.
+
+FRET.--FIG. 1. FORMED BY THE INTERLACING OF LINES                    xli.
+
+FRET.--FIG. 2. FORMED BY THE INTERLACING OF LINES                   xlii.
+
+PLAN OF GENERAL CONSTRUCTION OF CENTRAL ORNAMENT OF
+CEILINGS                                                           xliii.
+
+SECTION OF THE COLUMNS AND ARCHES OF GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
+IN THE PALACE                                                       xliv.
+
+DIAGRAMS                                                             xlv.
+
+MISCELLANEOUS ORNAMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA                             xlvii.
+
+CORNICES, CAPITALS, AND COLUMNS IN THE ALHAMBRA                     xlix.
+
+CAPITALS FROM THE COURTS AND HALLS OF THE ALHAMBRA                    li.
+
+VIEW OF GRANADA, SHOWING THE ALHAMBRA AND THE SIERRA NEVADA            2
+
+GENERAL VIEW OF THE ALHAMBRA FROM SAN NICOLAS                          3
+
+PART OF THE ALHAMBRA, EXTERIOR                                         4
+
+THE ALHAMBRA AND THE SIERRA NEVADA                                     5
+
+ASCENT TO THE ALHAMBRA BY THE CUESTA DEL REY CHICO--LESSER
+KING HILL                                                              7
+
+BALCONY OF THE “CAPTIVE” (ISABEL DE SOLIS), OVERLOOKING THE
+VEGA, OR PLAIN, OF GRANADA                                             8
+
+ALCOVE OF THE “CAPTIVE”                                                9
+
+INTERIOR OF THE “CAPTIVE’S” TOWER                                     11
+
+THE GOTHIC INSCRIPTION SET UP IN THE ALHAMBRA BY THE COUNT OF
+TENDILLA, TO COMMEMORATE THE SURRENDER OF THE FORTRESS
+IN 1492                                                               14
+
+THE SURRENDER OF GRANADA BY BOABDIL TO FERDINAND AND ISABELLA,
+JANUARY 2ND, 1492                                                     15
+
+GOLD COIN (OBVERSE AND REVERSE) OF MOHAMMED I., THE FOUNDER
+OF THE ALHAMBRA, WHO REIGNED 1232-1272 A.D.                           21
+
+“WA LA GHALIB ILA ALÁ!”--THERE IS NO CONQUEROR BUT GOD!--THE
+FAMOUS MOTTO, IN KUFIC CHARACTERS, OF MOHAMMED I. AND
+HIS SUCCESSORS, WHICH IS INSCRIBED ON THE WALLS OF THE
+ALHAMBRA IN COUNTLESS REPETITION                                  25, 51
+
+THE WINE GATE, ATTRIBUTED TO YÚSUF I.                                 29
+
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS FROM THE ENTRANCE DOOR, BUILT BY
+YÚSUF I.                                                              30
+
+THE SULTÁN’S BATH, CONSTRUCTED BY YÚSUF I.                            31
+
+COURT OF MYRTLES, OR OF THE FISH-POND, FORMED BY YÚSUF I.             32
+
+THE KORÁN RECESS IN THE MOSQUE, THE SCENE OF YÚSUF’S
+ASSASSINATION                                                         33
+
+THE GATE OF JUSTICE, ERECTED BY YÚSUF I.                              37
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE AND COURT OF THE LIONS                                39
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE                                                   41, 43
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE, SHOWING FOUNTAIN OF COURT OF THE LIONS               42
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE AND PART OF COURT OF THE LIONS                        45
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE.--THREE FIGURES FROM THE PICTURE OF THE MOORISH
+TRIBUNAL                                                              45
+
+PART OF PICTURE IN THE HALL OF JUSTICE REPRESENTING A CHRISTIAN
+KNIGHT RESCUING A MAIDEN FROM A WICKED MAGICIAN, OR
+WILD-MAN-O’-THE-WOODS. THE CHRISTIAN KNIGHT IS, IN TURN,
+SLAIN BY A MOORISH WARRIOR                                            47
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE.--MOOR’S HEAD                                         48
+
+FAÇADE, COURT OF THE MOSQUE, BUILT BY YÚSUF I.                        49
+
+ELEVATION OF THE ANCIENT GATE OF JUSTICE                              53
+
+SECTIONS OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE                                       55
+
+PAINTINGS ON THE CEILING OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE                   57, 59
+
+PART OF PICTURE IN THE HALL OF JUSTICE.--THE MOOR’S RETURN
+FROM HUNTING                                                          61
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE.--THE DEATH OF THE LION AT THE HANDS OF A
+CHRISTIAN KNIGHT                                                      63
+
+PART OF PICTURE IN HALL OF JUSTICE.--MOORISH HUNTSMAN SLAYING
+THE WILD BOAR                                                         63
+
+ENTRANCE TO HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM THE COURT OF LIONS          65
+
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM ENTRANCE DOOR                           66
+
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                                      67, 79, 113
+
+UPPER BALCONY OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                          68
+
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM THE “LINDARAJA” BALCONY                 69
+
+BALCONY OF THE FAVOURITE, “LINDARAJA”                                 71
+
+DETAILS OF THE GLAZED TILES IN THE DADO OF THE HALL OF THE
+TWO SISTERS                                                           73
+
+THE FAVOURITE’S BALCONY                                               76
+
+EL JARRO. THE ARABIAN VASE AND NICHE IN WHICH IT FORMERLY
+STOOD, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS. THE VASE, CONSIDERABLY
+MUTILATED, IS NOW IN THE MUSEUM OF THE PALACE                     77, 95
+
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                                               79
+
+VIEW IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                                   81
+
+DETAIL OF THE UPPER STORY, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                    83
+
+SECTION OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, AND SECTION OF PART OF
+THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                            84, 85
+
+INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                       87, 89
+
+PANEL, ORNAMENT, AND INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF THE TWO
+SISTERS                                                               91
+
+DETAILS ON THE FRONT OF “LINDARAJA’S” BALCONY                         93
+
+DETAILS AT THE EXIT OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                    97
+
+AN ARAB VASE OF THE XIVTH CENTURY IN THE NICHE WHEREIN IT
+STOOD UNTIL THE YEAR 1837                                             99
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS        100
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO OF RECESS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                    101
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                              101
+
+HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES (BENI CERRAJ)                               105
+
+MOSAIC--HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES                                     107
+
+HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES                                   109, 119, 121
+
+WOODEN DOOR, HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES                                111
+
+INTERIOR VIEW, TAKEN FROM THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                115
+
+CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                               117
+
+CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES                              124
+
+MOSAIC, FROM A FRAGMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA                              125
+
+MOSAIC, NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS                         125
+
+CHIEF GATE OF THE ALHAMBRA                                           127
+
+TRANSVERSAL SECTION OF THE ALHAMBRA                                  129
+
+SECTION SHOWING HEIGHTS OF THE ALHAMBRA                              131
+
+ELEVATION OF THE “WINE GATE”                                         133
+
+THE GATE OF JUDGMENT                                                 135
+
+PORCH OF THE GATE OF JUDGMENT                                        137
+
+A SECTION OF THE GATE OF JUDGMENT                                    139
+
+INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE OF THE ALHAMBRA                                 141
+
+VIEW OF THE AQUEDUCT, NEAR THE ALHAMBRA                              143
+
+A VIEW OF THE ALHAMBRA FROM THE ALBAYCIN                             145
+
+GATE OF JUSTICE                                                      147
+
+NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND                             151
+
+ELEVATION OF AN ALCOVE IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND                 153
+
+ELEVATION OF THE ARCADE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE
+FISH-POND                                                            155
+
+SECTION THROUGH PART OF THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND AND THE
+HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS                                              157
+
+THE BATHS; HALL OF REPOSE                                            159
+
+GROUND PLAN OF THE BATHS IN THE ALHAMBRA                             161
+
+SECTION OF THE HALL OF THE BATHS                                     163
+
+A SECTION OF THE BATHS IN THE ALHAMBRA                               165
+
+THE SULTÁNA’S BATH                                                   167
+
+THE SULTÁN’S BATH                                                    169
+
+THE HALL OF THE BATHS                                                171
+
+CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE BATHS                                     173
+
+LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH THE BATHS                               175
+
+THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES             177, 181, 191
+
+GALLERY, THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES              179
+
+DETAILS OF THE GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF
+THE MYRTLES                                                          183
+
+COURT OF THE FISH-POND                                          185, 193
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES           187
+
+ORNAMENT IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES           189
+
+GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES            195
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                   196
+
+MOSAIC, SOUTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS                         196
+
+FOUNTAIN AND EAST TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                   197
+
+THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                198, 199, 201, 213
+
+GENERAL VIEW OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS                          203, 207
+
+LITTLE TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                              205
+
+FOUNTAIN IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                   205
+
+A LITTLE TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                            206
+
+A PEEP INTO THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                   206
+
+THE COURT OF THE LIONS, FROM THE WEST                                209
+
+TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                     211
+
+SIDE ELEVATION OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS AND FOUNTAIN                215
+
+ELEVATION OF THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS                               217
+
+FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS, WITH DETAILS OF THE ORNAMENT                  219
+
+PLAN OF THE BASIN OF THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS                       221
+
+THE FIRST SIX VERSES OF THE INSCRIPTION AROUND THE BASIN OF THE
+FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS                                                223
+
+THE LAST SIX VERSES OF THE INSCRIPTION AROUND THE BASIN OF THE
+FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS                                                225
+
+ENTABLATURE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                                227
+
+DETAILS OF THE CENTRE ARCADE OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS               229
+
+PART OF PANEL IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                              231
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS                              233, 237
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS (UPPER PORTION)                   235
+
+LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS, TAKEN THROUGH
+THE PAVILION AT EACH END OF THE COURT, AND EXHIBITING
+AN ELEVATION OF THE SIDE PORTICOS                               238, 239
+
+CAPITALS IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS, WITH A MEASURE OF ONE
+METRE                                                                241
+
+NORTH GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS                              243
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE BARQUE, WITH VIEW OF THE COURT
+OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES                                 245
+
+THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                         247, 253
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                  248
+
+GENERAL VIEW OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                         249, 251
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE BARQUE, THE ANTE-ROOM OF THE
+HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                                  255
+
+PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                          257
+
+SECTION AND ELEVATION OF THE INTERIOR OF THE HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS                                                          259
+
+DETAIL IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                    261
+
+KUFIC INSCRIPTIONS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                              263
+
+MOSAIC ON DADO OF BALCONY, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                       265
+
+ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW,
+HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                   267, 279, 285, 287
+
+MURAL ORNAMENT, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                  269
+
+ORNAMENT AT THE SIDE OF DOORWAY, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS                                                          271
+
+AN ARABIAN ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                             273
+
+AN ARABIAN ORNAMENT, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS             275
+
+INSCRIPTIONS AND ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                       277
+
+INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                              281
+
+MURAL ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                  283
+
+ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, NORTH FRONT OF THE HALL
+OF AMBASSADORS                                                       289
+
+ORNAMENT IN THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                291
+
+A CEILING IN OUTLINE, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                            293
+
+THE CEILING OF THE DOME LAID FLAT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS               295
+
+DETAILS OF GLAZED TILES IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                   297
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO, EAST SIDE OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                 299
+
+MOSAIC IN DADO, NORTH SIDE OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS                299
+
+MOSAICS IN DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                                 301
+
+CEILING OF GALLERY, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                              303
+
+EXTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE (PRIVATE PROPERTY)                            304
+
+FAÇADE OF THE MOSQUE                                                 305
+
+ELEVATION OF PORTICO ADJACENT TO THE MOSQUE                          307
+
+DETAILS OF ORNAMENT OF KORÁN RECESS NEAR THE ENTRANCE DOOR
+OF THE MOSQUE                                                        309
+
+DETAILS OF ORNAMENT IN THE COURT OF THE MOSQUE                       311
+
+DETAILS IN THE COURT OF THE MOSQUE, EASTERN FAÇADE                   313
+
+ARCHED WINDOWS OF THE MOSQUE                                         315
+
+INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE                                          317, 319
+
+THE MOSQUE, FROM KORÁN RECESS                                        319
+
+ARAB LAMP IN THE MOSQUE                                              321
+
+CHAMBER OF REPOSE                                          324, 325, 327
+
+GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA,” AND THE APARTMENTS TRADITIONALLY SAID
+TO HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BY “LINDARAJA,” A FAVOURITE
+SULTÁNA                                                              328
+
+THE GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA”                                            329
+
+MOSAIC PAVEMENT IN THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM (TOCADOR DE LA
+REINA)                                                          331, 440
+
+“THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM,” AT THE SUMMIT OF THE MIHRÁB
+TOWER, WITH DISTANT VIEW OF THE GENERALIFE                           332
+
+TOWERS AND PROMENADE                                                 333
+
+THE TOWER OF THE PEAKS                                               336
+
+THE HOMAGE TOWER, ANCIENT ARAB RUINS IN THE ALCAZÁBA                 337
+
+GRANADA, FROM THE HOMAGE TOWER                                       337
+
+THE CAPTIVE’S TOWER                                                  339
+
+INTERIOR OF THE INFANTAS TOWER                                       339
+
+TOWER OF INFANTAS                                               341, 345
+
+INTERIOR OF THE INFANTAS TOWER (CEILING)                             343
+
+ROOM IN THE TORRE DEL CAUTIVO, OR CAPTIVE’S TOWER                    347
+
+THE LADIES’ TOWER                                                    347
+
+TORRE DE LA AQUA--TOWER OF THE AQUEDUCT                              349
+
+DETAIL OF THE ONLY ANCIENT JALOUSIE REMAINING IN THE ALHAMBRA        349
+
+THE INFANTAS TOWER                                                   351
+
+DETAILS OF THE ENTRANCE DOOR TO THE MUSEUM                           353
+
+BAS-RELIEF, NOW IN THE MUSEUM OF THE ALHAMBRA                        355
+
+BAS-RELIEF, FROM AN ENGRAVING IN MURPHY’S ARABIAN ANTIQUITIES        355
+
+PALACE OF CHARLES V.                                            356, 361
+
+ELEVATION OF SECTION OF THE PALACE OF CHARLES V.                     357
+
+INTERIOR, PALACE OF CHARLES V.                                       359
+
+ROMAN COURT, PALACE OF CHARLES V.                                    363
+
+PLAN OF THE ALHAMBRA                                                 365
+
+GROUND FLOOR PLAN OF THE ALHAMBRA, AND OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF
+THE PALACE OF CHARLES V.                                             367
+
+PLAN OF THE PALACE OF CHARLES V., AND OF THE SUBTERRANEAN
+VAULTS OF THE ALHAMBRA                                               369
+
+HALL OF JUSTICE                                                      371
+
+SUNK LINES ON THE WALLS, HALL OF JUSTICE AND COURT OF THE
+LIONS                                                                373
+
+FRIEZE IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                                375
+
+PANEL ON JAMBS OF DOORWAYS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                  375
+
+ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF THE BARQUE                               377
+
+ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                              377
+
+CORNICE OVER COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS                             379
+
+FRIEZE OVER COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS                              379
+
+BAND ROUND PANELS IN WINDOWS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS                381
+
+PANELLING IN WINDOWS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                            381
+
+ORNAMENT IN PANELS, COURT OF THE MOSQUE                              383
+
+ORNAMENTS AT THE JUNCTIONS OF INSCRIPTIONS, COURT OF THE LIONS,
+AND COURT OF THE FISH-POND                                           385
+
+SUNK LINES ON THE WALLS, HOUSE OF THE COMMANDANT                     387
+
+ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS                              389
+
+DETAILS OF THE ORNAMENTS WHICH ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE PAINTING
+OVER THE CENTRE ALCOVE OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE                        391
+
+DETAILS AND ARABIAN INSCRIPTIONS                                     393
+
+DETAILS OF ARABIAN WORK                                              395
+
+DETAILS AND INSCRIPTIONS AND ARABIAN CHAPITERS                       397
+
+DETAILS OF ARABIAN WORK                                              399
+
+GROUND PLAN OF THE GENERALIFE AT GRANADA                             403
+
+THE GENERALIFE                                             405, 407, 413
+
+A VIEW OF THE ROYAL VILLA OF THE GENERALIFE AT GRANADA               409
+
+TRANSVERSE SECTION OF THE ROYAL VILLA OF THE GENERALIFE AT
+GRANADA                                                              411
+
+GARDEN OF THE GENERALIFE                                             415
+
+PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE GARDEN OF THE GENERALIFE                     417
+
+ELEVATION AND GROUND PLAN OF THE PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE           419
+
+MOSAIC, PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE                                    421
+
+FRONT VIEW OF THE PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE                          423
+
+A CEILING IN THE GENERALIFE                                          425
+
+GENERALIFE (PORTRAIT GALLERY), ENTRANCE TO THE GALLERY OF
+RETRATOS                                                             427
+
+GALLERY IN THE ACEQUIA COURT, GENERALIFE                        427, 437
+
+GALLERY IN THE GENERALIFE                                            429
+
+THE ACEQUIA COURT, GENERALIFE                                   431, 435
+
+THE ACEQUIA COURT, FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE, GENERALIFE                433
+
+A CORNER OF THE ACEQUIA COURT, GENERALIFE                            435
+
+CYPRESS COURT, GENERALIFE                                            437
+
+MOSAIC PAVEMENT IN THE DRESSING-ROOM OF THE SULTÁNA                  440
+
+SABRE OF THE LAST MOORISH KING OF GRANADA                            441
+
+ELEVATION OF THE CASA DEL CARBON, OR “HOUSE OF CARBON,” ONCE
+KNOWN AS THE HOUSE OF THE WEATHER-COCK                               443
+
+HOUSE OF SANCHEZ                                                     445
+
+PLAN AND SECTION OF THE GREAT CISTERN IN THE ALHAMBRA                447
+
+
+
+
+List of Coloured Illustrations.
+
+
+PLATE.  NO.                            DESCRIPTION.
+
+I.        1   ORNAMENT IN PANELS ON THE WALLS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+II.       2   SOFFITT OF AN ARCH, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+III.      3   ORNAMENT OVER DOORWAY AT THE ENTRANCE, COURT OF
+                  THE LIONS.
+
+IV.       4   ORNAMENT IN DOORWAY AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE VENETA,
+                  HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+V.        5   ORNAMENT ON THE SIDE OF WINDOWS, UPPER STOREY, HALL
+                  OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+VI.       6   ORNAMENT IN SPANDRILS OF ARCHES, HALL OF THE TWO
+                  SISTERS.
+
+VI.       7   ORNAMENTS IN SPANDRILS OF ARCHES, HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.
+
+VII.      8   ORNAMENTS IN PANELS, HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS.
+
+VIII.     9   ORNAMENTS IN PANELS, COURT OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+IX.      10   ORNAMENT OVER ARCHES AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE COURT
+                  OF THE LIONS.
+
+X.       11   ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS, HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.
+
+XI.      12   ORNAMENT IN PANELS ON THE WALLS, COURT OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+XII.     13   SPANDRIL OF AN ARCH OF WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XIII.    14   BRACKETS SUPPORTING CEILING OF THE PORTICO, COURT OF
+                  THE LIONS.
+
+XIV.     15   SMALL PANEL IN JAMB OF A WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XV.      16   SMALL PANEL IN JAMB OF A WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XVI.     17   SMALL PANEL IN JAMB OF A WINDOW, HALL OF THE TWO
+                  SISTERS.
+
+XVII.    18   PANEL IN THE UPPER CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF SANCHEZ.
+
+XVIII.   19   SOFFITT OF GREAT ARCH AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE COURT
+                  OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+XIX.     20  SPANDRIL FROM NICHE OF DOORWAY AT THE ENTRANCE OF
+                 THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS, FROM THE HALL OF THE
+                 BARK.
+
+XX.      21  LINTEL OF A DOORWAY, COURT OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+XXI.     22  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+XXI.     23  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+XXII.    24  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+XXII.    25  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+XXIII.   26  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+XXIII.   27  CAPITAL OF COLUMNS, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+XXIV.    28  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXIV.    29  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXIV.    30  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXIV.    31  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXIV.    32  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXIV.    33  ORNAMENT ON THE WALLS OF THE WINDOWS OF “LINDA-RAJA’S”
+                 BALCONY.
+
+XXV.     34  COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+XXVI.    35  CAPITALS IN THE HALL OF TWO SISTERS.
+
+XXVII.   36  DETAILS OF THE GREAT ARCHES IN THE HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+XXVIII.  37  ARCHES, COURT OF THE LIONS AND HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+XXIX.    38  DETAILS OF THE GREAT ARCHES.
+
+XXX.     39  FRETS FROM DIFFERENT HALLS.
+
+XXXI.    40  DETAIL OF AN ARCH, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+XXXII.   41  DETAIL OF AN ARCH, PORTICO OF THE COURT OF LIONS.
+
+XXXIII.  42  CORNICE OF THE ROOF, COURT OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+XXXIV.   43  DIVAN, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+XXXV.    44  ACTUAL STATE OF THE COLOURS.
+
+XXXVI.   45  WINDOWS IN THE ALCOVE, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+XXXVII.    46  THE VASE.
+
+XXXVIII.   47  DETAILS OF ONE OF THE ARCHES, HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+XXXIX.     48  DETAILS OF THE ARCHES, HALL OF THE ABENDERRAGES.
+
+XL.        49  CENTRE PAINTING ON THE CEILING, HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+XLI.       50  MOSAIC DADO IN CENTRE WINDOW ON THE NORTH SIDE,
+                   HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XLII.      51  MOSAIC DADOS ON PILLARS BETWEEN THE WINDOWS, HALL
+                   OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XLIII.     52  MOSAIC DADOS ON PILLARS BETWEEN THE WINDOWS, HALL
+                   OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+XLIV.      53  MOSAICS IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+XLV.       54  MOSAIC DADO ROUND THE INTERNAL WALLS OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+XLVI.      55  AZULEJOS. PAINTED TILES.
+
+XLVII.     56  MOSAIC IN THE BATHS.
+
+XLVII.     57  MOSAIC IN THE BATHS.
+
+XLVIII.    58  MOSIAC FROM THE PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE.
+
+XLIX.      59  BLANK WINDOW, HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+L.         60  SOFFITT OF ARCH, ENTRANCE OF THE HALL OF ABENDERRAGES.
+
+LI.        61  CORNICE AT SPRINGING OF ARCH OF DOORWAY AT THE
+                   ENTRANCE OF THE VENTANA, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LII.       62  BORDER OF ARCHES.
+
+LII.       63  BORDER OF ARCHES.
+
+LIII.      64  BORDER OF ARCHES.
+
+LIV.       65  BORDER OF ARCHES.
+
+LIV.       66  BORDER OF ARCHES.
+
+LV.        67  ORNAMENT IN PANELS ON THE WALL, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LVI.       68  ORNAMENTS PAINTED ON THE PENDANTS, HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+LVI.       69  BANDS, SIDE OF ARCHES, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+LVIII.     70  BANDS, SIDE OF ARCHES, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+LVIII.     71  BANDS, SIDE OF ARCHES, COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+LIX.       72  ORNAMENTS ON PANEL, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LX.        73  ORNAMENTS ON PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXI.    74    ORNAMENTS ON PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXII.   75    ORNAMENTS ON PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXIII.  76    FRIEZE IN THE UPPER CHAMBER, HOUSE OF SANCHEZ.
+
+LXIV.   77    CORNICE AT SPRINGING OF ARCHES, WINDOWS OF THE HALL
+OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXV.    78    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. FROM THE CENTRE ARCH OF THE COURT
+OF THE LIONS.
+
+LXV.    79    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE DIVAN,
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LXVI.   80    DETAILS OF THE WOOD-WORK OF THE DOOR TO THE HALL OF
+ABENCERRAGES.
+
+LXVII.  81    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+LXVII.  82    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+LXVIII. 83    ORNAMENTS ON THE WALLS OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXIX.   84    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF
+LIONS FROM THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+LXIX.   85    SPANDRIL OF ARCH. FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF
+THE FISH-POND FROM THE HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+LXX.    86    MOSAIC. PILASTER, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXX.    87    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXX.    88    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LXX.    89    MOSAIC. PILASTER, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXX.    90    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LXX.    91    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LXX.    92    MOSAIC. PILASTER, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXXI.   93    PLASTER ORNAMENTS, USED AS UPRIGHT AND HORIZONTAL
+BANDS ENCLOSING PANELS ON THE WALLS.
+
+LXXII.  94    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXXII.  95    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXXII.  96    MOSAIC. DADO, IN CENTRE WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXXII.  97    MOSAIC. FROM A COLUMN, HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+LXXII.  98    MOSAIC. DADO IN THE BATHS.
+
+LXXII.  99    MOSAIC. DADO IN DIVAN, COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+LXXII.     100    MOSAIC. DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+LXXIII.    101    PANELS ON WALLS, TOWER OF THE CAPTIVE.
+
+LXXIV.     102    BLANK WINDOW, HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+LXXV.      103    RAFTERS OF A ROOF OVER A DOORWAY NOW DESTROYED
+BENEATH THE TOCADOR DE LA REYNA.
+
+LXXVI.     104    BAND AT SPRINGING OF ARCH AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE
+HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS FROM THE COURT OF LIONS.
+
+LXXVII.    105    PANELLING OF THE CENTRE RECESS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+LXXVIII.   106    PART OF CEILING OF THE PORTICO OF THE COURT OF THE
+FISH-POND.
+
+LXXIX.     107    BLANK WINDOW, HALL OF THE BARK.
+
+LXXX.      108    ORNAMENTS ON THE WALLS, HOUSE OF SANCHEZ.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: INTRODUCTION.]
+
+
+“Andalus” is the name given by the Moors to that part of the Spanish
+Peninsula wherein they were all-powerful for eight centuries. Andalus
+comprehended the four kingdoms of Seville, Córdova, Jaen, and Granada.
+(_Los Cuatro Reinos de Andalusia._)
+
+About the year 403 of the Hegira (A.D. 1012) Granada first acquired
+importance. Záwí, the African chief who then ruled in Andalusia from
+Malaga to Almeria, declared himself independent, and transferred the
+seat of government from Elvira[1] to Granada. Little by little the whole
+population migrated to the new capital, so that Elvira dwindled to an
+insignificant village, whilst Granada rose to be a magnificent city,
+culminating in grandeur and importance during the reigns of three
+enlightened sovereigns of the _Beni Nasr_ dynasty--Mohammed the First
+(_Al-ghálib-billah_, A.D. 1232-1272), who commenced the Alhambra;[2]
+Yúsuf the First (A.D. 1333), who added greatly to its beauty, and is
+regarded as the monarch who completed the building; and Mohammed the
+Fifth (_Al-ghaní-billah_), son of Yúsuf, who succeeded to the throne
+upon the assassination of his father in 1354, and who finished the
+decorations of many of the Courts and Halls of the Palace.
+
+One of the earliest extant references to Granada is contained in the MS.
+of _Ibnu Battúttah_, the Moslem traveller, who wrote in the fourteenth
+century. About the year 1360 _Ibnu Battúttah_ journeyed from Morocco to
+Andalus, and visited Granada, which he thus describes: “Granada is the
+capital of Andalus, and the husband of its cities; its environs are a
+delightful garden, covering a space of forty miles, and have not their
+equal in the world. It is intersected by the well-known river
+_Sheníl_[3] (Xenil) and other considerable streams, and surrounded on
+every side by orchards, gardens, groves, palaces, and vineyards. One of
+the most pleasant spots in its neighbourhood is that known by the name
+of _’Aynu-l-adamar_--the fountain of tears--which is a spring of cold
+and limpid water placed in the midst of delightful groves and gardens.”
+The suburb of Granada here referred to, preserves to this day its Arabic
+name corrupted into _Dinamar_, or _Adinamar_. It is a pleasant and
+much-frequented spot, close to Granada.
+
+The city of Granada was held in the highest estimation by Andalusian
+poets. One ancient eulogist says: “If that city could reckon no other
+honour but of having been the birthplace of the Wizír _Ibnu-l-khattíb_,
+that alone would be sufficient. But Granada has not its like in the
+world: neither Cairo, Baghdád, nor Damascus can compete with it; we can
+only give an idea of its worth by comparing it to a beautiful bride, of
+whose dower it should form part.”
+
+The mention of the celebrated Wizír, _Ibnu-l-khattíb_, brings to mind a
+particularly interesting figure in the history of the Alhambra, for to
+him we owe the composition of many of the poems inscribed upon its
+walls. He flourished A.D. 1313-1374. Amongst other works of the highest
+value, of which he was the author, is a biographical dictionary of
+illustrious Granadians. At an early age he attracted the notice of Yúsuf
+I., who promoted him through many offices of the State, until he became
+that Sultán’s Grand Wizír, in which capacity he served his master
+faithfully and long. After the death of Yúsuf, he retained his high
+office of Wizír under Mohammed V. for twenty years, when the hostility
+of his foes brought upon him the suspicion of disloyalty. He was thrown
+into prison, and strangled by order of Mohammed. “Thus,” says an
+admiring biographer, “perished the phœnix of the age, the prince of
+poets and historians of his time, and the model of Wizírs.”
+
+The unfortunate _Ibnu-l-khattíb_ possessed, in the highest degree, the
+faculty of improvisation. It is related that he was sent on an embassy
+by Mohammed V. to implore the aid of _Fáris_, Sultán of Fez, against the
+Christians. On entering the Hall of Audience, and before he delivered
+his message, he uttered some verses which called forth the admiration of
+all present, and were so much approved by the Sultán, that before
+listening to what the Ambassador had to say on affairs of State, he
+exclaimed: “By Allah! I know not the object of thy visit; but whatever
+it may be, I grant the request.” In concluding the anecdote, the
+narrator adds: “This circumstance elicited from the celebrated _Kádí_,
+_Abú-l-kásim Ash-Sheríf_, who formed part of the embassy, the very just
+remark that never until that time had there been an ambassador who
+attained the object of his mission before he had made it known!”
+
+The Mohammedans in Spain, whether considered as the enthusiastic
+warriors whose victorious arms spread terror and consternation, or as
+the cultivated race who acted as the pioneers of art, letters, and
+civilisation, are entitled to a prominent place in the annals of Europe.
+But, instead of being commended to the gratitude of succeeding ages, as
+they assuredly deserved to be, the Arabs have been too frequently
+charged with corrupting the infancy of modern literature; and this, in
+the face of the verdict of a high authority on the literature of the
+Spanish Moslems, who has declared that the material he cites proves the
+superiority of the Andalusians to every other nation.
+
+Spanish historians have always manifested contempt for the writings of
+the Arabs. Rejecting the means afforded them by abundant Moorish
+records, they have compiled their histories from one-sided national
+authorities, disdaining to cast a glance on writings of the enemies of
+their country and religion. The effects of such illiberality need
+scarcely be pointed out. The history of Spain, during the Middle Ages,
+has been, and still is, notwithstanding the labours of modern critics, a
+tissue of fable and contradiction.
+
+Nevertheless, it was reserved for a Spaniard--Don Pascual de
+Gayángos--to give to the world the true history of the Mohammedans in
+Spain. He fixed upon the manuscript account of _Ahmed Ibn Mohammed
+Al-makkarí_, which gives an uninterrupted narrative of the conquests,
+wars, and settlements of the Spanish Moslems from their first invasion
+of the Peninsula to their final expulsion; and Don Pascual so enriches
+his author’s text with a mass of notes and illustrations that the work
+forms, if not the only, certainly the most valuable history of the Arabs
+in Spain--even the recondite production of the German _savant_, the late
+Dr. R. Dozy, of Leyden, _Histoire des Musulmans d’Espagne_, yields on
+the score of usefulness.
+
+_Al-makkarí_ wrote at the close of the sixteenth century. His life was
+spent in literary pursuits, and in the society of the learned. He
+appears to have resembled our own John Aubrey in his genius for taking
+the greatest pains to collect his material from the most authentic
+sources at his command; and, if he sometimes falls into slight
+inaccuracies, his editor--Don Pascual--promptly sets the matter right in
+a note of profound and judicious scholarship. That portion of
+_Al-makkarí_ which most concerns the present volume is contained in the
+second part of his work, and consists of extracts from various Arab
+authors relating to the history of the kingdom of Granada. In a note
+upon the etymology of the name “Andalus,” _Al-makkarí_ derives it from
+_Andalosh_, a Moorish corruption for _Vandalocii_ (Vandals), with which
+attribution Don Pascual seems to agree. _Al-makkarí_ concludes his
+history with a pious ejaculation for the re-occupation of the country:
+“May Allah restore it entire to the Moslems!”
+
+It is to be lamented that an ungenerous spirit actuated the authorities
+in Madrid at the time Gayángos was preparing his monumental work
+(_circa_ 1840). In his own land, the assistance he had every right to
+expect, was withheld! He tells us that he petitioned the Ministers of
+Her Catholic Majesty for permission to visit the Library of the
+Escorial, and he finds himself called upon to disclose a fact very
+painful to his feelings. Don Pascual’s own words are: “Strange to say,
+notwithstanding repeated applications, and the interference of persons
+high in rank and influence, my request was positively denied,
+professedly on the plea that the Library could not be opened, a
+contention having arisen between the Government and the Royal Household
+as to the possession of it!” Under the enlightened rule of King Alfonso
+XIII. such treatment has become impossible: all that remains of the
+literature, the splendid monuments of Arabian architecture, indeed
+everything which exhibits memorials of the graceful people who have
+passed away, is now open to the antiquary or the artist, and zealously
+guarded with the most reverent care. No longer is there danger of wanton
+spoliation of the ancient palace of the Moorish Kings of Granada. The
+effort now is to retard the inevitable process of decay. The late Señor
+Raphaél Contreras occupied himself for thirty-seven years in an attempt
+to restore the defaced or partially-destroyed arabesques of the
+Alhambra. In the course of his labour of love, it was his good fortune
+to be rewarded, from time to time, by the discovery of inscriptions
+which had long lain hidden; and his exertions were further recompensed
+by the happiness of lighting upon and replacing parts of mutilated
+ornament and portions of the edifice itself which had become dislodged
+by accident or rapine, thus saving somewhat from the deluge of time.
+
+The result of his research and discovery Don Raphaél placed before the
+public in a scholarly work, entitled, _Etude Déscriptive des Monuments
+Arabes_, published at Madrid, and which reached its fourth edition in
+1889.
+
+A separate, or supplementary volume was promised, which should treat of
+Arabic Inscriptions remaining in Seville, Córdova, and more particularly
+in Granada, belonging to the most important period of the Mohammedan
+Domination in those parts of the Peninsula. It is greatly to be hoped
+that the work may make its appearance under the auspices of his son, Don
+Mariano Contreras, the present Conservator of the Alhambra.
+
+That portion of the Alhambra, called the _Casa Real_, or Royal House,
+appears to be but a very small part of the ancient Palace of the Moorish
+Kings of Granada. It is to be regretted that no traces exist at the
+present day by which its limits can be accurately defined; but we may
+judge, from the gallery of
+
+[Illustration: PANELS AND INSCRIPTIONS IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+two stories at the southern end of the Court of the Fish-pond, which
+still remains, that the part of the Moorish building destroyed to make
+way for the Palace of Charles V., must have been of considerable
+consequence. No traces of the numerous apartments, which must have been
+required for guards and attendants, now exist; and a most important
+feature--the hareem--is wanting.
+
+The Alhambra, occupying the plateau of the _Monte de la Assabica_, is
+situated at one extremity of the city of Granada, above which it rises
+like the Acropolis at Athens. The usual entrance is by the Gate of
+Justice. From the Gate of Justice we pass the _Puerta del Vino_, or Wine
+Gate, to the large square called the _Plaza de los Algibes_, or Place of
+the Cisterns. On the right is the Palace of Charles V.; beyond, but
+without revealing any indication of its internal beauty, is the
+_Casa Real_; on the left of the Place of the Cisterns is the
+_Alcazába_--_Kussábah_, the citadel--long used as a place of detention
+for convicts. There are several ruined towers here, which are, perhaps,
+the remains of the most ancient part of the fortress.
+
+The severe and striking aspect of the towers with which the walls of the
+fortress are studded, arouses no suspicion of the art and luxury
+enshrined within; they are formed to impress the beholder with respect
+for the power and majesty of the King; whilst within, the fragrant
+shrubs and running streams, the porcelains, Mosaics, and gilded stucco
+work, and particularly the pious inscriptions which are in such
+profusion upon the walls, constantly reminded the sovereign how all that
+ministered to his happiness was the gift of Allah.
+
+The inscriptions are of three sorts--“_ayát_,” _i.e._, verses from the
+Korán; “_asjá_,” pious or devout sentences not taken from the Korán;
+and, thirdly, “_ash’ár_,” poems in praise of the builders or owners of
+the Palace. Those belonging to either of the first two classes are
+generally written in the Cufic character, and the letters are often so
+shaped as to present a uniform appearance from both sides, and make the
+inscription readable from the right to the left, and _vice versa_, or
+upwards and downwards.
+
+The innumerable sentences abounding everywhere in the Alhambra are so
+harmonious and interweaving--producing such cross-lights of poetry and
+praise, merging naturally and gracefully when the mind is torpid or
+indifferent to them, into mere surface ornament--that they are never out
+of place, but present always an unsatiating charm. Once, at least, an
+inscription in the Palace has settled a dull controversy respecting the
+use of the many small, highly-decorated recesses which are seen in the
+apartments. On each side of the ante-room of the Hall of the Ambassadors
+is one of these recesses resembling the piscinæ of our cathedrals.
+Blundering wise men insistently averred that these niches were used by
+suppliants as receptacles for their slippers before entering to an
+audience, until an Arabic scholar pointed to an inscription round the
+aperture, which reads: “_If anyone approach me complaining of thirst, he
+will receive cool and limpid water, sweet and pure._” Any Spaniard ought
+to have known that here were the places of the _Alcarraza_, or porous
+earthen bottles common to all comers, even as they may now be found in
+the halls of some Andalusian gentlemen.
+
+Such a niche and water-vase are represented in this volume at page 77.
+
+“Is the Alhambra,” asks Ford, “a palace of the _Arabian Nights_, or only
+a tawdry ruin bedaubed with faded colour? And what of the colour as it
+exists? Is it emeraldine or plaited flowers? No, in sober truth, the
+colour is dim and faded; buried in some places under white flaky icicles
+of whitewash, or blurred and besmirched as a dead butterfly’s wing. Here
+and
+
+[Illustration: VARIOUS MOSAICS FROM THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+there are revived bright scraps of azure, gold, and vermilion; but
+generally dull of outline, and dim in low, deep, shadow tone.”
+
+Where the Moorish work is imitated, greens and purples obtrude, to
+demonstrate how inferior is modern decorative skill to the genius of the
+ancient Arabs. The dados, or low wainscotings, are of square, glazed
+tiles, which form a glittering breast-high coat of mail up to the lower
+third of the Palace
+
+[Illustration: PANEL ORNAMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+walls. Here the colours are the same as those of the old Majolica ware.
+Sometimes these _Azulejo_ tiles, with their low-toned enamel colours,
+are formed into pillars, or pave the floors in squares of
+_fleurs-de-lis_, or other heraldic emblems. In these dados, colour is
+seen in the shade. The Moors wanted shade in a country where the sun is
+solid fire--the colours deep, soft, and subdued as in an Arabian carpet.
+
+The present pavement of the halls and courts of the Palace is either of
+white marble, as in the Hall of The Two Sisters and Hall of the
+Abencerrages, or of brick. Seldom, however, does it appear to be the
+original flooring, as in many places it is considerably above the
+ancient level, concealing the lower part of the Mosaic dados. On the
+pavement of one of the alcoves of the Hall of Justice are still to be
+seen painted tiles which seem to suggest a style of flooring more in
+harmony with the general decoration of the Halls and Courts than either
+those of marble or of brick. This deduction has been objected to by
+persons conversant with the manners and customs of the Mohammedans, who
+contend that it is impossible that these tiles--on which the name of God
+is written--should have been trodden under foot. But it should be borne
+in mind that the Arabs of Spain allowed themselves considerable laxity
+in observing the behests of the Korán--as is evidenced by the fountain
+in the Court of Lions, the bas-relief in the Museum of the Palace, and
+the paintings in the Hall of Justice.
+
+For the student who desires to pursue exhaustively the history of the
+Moors in Spain, there are but two trustworthy authorities--Don Pascual
+de Gayángos, the Spanish Orientalist and historian, and Dr. R. Dozy, of
+Leyden. Don Pascual’s translation of _Al-makkarí_ has been largely drawn
+upon in the compilation of the present volume, as also the “Handbook”
+and “Gatherings” of Richard Ford (1845 and onward), which form the bases
+of the indispensable Murray’s _Guide_. For the last days of the Moslems
+in Spain, Sir William Stirling-Maxwell’s _Don John of Austria_ must be
+read. The fascinating volumes of Washington Irving will, of course,
+continue to delight so long as the English language endures, and no
+better companions can be wished for on the spot where they were written
+than his stories of _The Alhambra_ and _The Conquest of Granada_. Mr.
+Henry Coppeé’s _History of the Conquest of Spain by the Arab Moors_, in
+two volumes, _Boston_ (Mass.), 1881; Miss Charlotte Yonge’s _Christians
+and Moors in Spain_; Mr. H. E. Watt’s _Spain from the Moorish Conquest
+to the Fall of Granada_; the concise _Rise and Fall of the Muslim Empire
+in Spain_, by our fellow-subject, Muhammed Hayat Khan, Lahore, 1897; and
+Mr. Stanley Lane-Poole’s _The Moors in Spain_ should be consulted.
+
+
+ORNAMENT.
+
+However much disguised, the whole ornamentation of the Moors is
+constructed geometrically.
+
+[Illustration: FRET.--FIG. 1. FORMED BY THE INTERLACING OF LINES. THE
+NUMEROUS FRETS THROUGHOUT THE PALACE ARE FORMED UPON THE TWO PRINCIPLES
+EXHIBITED IN THIS AND FOLLOWING DIAGRAM.]
+
+It is probable that the immense variety of Moorish ornaments, which are
+formed by the intersection of equi-distant lines, could be traced
+through the Arabian to the Greek fret.
+
+The Moorish system of decoration reached its culminating point in the
+ornament of the Alhambra. Owen Jones says: “The Alhambra is at the very
+summit of perfection of Moorish art ... every principle which we can
+derive from the study of the ornamental art of any other people is not
+only ever present here, but was by the Moors more universally and truly
+obeyed. We find in the Alhambra the speaking art of the Egyptians, the
+natural grace and refinement of the Greeks, the geometrical combination
+of the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Arabs.
+
+[Illustration: FRET.--FIG. 2. FORMED BY THE INTERLACING OF LINES.]
+
+The ornament wanted but one charm, which was the peculiar feature of the
+Egyptian ornament--symbolism. This, the religion of the Moors forbade.”
+
+The decoration of the Alhambra is peculiarly appropriate--the
+circumstances of the people rendered the ornament beautiful for that
+reason--when transplanted, though it loses nothing of its loveliness, it
+becomes inexpressive.
+
+The Moors ever regarded what architects hold to be the first principle
+of architecture--to decorate construction--never to construct
+decoration. In Moorish architecture, not only does the decoration arise
+naturally from the construction, but the constructive idea is carried
+out in every detail of the ornamentation of the surface. A superfluous,
+or useless ornament is never found in Moorish decoration; every ornament
+arises quietly and naturally from the surface decorated.
+
+[Illustration: PLAN OF GENERAL CONSTRUCTION OF CENTRAL ORNAMENT OF
+CEILINGS.]
+
+The general forms were first cared for; these were sub-divided by
+general lines; the interstices were then filled in with ornament again
+to be sub-divided and enriched for closer inspection. The principle was
+carried out with the greatest refinement, and the harmony and beauty of
+all Moorish ornamentation derive success from its observance. The
+greatest distinction was thus obtained; the detail never interfering
+with the general form. When seen at a distance, the main lines strike
+the eye; on nearer approach, the detail comes into the composition; upon
+yet closer inspection, further detail is seen on the surface of the
+ornaments themselves.
+
+To the builders of the Alhambra, harmony of form consisted in the proper
+balancing and contrast of the straight, the inclined, and the curved.
+
+[Illustration: SECTION OF THE COLUMNS AND ARCHES OF GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
+IN THE PALACE.]
+
+As in colour, there can be no composition in which either of the three
+primary colours is wanting, so in form, whether structural or
+decorative, there can be no perfect composition in which either of the
+three primary figures is lacking; variety and harmony in composition and
+design depend on the pre-dominance and subordination of the three.
+
+In his monumental work on the ornamentation of the Alhambra, the late
+Owen Jones, who spent many years at Granada in collaboration with his
+friend, M. Jules Goury, the eminent French architect, studying the
+Palace of the Western Caliphs, furnishes diagrams in support of this
+conclusion, which are here reproduced; and, furthermore, says: “In
+
+[Illustration]
+
+surface decoration, any arrangement of forms, as at A., consisting only
+of straight lines, is monotonous, and affords but imperfect pleasure;
+but, introduce lines which tend to carry the eye towards the angles, as
+at B., and you have at once an additional pleasure.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+“Then add lines giving a circular tendency, as at C., and you have now
+complete harmony: in this case the square is the leading form or tonic;
+the angular and curved are subordinate.
+
+“We may produce the same result in adopting an angular composition, as
+at D., add the lines as at E., and we at once correct the tendency to
+follow only the angular direction of the inclined lines; but, unite
+these by circles as at F., and we have harmony still more nearly
+perfect, _i.e._, repose, for the eye has now no longer any want that
+could be supplied.”
+
+Still, compositions distributed in equal lines or divisions will be less
+beautiful than those which require a greater mental effort to appreciate
+them: proportions the most difficult for the eye to detect will be the
+most agreeable.
+
+In surface decoration by the Moors, lines flow from a parent stem: every
+ornament, however distant, can be traced to its branch and root; they
+have the happy art of so adapting the ornament to the surface decorated,
+that the ornament as often appears to have suggested the general form as
+to have been suggested by it. In all cases we find the foliage flowing
+out of a parent stem, and we are never offended, as in modern practice,
+by the random introduction of an ornament set down without a reason for
+its existence. However irregular the space they have to fill, they
+always commence by dividing it into equal areas, and round these trunk
+lines they fill in their detail, but invariably return to their parent
+stem.
+
+The Moors also followed another principle, that of radiation from the
+parent stem, as we may see exemplified in nature by the human hand, or
+in a chestnut leaf. When style becomes debased, neither of these laws is
+followed; as in Elizabethan ornament, where nothing is continuous,
+nothing radiates, all is haphazard.
+
+All junctions of curved lines with curved, or of curved with straight,
+should be tangential to each other. The Oriental practice always accords
+with this principle. Many of their ornaments are on the principle which
+is observable in the lines of a feather and in the articulations of a
+leaf; and to this is due that additional charm found in all perfect
+ornamentation, which is called “the graceful.”
+
+[Illustration: MISCELLANEOUS ORNAMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA]
+
+[Illustration: CORNICES, CAPITALS, AND COLUMNS IN THE ALHAMBRA. THE
+SPLENDID CORNICE AT THE RIGHT-HAND TOP CORNER IS FROM THE LOGGIA OF THE
+GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: CAPITALS FROM THE COURTS AND HALLS OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+A further charm is found in the works of the Arabs and Moors from their
+conventional treatment of ornament, which, forbidden as they were by
+their creed to represent living forms, they carried to the highest
+perfection. They ever worked as Nature works, but always avoided a
+direct transcript; they took her principles, but did not attempt to copy
+her works.
+
+It is true that the Arabs in Spain, as already pointed out, once or
+twice allowed themselves to disregard the behests of the Korán, as
+instanced in the Fountain of Lions, and the bas-relief which is now
+preserved in the Museum of the Alhambra; but the Mohammedan mosques of
+Egypt, India, and Spain, show everywhere the calm, voluptuous
+translation of the doctrines of the Korán: an art in unison with its
+imaginative and poetic teachings which led them to adorn their temples
+in a manner peculiar to themselves.
+
+
+COLOUR.
+
+The colours employed by the Moors on their stucco work were in all
+cases, the primaries--blue, red, and yellow (gold). The secondary
+colours--purple, green, and orange, occur only in the Mosaic dados;
+which, being near the eye, formed a point of repose from the more
+brilliant colouring above. It is true that, at the present day, the
+grounds of many of the ornaments are found to be green; it will readily
+be seen, however, on a minute examination, that the colour originally
+employed was blue, which, being a metallic pigment, has become green
+from the effects of time. This is proved by the presence of particles of
+blue colour, which occur everywhere in the crevices: in the
+“restorations” also, which were made by the Catholic kings, green and
+purple were freely used.
+
+The colouring of the Courts and Halls of the Alhambra was carried out
+on so perfect a motive, that anyone who cares to make this a study, can,
+with almost absolute certainty, on being shown for the first time a
+piece of Moorish ornament in white, define at once the manner in which
+it was coloured. So completely were all the architectural forms
+designed, with reference to their subsequent colouring, that the surface
+alone will indicate the colours they were destined to receive.
+
+Notwithstanding the fact that the Moors, in their marvellous system of
+decoration, worked on fixed rules, the effect of their infinite variety
+leaves the observer under the impression that they arrived at their
+amazing achievements by instinct, to which centuries of refinement had
+brought them. One person may naturally sing in tune as another does by
+acquired knowledge. The happier state, however, is where knowledge
+ministers to instinct, and this must have been the case with the Moors.
+Their poet exhorts us to attentively contemplate the adornments of the
+Palace, and so reap the benefit of a commentary on decoration; this
+invitation seems to imply that there was in their works something to be
+learned as well as much that might be felt.
+
+Mr. Owen Jones admits that there is no authority for the gilding of the
+columns: wherever the columns are of marble, the shafts are always free
+from traces of colour of any kind. Gold, blue, and red are still seen on
+most of the capitals, and, in some cases, the plaster half-columns
+against the walls are covered by mosaic of a small pattern in glazed
+earthenware. Nevertheless, the eminent authority on decoration is
+strongly of opinion that the marble shafts could never have been,
+originally, left entirely white; and, furthermore, he thinks that the
+general harmony of the colouring above forbids such a supposition; but
+the conclusion seems to be erroneous, when it is remembered that the
+shafts of the columns are compared, in the graceful hyperbole of the
+Inscriptions, to “transparent crystal;” and, again, “when struck by the
+earliest beams of the rising sun, maybe likened to many blocks of
+pearl.” Therefore, in view of the poetic reference by Moorish
+versifiers, and the utter absence of any trace of colour on the marble,
+it has been thought befitting to omit the gilding of the shafts in the
+many reproductions in this volume from the beautiful coloured plates in
+the work of Owen Jones. It should be recorded here that the book alluded
+to is dedicated “To the Memory of Jules Goury, Architect, who died of
+Cholera, at Granada, August 28th, 1834, whilst engaged in preparing the
+original drawings for this work.”
+
+Amongst the illustrations appearing on p. xlix. _supra_, which
+principally consist of cornices, capitals, and columns in the Alhambra,
+is a motto in Roman characters: TĀTO·MŌTA--Tanto Monta--pertaining to
+Ferdinand and Isabella, and which is somewhat out of place in a page
+otherwise devoted to Moorish ornament. The motto, of course, signifies
+_tantamount_, and is meant to express an equality in power between the
+two Sovereigns; Isabella zealously maintaining that her right of
+exercising the royal authority was equivalent to that of her royal
+consort: “_Tanto monta Isabella que Hernando, Hernando que
+Isabella_”--of equal worth are Isabella and Ferdinand. The motto appears
+in relief in the Court of the Lions.
+
+Acknowledgment is made to the work of the late James Cavanah Murphy,
+_Arabian Antiquities of Spain_, Lond., 1815, to which source we are
+indebted for some of the illustrations to the present volume. Mr. Murphy
+faithfully delineated, and admirably engraved the arabesques and mosaics
+of the superb Courts and Halls of the Palace of the Alhambra at Granada.
+
+For the rest, it may be said that a vast number of plates have been
+specially prepared for the present volume; and it is thought a
+confident expectation may be indulged of a favourable reception to an
+attempt at preserving the reliques of a romantic pile--the glory and the
+wonder of a civilised world.
+
+    “I PRAY YOU, LET US SATISFY OUR EYES
+     WITH THE MEMORIALS AND THE THINGS OF FAME
+     THAT DO RENOWN THIS CITY.”
+
+             _Twelfth Night, Act III., sc. 3._
+
+
+
+
+The Alhambra.
+
+
+The ancient citadel and residence of the Moorish monarchs of Granada is,
+indisputably, the most curious, and in some ways the most marvellous
+building that exists in the whole world. In its period, its
+architectural style, and artistic effect, it is not without its
+counterpart in Southern Spain; but the Alhambra was conceived and
+constructed on so colossal a scale that it is accepted as the last word
+in Arabian workmanship. From the outside it appears to be a forbidding
+fortress, and, indeed, its walls are of prodigious strength; but within
+it is a palace that was once the most voluptuous in the makings and
+imaginings of man, and in which everything was made subservient to
+luxury.
+
+The singular fortunes of the Arabian, or Moresco-Spaniards, whose whole
+existence is a tale that is told, certainly forms one of the most
+anomalous, yet splendid episodes in history. Potent and durable as was
+their dominion, we have no one distinct title by which to designate
+them. They were a nation, as it were, without a legitimate country or a
+name: a remote wave of the great Arabian inundation cast upon the shores
+of Europe. From the year 710, when the Arab general Tarif landed at the
+port which bears his name, and plundered Algeciras, to be succeeded in
+the following year by a greater soldier, Geb-al-Tarik, whose name
+survives in the title of “The Rock”--a familiar designation very dear to
+Englishmen--the course of Moorish conquest from Gibraltar to the cliffs
+of the Pyrenees was as rapid and brilliant as the ancient Moslem
+victories of Syria and Egypt. Nay, had they not been checked on the
+Plains of Tours by Charles _Martel_, who that day gained his
+_sobriquet_--“The Hammerer”--all France, all Europe might have succumbed
+to the ravages of the Saracenic warriors as completely as the empires of
+the East were made to yield, and the crescent might have glittered on
+the fanes of Paris and of London.
+
+Repelled within the limits of the Pyrenees, the mixed hordes of Asia and
+Africa that formed this great irruption, gave up the Moslem principle of
+conquest, and sought to establish in Spain a peaceable and permanent
+dominion. As conquerors, their heroism was only equalled by their
+moderation; and in
+
+[Illustration: VIEW OF GRANADA, SHOWING THE ALHAMBRA AND THE SIERRA
+NEVADA.]
+
+both, for a time, they excelled the nations with whom they contended.
+Severed from their native homes, they loved the land given them, as they
+supposed, by Allah, and strove to adorn it with all that could minister
+to the happiness of man. By a system of wise and equitable laws they
+formed an empire unrivalled for its prosperity by any of the empires of
+Christendom, and diligently drew around them the graces and refinements
+that marked the Arabian empire in the East at the time of its
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE ALHAMBRA FROM SAN NICOLAS.]
+
+greatest civilisation. If the superb remains of Moslem monuments in
+Spain; if the Mosque of Córdova, the Alcázar of Seville, and the
+Alhambra of Granada still bear inscriptions fondly vaunting the power
+and permanency of the dominion of the Moor; can the boast be derided as
+arrogant and vain? They were the outposts and frontiers of Islamism. The
+
+[Illustration: PART OF THE ALHAMBRA, EXTERIOR.]
+
+Southern part of the Peninsula was the great battle-ground where the
+Gothic conquerors of the North, and the Moslem conquerors of the East,
+met and strove for mastery; the fiery courage of the Arab being at
+length subdued by the obstinate and persevering valour of the
+descendants of the subjects of Don Roderick. But century after century
+had passed away, and still they retained a hold upon the land.[4] A
+period had elapsed equal to that which has passed since England was
+subjugated by the Normans; and the descendants of Musa[5] and Taric
+might as little anticipate being forced into exile across the Straits
+traversed by their triumphant ancestors, as the descendants of Rollo and
+William may dream of being driven back to the shores of Normandy.
+
+With all this, however, the Moslem empire in Spain was but
+
+[Illustration: THE ALHAMBRA AND THE SIERRA NEVADA.]
+
+a brilliant exotic that took no fixed root in the soil it adorned.
+Severed from all their neighbours in the West by impassable barriers of
+faith and manners, and separated by seas and deserts from their kindred
+in the East, they remained an isolated people. Their whole existence was
+a prolonged and gallant struggle to maintain a foothold in a land
+usurped. The few relics of the miserable and proscribed race were
+ultimately expelled from the Peninsula, under the administration of the
+Duke of Lerma, during the reign of Philip III.--a measure which, by
+depriving Spain of a numerous and industrious population, inflicted a
+severe blow on her agriculture and commerce.
+
+Never was the annihilation of a nation more complete. Where are they?
+The exiled remnant of a once powerful people became assimilated with the
+predatory hordes of Barbary and the desert southward. A few broken
+monuments are all that remain to bear witness to their power and
+dominion in Europe.
+
+Such is the Alhambra; an epoch marking relic--a Moslem pile in the midst
+of a Christian land; an Oriental palace amidst the Gothic edifices of
+the West; an elegant memento of a brave, intelligent, and graceful
+people who conquered, ruled, and passed away.
+
+    L’Alhambra! l’Alhambra! palais que les Génies
+    Ont doré comme un rêve et rempli d’harmonies;
+    Forteresse aux créneaux festonnés et croulans,
+    Où l’on entend la nuit de magiques syllables,
+    Quand la lune, à travers les milles arceaux arabes,
+        Sème les murs de trèfles blancs!
+                    _Les Orientales_, par _Victor Hugo_.
+
+The Alhambra--the Acropolis of Granada--is, indeed, a pearl of great
+price in the estimation of all travellers, exciting in the breast of the
+stranger the most absorbing interest and concentrated devotion. To
+realise the full spell--the mystery and the magic of the Alhambra--one
+must live in the building by day and contemplate it--like the ruins of
+fair Melrose--by moonlight, when all is still. “Who can do justice,”
+says Washington Irving, “to a moonlight night in such a climate and in
+such a place! The temperature of an Andalusian midnight in summer is
+perfectly ethereal. We seem lifted up into
+
+[Illustration: ASCENT TO THE ALHAMBRA BY THE CUESTA DEL REY
+CHICO--LESSER KING HILL.]
+
+a purer atmosphere; there is a serenity of soul, a buoyancy of spirit,
+an elasticity of frame, that renders mere existence enjoyment. The
+effect of moonlight, too, on the Alhambra, has something like
+enchantment. Every rent and chasm of time, every mouldering tint and
+weather-stain disappears; the marble resumes its original whiteness;
+the long colonnades brighten in the moonbeams; the halls are illuminated
+with a softened radiance until the whole edifice reminds one of the
+enchanted palace of an Arabian tale.”
+
+[Illustration: BALCONY OF THE “CAPTIVE” (ISABEL DE SOLIS), OVERLOOKING
+THE VEGA, OR PLAIN, OF GRANADA.]
+
+Art and nature have combined to render Granada, with its Alps, Plain,
+and Alhambra, one of those few places which surpass all previous
+conceptions. The town is built on the spurs of the hills, which rise on
+the south-east to their greatest altitude. The city overlooks the
+_Vega_, or Plain, and is about 2,500 feet above sea-level. This
+altitude, coupled with the snowy background, renders it a most delicious
+residence; the bosom of snow furnishing a never-failing supply of water
+for
+
+[Illustration: ALCOVE OF THE “CAPTIVE” (ISABEL DE SOLIS).]
+
+irrigation. Accordingly, the _Vega_ supplies every vegetable production,
+and is a spot--said the Arabians themselves--superior in extent and
+fertility to the valley of Damascus.
+
+The Alhambra is built on a crowning height that hangs over the River
+Darro; its long lines of walls and towers follow the curves and dips of
+the ground just as a consummate artist would have placed them; the
+wooded slopes, kept green by water-courses, are tenanted by
+nightingales, singing as if in pain at the tender scene of desolate
+beauty.
+
+Granada, which, under the Moors, was populated by half-a-million
+inhabitants, knew no slow decline, but flourished until it toppled to
+its fall. The date of its ruin is 2nd January, 1492, when the banner of
+Castile first floated from the towers of the Alhambra. To the fatal
+influence of a beautiful woman--Isabel de Solis--may be attributed, in
+great part, the destruction of the Moslem cause. Isabel was the daughter
+of the Governor of Martos, a town of Andalusia to the north-west of
+Granada. In a foray by the Moors she was captured, and became the
+favourite Sultana of Abu-l-hasan, King of Granada. Her Moorish
+appellation is Zoraya--“Morning Star”--in allusion to her surpassing
+loveliness, on account of which Ayeshah, another wife and cousin of
+Abu-l-hasan, became jealous of her rival. This necessarily led to
+dissension; conspiracy was rampant, and the Moorish Court became
+separated into two parties. Of the most powerful families of Granada,
+the Zegris espoused the cause of Ayeshah; while the Beni Cerraj
+(Abencerrages) championed that of the “Morning Star.” In June, 1482,
+Abu-Abdillah (Boabdil), son of Ayeshah, dethroned Abu-l-hasan, his
+father. Thus the Moorish house was divided against itself at the very
+time when Castile and Aragon became united by the marriage of Ferdinand
+and Isabella. On Boabdil’s defeat and capture at Lucena in 1483, the old
+king returned to Granada and was enthroned, but quickly abdicated in
+favour of his brother, Mohammed (XII.), called Ez-zaghal, the Valiant.
+Boabdil, later, was re-instated; but, becoming a mere instrument and
+vassal of Ferdinand, finally surrendered himself and his kingdom to the
+Christian king.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE “CAPTIVE’S” (ISABEL DE SOLIS) TOWER.]
+
+For the true character of Ferdinand consult Shakespeare, who understood
+all things--“who didst the stars and sunbeams know.” He describes
+Ferdinand, by the mouth of our eighth Henry’s ill-fated queen, Katharine
+of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella:
+
+    “....Ferdinand,
+     My father, King of Spain, was reckon’d
+     The _wisest_ prince, that there had reign’d by many
+     A year before: ...”
+
+                                  Henry VIII., Act II.
+
+And of Katharine’s qualities, King Henry, in all things else
+unrelenting, speaks in high terms:
+
+    “....Thou art, alone,--
+     If thy rare qualities, sweet gentleness,
+     Thy meekness saint-like, wife-like government,
+     Obeying in commanding, and thy parts
+     Sovereign and pious else, could speak thee out,--
+     _The queen of earthly queens_.”
+
+                                  Henry VIII., Act II.
+
+As to Queen Isabella, Ford is loud in her praise, regarding her as a
+pearl among women. She died, indeed, far from Granada, but desired to be
+buried here--in the Cathedral of Granada--the bright jewel of her crown.
+Isabella was the Elizabeth of Spain, the most effulgent star of an age
+which produced Ximenez, Columbus, and the Great Captain, all of whom
+rose to full growth under her smile, and withered at her death. She is
+one of the most faultless characters in history, one of the purest
+sovereigns who ever graced or dignified a throne; who, “in all her
+relations of queen, or woman,” was, in the words of Lord Bacon, “an
+honour to her sex, and the corner-stone of the greatness of Spain.” Then
+it was that Spain spread her wings over a wider sweep of empire, and
+extended her name of glory to the far antipodes. Then it was that her
+flag, on which the sun never set, was unfolded to the wonder and terror
+of Europe; while a New World, boundless, and richer than the dreams of
+avarice, was cast into her lap, discovered at the very moment when the
+Old World was becoming too confined for the outgrowth of the awakened
+intellect, enterprise, and ambition of mankind.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+After receiving the keys of the fortress, Ferdinand remained for a few
+days in Granada, having entrusted the custody of the Alhambra to Don
+Inigo Lopez de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla.[6]
+
+[Illustration: THE GOTHIC INSCRIPTION SET UP IN THE ALHAMBRA BY THE
+COUNT OF TENDILLA, TO COMMEMORATE THE SURRENDER OF THE FORTRESS IN
+1492.]
+
+The fact is recorded in a Gothic inscription formerly placed over a
+cistern constructed at the command of that Governor, but now on a wall
+just within the “Gate of Justice.” The letters are incised upon a large
+marble tablet.
+
+[Illustration: THE SURRENDER OF GRANADA BY BOABDIL TO FERDINAND AND
+ISABELLA, JANUARY 2ND, 1492.]
+
+The following is a translation of the inscription:
+
+“The most high, most Catholic, and most powerful lords, Don Fernando and
+Doña Isabel, our King and Queen, conquered by force of arms this Kingdom
+and city of Granada, which, after their highnesses had besieged it in
+person for a considerable time, was surrendered to them by the Moorish
+King, Muley Hasen, together with its Alhambra, and other fortresses, on
+the 2nd day of January, 1492. On the same day their highnesses
+appointed, as Governor and Captain-General of the same, Don Inigo Lopez
+de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla, their vassal, who, on their departure,
+was left in the Alhambra with 500 horse and 1,000 foot; and the Moors
+were ordered to remain in their houses and villages as they were before.
+The Count, by command of their highnesses, caused this cistern to be
+made.”
+
+It will be seen, by the style of the Gothic lettering, that the
+inscription was cut in the last decade of the fifteenth century. Whether
+the count of Tendilla dug the well or only constructed the cistern
+remains a disputable point; it is not important; but what is by no means
+clear is the strange statement that the keys were surrendered by “Muley
+Hasen.” Upon the capture of Boabdil[7] at Lucena by the Count of Cabra,
+he was conducted to Córdova, where he was received with much honour by
+Ferdinand, after the manner, in modern times, of the reception of
+Schamyl at the Court of St. Petersburg. Thereafter, Boabdil became the
+instrument of the Christians, and was allowed to return to Granada,
+where such confusion reigned at this time, that there were always two,
+and sometimes three kings in the Moorish capital of Andalusia. The
+antagonism of old Muley Hasen, his son Boabdil, and the brother of
+Muley, Ez-Zaghal, “the Valiant,” all posing as kings at one time,
+probably hastened the overthrow of the Moorish power.
+
+There is much uncertainty respecting the date of Muley Hasen’s death.
+Some authorities state that when he was dethroned by his son Boabdil,
+“he retired to Malaga.” Others say that the king could not survive the
+misfortunes that his son’s rebellion brought upon the kingdom, and
+“becoming blind and mad, soon afterwards died.” One account gives his
+death as occurring in September, 1484, without, however, adducing
+evidence in support. Is it not just possible then, that when Malaga
+fell, the old king was discovered and rode in Ferdinand’s train, to
+deliver the keys of Granada, as so plainly set forth in the Gothic
+inscription of the Count of Tendilla?
+
+The circumstances which attended the growth of the Spanish nation, and
+the expulsion of the Moor, were necessarily productive of an
+over-zealous spirit--a spirit which is ever the inevitable consequence
+of subjugation in the name of heaven, and under the immediate influence
+of religious feeling. How, then, could it fail to manifest itself in the
+Spaniards, who, only by a war lasting seven centuries, recovered their
+own country from the hands of the Moslem--the bitterest foes of the
+Christian religion--usurpers who justified their violence by retorting
+the opprobrious epithet “Infidels” upon the natives? A contest, so
+fierce and abiding, must have inseparably connected, in the minds of the
+Spaniards, every idea of honour with orthodoxy, and all that is
+discreditable and odious, with dissent from their creed. Small wonder,
+then, need be expressed that the degradation of the Alhambra dates from
+the very day of the Castilian Conquest, on which the removal of Moslem
+symbols commenced. Have we not seen the same principles rampant in
+England at the time of the Reformation, and again, throughout Puritan
+times; although, in our own case, the unreasonable iconoclasts professed
+the same faith?
+
+The grievous vandalism begun by Ferdinand and Isabella was carried on by
+their grandson, Charles V., who despoiled the palace, on an even more
+gigantic scale, of those artistic glories which he looked upon as “the
+ugly abominations of the Moor.” He attempted the impossible: he
+modernized and rebuilt portions of the Alhambra, put up heavy ceilings,
+blocked up old passages, or constructed new, and sought to convert the
+palace of an Oriental sybarite into a residence for a Western monarch.
+All was in vain: the last royal residents were Philip V. and his
+beautiful Queen, Elizabetta of Parma, early in the eighteenth century.
+Although great preparations were made for their reception, the stay of
+the sovereigns was but transient; and, after their departure, the place
+once more became desolate.
+
+During the Peninsular War, when Granada was in the hands of the French,
+the Alhambra was garrisoned by their troops, and the palace was
+occasionally inhabited by the French commander. Washington Irving
+maintains that “with that enlightened taste which has ever distinguished
+the French nation--this monument of Moorish elegance and grandeur was
+rescued from the absolute ruin and desolation that were overwhelming it.
+The roofs were repaired, the saloons and galleries protected from the
+weather, the gardens cultivated, the water-courses restored, the
+fountains once more made to throw up their sparkling showers; and Spain
+may thank her invaders for having preserved to her the most beautiful
+and interesting of her historical monuments.... On the departure of the
+French, _they blew up several towers of the outer wall, and left the
+fortifications untenable_,” &c. This last act may well have been one of
+military exigence; but, on the other hand, Ford entirely disagrees with
+Irving, and asserts, with all the vigour of an extinct species of Tory
+John Bull, that the French are responsible for the most wanton
+destruction perpetrated during their occupancy. Whatever the truth may
+be, we confess to a strong fellow-feeling with the kindly American
+genius who has done so much to retard the decay of the edifice, which is
+still preserved to adorn the land, and attract the curious of every
+clime.
+
+For centuries the antiquities of the Spanish Arabs continued disregarded
+or unknown. Prejudice--that sad inheritance of nations--was, alas! only
+too actively employed in demolishing the work of the polished and
+enlightened people, whose occupation of the Peninsula it was accounted
+piety to efface. It was not until the end of the eighteenth century that
+steps were taken to explore and protect the remains of Moorish monuments
+in Spain; when, in consequence of representations of cultured Spaniards,
+the Government commissioned the Royal Academy of St. Ferdinand to send
+two architects and an officer of Engineers to report upon the condition,
+and make drawings of the Palace of the Alhambra and the Mosque at
+Córdova. The result of their labours was published at Madrid, 1780, in
+an illustrated folio volume entitled _Antigüedades Arabes de España_.
+
+It is only by the union of the graphic art with descriptions that we can
+hope to form an accurate estimate of the high state of excellence to
+which the Mohammedans in Spain attained in the Fine Arts while the rest
+of Europe was overwhelmed with ignorance and barbarism. The coin, for
+instance, represented on the opposite page is of fine gold, and is an
+example of art which would not dishonour a medallist of any epoch. The
+existence of a Royal Mint within the Alhambra may be admitted when we
+learn that the coin was struck by order of the Founder of the Alhambra,
+Mohammed I., surnamed _Al-Ghalib-Billah_--the Conqueror--who reigned in
+Granada from 1232 to 1272 A.D. The coin is one of the most cherished
+possessions in the cabinet of Alfonso XIII., King of Spain, at Madrid.
+
+
+DESCRIPTION.
+
+_Obverse_: Within the square, an Arabic inscription which reads: “_In
+the name of God, the Merciful, the Forgiving. The blessing of God on
+Mohammed and his family. There is no Conqueror but God._” On the
+segments of the circle surrounding the square we read: “_Your God is one
+God. There is no God but He, the Merciful, the Forgiving._”
+
+[Illustration: GOLD COIN (OBVERSE AND REVERSE) OF MOHAMMED I., THE
+FOUNDER OF THE ALHAMBRA, WHO REIGNED 1232-1272 A.D.]
+
+_Reverse._ Within the square: “_There is no God, but God. Mohammed is
+the messenger of God. Al-mahdi, Prince of the people of Granada._” On
+the segments of the circle surrounding the square: “_The Commander of
+the Faithful, Al-Ghalib-Billah, Mohammed, Son of Yúsuf, Son of Nasr,
+whom God prosper_.”
+
+
+
+
+Mohammed, the Founder of the Alhambra.
+
+
+To Mohammed the First, the world is indebted for the beautiful and
+romantic Oriental monument, the Alhambra. This famous monarch was born
+in Arjou in the year of the Hegira 591 (A.D. 1195), of the noble family
+of the Beni Nasr, or children of Nasr, and no pains were spared by his
+parents to fit him for the high station to which the opulence and
+dignity of his family entitled him. When he reached manhood he was
+appointed alcayde, or governor of Arjou and Jaen, and gained great
+popularity by his benignity and justice. Some years afterwards, on the
+death of Abou Hud, the Moorish power in Spain was broken into factions,
+and many places declared for Mohammed. Being of a sanguine spirit and
+lofty ambition, he turned the opportunity to his own purpose, made a
+progress through the country, and was everywhere received with
+acclamations. In the year 1232 he entered Granada, and was proclaimed
+king with every demonstration of joy. Shortly afterwards he became the
+head of the Moslems in Spain, being the second of the illustrious line
+of Beni Nasr to sit upon the throne. His reign was such as to render him
+a blessing to his subjects. He gave the command of his various cities to
+those who had distinguished themselves by valour and prudence, and had
+recommended themselves most acceptable to the people. He erected
+hospitals for the blind, the aged and infirm, and all those incapable of
+labour, visiting the asylums frequently--not on set days, with pomp and
+form, so as to give time for everything to be put in order, and every
+abuse concealed, but suddenly and unexpectedly, informing himself, by
+actual observation and close enquiry, of the treatment of the sick, and
+the conduct of those appointed to administer to their relief. He founded
+schools and colleges, which he visited in the same manner, inspecting
+personally the instruction of youth. He introduced abundant streams of
+water into the city, erecting baths and fountains, and constructing
+aqueducts and canals to irrigate and fertilize the _Vega_. By these
+means prosperity and abundance prevailed in this beautiful city, its
+gates were thronged with commerce, and its warehouses filled with
+luxuries and merchandise of every country.
+
+While Mohammed was ruling his fair dominions thus wisely and
+prosperously, he was suddenly menaced with the horrors of war. The
+Christians, profiting by the dismemberment of the Moslem power, were
+rapidly regaining their ancient territories. James the Conqueror had
+subjected all Valencia, and Ferdinand the Saint was carrying his
+victorious arms into Andalusia. The latter invested the city of Jaen,
+and swore not to strike his camp until he had gained possession of the
+place. Mohammed was conscious of the insufficiency of his means to carry
+on a war with the potent sovereign of Castile. Taking a sudden
+resolution, therefore, he repaired privately to the Christian camp, and
+made his unexpected appearance in the presence of King Ferdinand.
+
+“In me,” said he, “you behold Mohammed, king of Granada. I confide in
+your good faith, and put myself under your protection. Take all I
+possess, and receive me as your vassal.” So saying, he knelt, and kissed
+the king’s hand in token of submission. Ferdinand, touched by this
+instance of confiding faith, determined not to be outdone in generosity.
+He raised his late rival from the earth, and embraced him as a friend,
+leaving him sovereign in Granada, on condition of paying a yearly
+tribute, attending the Cortes as one of the nobles of the empire, and
+serving him in war with a certain number of horsemen.
+
+It was not long after this that Mohammed was called upon for his
+military services, to aid King Ferdinand in the siege of Seville. The
+Moorish king sallied forth with 500 chosen horsemen of Granada, than
+whom none in the world knew better how to manage a steed or wield the
+lance. It was a humiliating service, however, to draw the sword against
+brethren of the faith.
+
+Mohammed gained but a melancholy distinction by his prowess in this
+renowned campaign, but achieved more true honour by the humane methods
+which he prevailed upon Ferdinand to introduce into the usages of war.
+When, in 1428, the famous city of Seville surrendered to the Castilian
+monarch, Mohammed returned sad, and full of care, to his dominions. He
+saw the gathering ills that menaced the Moslem cause, and uttered the
+ejaculation, often used by him in moments of anxiety and trouble: “_Que
+angosta y miserabile seria nuestra vida, sino fuera tan dilatada y
+espaciosa nuestra esperanza!_”--How straitened and wretched would be our
+lives if our hope were not so spacious and extensive!
+
+Sad and dispirited, the conqueror approached his beloved Granada. The
+people thronged the streets with impatient joy: like to another
+Coriolanus, “the dumb men flocked to see him, and the blind to hear him
+speak;” for they loved him as a benefactor. Arches of triumph were
+erected in his honour; and as he passed he was hailed with acclamations
+as _Al Ghalib_, or the Conqueror. Mohammed shook his head when he heard
+the appellation.
+
+“_Wa la ghalib ila Alá!_” exclaimed he--There is no conqueror but God!
+From that time forward he adopted the exclamation as a motto. He
+inscribed it on an oblique band--in heraldry, a Bend--across his
+escutcheon, and it continued to be the motto of his descendants.
+
+Mohammed had purchased peace by submission to the Christians; but he
+knew that where the elements were so discordant, and the motives for
+hostility so deep and ancient, it could not be secure or permanent.
+Acting, therefore, upon an old maxim, “Arm thyself in peace, and clothe
+thyself in Summer,” he improved the interval of tranquillity by
+fortifying his dominions, by replenishing his arsenals, and by promoting
+those useful arts which give wealth and real power to an empire.
+
+[Illustration: “WA LA GHALIB ILA ALÁ!”--THERE IS NO CONQUEROR BUT
+GOD!--THE FAMOUS MOTTO, IN KUFIC CHARACTERS, OF MOHAMMED I. AND HIS
+SUCCESSORS, WHICH IS INSCRIBED ON THE WALLS OF THE ALHAMBRA IN COUNTLESS
+REPETITION.]
+
+He gave premiums and privileges to the best artisans, improved the breed
+of horses and other domestic animals, encouraged husbandry, and
+increased the fertility of the soil two-fold by his protection, making
+the lovely valleys of his kingdom to bloom like gardens. He fostered,
+also, the growth and fabrication of silk, until the looms of Granada
+surpassed even those of Syria in the fineness and beauty of their
+productions. He caused the prolific mines of gold and silver, and other
+metals of the mountainous regions of his dominions, to be diligently
+worked, and was the first King of Granada who, as we have seen, struck
+money with his name, taking great care, moreover, that the coins should
+be skilfully executed.
+
+It was about this time, towards the middle of the thirteenth century,
+and just after his return from the siege of Seville (1248), that
+Mohammed commenced the splendid Palace of the Alhambra, superintending
+the building of it in person, mingling frequently amongst the artists
+and workmen, and directing their labour. He stored the gardens with the
+rarest plants, and with the most beautiful aromatic shrubs and flowers.
+Amid these scenes he delighted in reading histories, or in causing them
+to be related to him; and sometimes, in intervals of leisure, employed
+himself in the instruction of his three sons, for whom he had provided
+the most learned and virtuous masters. Mohammed ever remained loyal to
+Ferdinand, giving him repeated proofs of fidelity and attachment. When
+that renowned monarch died at Seville in 1254, Mohammed sent ambassadors
+to condole with his successor, Alonzo X., and with them a gallant train
+of Moorish cavaliers of distinguished rank to attend the obsequies. This
+grand testimony of respect was repeated by the Moslem monarch during the
+remainder of his life on each anniversary of the death of King Fernando
+el Santo, when a hundred Moorish knights repaired to Seville, and took
+their stations with lighted tapers in the Cathedral, around the tomb of
+the illustrious deceased.
+
+Mohammed retained his vigour to an advanced age. In his seventy-ninth
+year he took the field on horseback, accompanied by the flower of his
+chivalry, to resist an invasion. As the army sallied forth from Granada,
+one of the _adalides_, or guides, who rode in the advance, accidentally
+shivered his lance against the arch of the gate. The counsellors of the
+king, alarmed by the circumstance, which was considered an evil omen,
+entreated him to return. The king persisted, and at noontide the omen,
+say the Moorish chroniclers, was fatally fulfilled. Mohammed was
+suddenly seen to fall from his horse. He was placed on a litter and
+borne towards Granada, but his illness increased to such a degree that
+they were obliged to pitch his tent on the _Vega_. His physicians were
+filled with consternation, and in a few hours he died; the Castilian
+prince, Don Philip, brother of Alonzo X., being by his side when he
+expired. His body was embalmed, enclosed in a silver coffin, and buried
+in the Alhambra, in a sepulchre of precious marble, amidst the unfeigned
+lamentations of his subjects, who bewailed him as a parent.
+
+Such was the enlightened prince who founded the Alhambra, whose name
+remains emblazoned amongst its most delicate and graceful ornaments, and
+whose memory is calculated to inspire the loftiest associations in those
+who tread these fading scenes of his magnificence and glory.
+
+
+
+
+Abu-el-Hejaj (Yúsuf I.), King of Granada, 1333-1354, who completed the
+Alhambra.
+
+
+In the royal Mosque, where the escutcheons of the Moorish kings hang
+side by side with those of the Castilian sovereigns--for the Mosque was,
+after the subjugation, consecrated as a Catholic chapel--perished the
+illustrious Yúsuf Abu-el-Hejaj, the high-minded prince who completed the
+Alhambra, and who, for his virtues and endowments, deserves almost equal
+renown with its magnanimous founder. Washington Irving was, perhaps, the
+first to draw forth, from the obscurity in which it had too long
+remained, the name of another of those princes of a departed and almost
+forgotten race, who reigned in elegance and splendour in Andalusia, when
+all Europe was in comparative barbarism.
+
+To Yúsuf I. the Alhambra owes much of its splendour; he not only
+constructed the _Gate of Justice_ and the _Wine Gate_, leading into the
+Palace, as appears from the inscriptions over their respective archways;
+but he must also have built, or decorated, many of the interior
+apartments, for his name appears frequently in _The Hall of the Two
+Sisters_, in that of the _Baños_, in the _Court of the Fish-pond_, and
+in the _Hall of the Ambassadors_.
+
+Yúsuf ascended the throne of Granada in 1333. He is said to have been of
+noble presence, possessing great bodily strength united to manly beauty.
+He had the courage common to all generous spirits, but his genius
+inclined more to peace than to war; and, though repeatedly obliged to
+take up arms, he was generally unfortunate. Amongst other ill-starred
+enterprises, he undertook a campaign in conjunction with the King of
+Morocco, against Castile and Portugal, but was defeated in the memorable
+battle of Salado; a reverse which nearly proved a death-blow to the
+Moslem power in Spain.
+
+A long truce, after this defeat, enabled Yúsuf to devote himself to the
+instruction and improvement of his people. He established schools in the
+villages, with uniform systems of education; he obliged every hamlet of
+more than twelve houses to have a Mosque, and reformed abuses which had
+crept into the religious ceremonies and festivals of the people. The
+Alhambra was now completed. Yúsuf constructed the beautiful Gate of
+Justice, forming the grand entrance, which he finished in 1348. He
+likewise adorned many of the Courts and Halls of the Palace, as may be
+seen by the inscriptions in which his name repeatedly occurs. He built
+also the Alcázar, or Citadel of Malaga, of which, alas! only crumbling
+traces remain.
+
+[Illustration: THE WINE GATE, ATTRIBUTED TO YÚSUF I.]
+
+The genius of the sovereign stamps a character upon his time. The nobles
+of Granada, emulating the graceful taste of their monarch, filled the
+city with magnificent palaces, the halls of which were adorned with
+mosaics, the ceilings wrought in fretwork, and delicately gilded and
+painted, or inlaid with precious woods; they had lofty towers of wood or
+stone, carved and ornamented, and covered with plates of metal that
+glittered in the sun. So refined was the taste in decoration prevailing
+amongst this elegant people that, to use the simile of an Arabian
+writer, “Granada, in the days of Yúsuf, was as a silver vase filled with
+emeralds and jacynths.”
+
+One anecdote will be sufficient to show the magnanimity of this generous
+prince. The long truce which succeeded the battle of Salado was at an
+end, and every effort of Yúsuf to renew it was in vain. His deadly foe,
+Alonzo XI. of Castile,
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS FROM THE ENTRANCE DOOR, BUILT BY
+YÚSUF I.]
+
+took the field with great force, and laid siege to Gibraltar. Yúsuf
+reluctantly took up arms, and sent troops to the relief of the place;
+when, in the midst of his anxiety, he received tidings that his dreaded
+foe had fallen a victim to the plague. Instead of manifesting
+exultation, Yúsuf called to mind the great qualities of the deceased
+monarch, and was touched with sorrow--“Alas!” cried he, “the world has
+lost one of its most excellent princes; a sovereign who knew how to
+honour merit, whether in friend or foe!” The Spanish chroniclers,
+themselves, bear witness to this magnanimity: according to their
+accounts, the Moorish cavaliers shared the sentiment of their king and
+put on mourning for the death of Alonzo. Even those Moors of Gibraltar,
+which had been so closely invested, when they learned that the hostile
+monarch lay dead in his camp, determined that no aggressive movement
+should be made against the Christians during the observance of his
+obsequies.
+
+[Illustration: THE SULTAN’S BATH, CONSTRUCTED BY YÚSUF I.]
+
+Upon the day on which the camp was broken up, and the army departed
+bearing the corpse of Alonzo, the Moors issued in multitudes from
+Gibraltar, and stood mute and melancholy, watching the mournful pageant.
+The same reverence for the deceased was observed on the frontiers by all
+the Moorish commanders, who suffered the funeral cortège to pass in
+safety with the body of the Christian sovereign, from Gibraltar to
+Seville.
+
+Yúsuf did not long survive the enemy he had so generously deplored. In
+the year 1354, as he was one day at prayer in the royal Mosque of the
+Alhambra, a maniac suddenly rushed upon him and plunged a dagger in his
+side. The cries of the king brought his guards to his assistance: they
+found him in convulsions, weltering in his blood. He was borne to the
+royal apartments, and expired almost immediately. The assassin
+
+[Illustration: COURT OF MYRTLES, OR THE FISH-POND, FORMED BY YÚSUF I.]
+
+was cut to pieces, and his limbs burnt in public, to gratify the fury of
+the populace.
+
+The assassination of Yúsuf is described by an eye-witness in a letter
+addressed to Fárris, Sultán of Western Africa, which is printed by
+Pascual de Gayangos from the chronicle of Al-Makkarí--an elegant Moorish
+writer who flourished towards the end of the sixteenth century:--“As
+Abu-el-hejaj (Yúsuf) was performing the last prostration of his prayer,
+a madman rushed upon him and wounded him with a _khanjar_, or yataghán.
+The assassin was immediately secured. The Sultán, who had been mortally
+wounded, made some signs as if he wished to speak;
+
+[Illustration: THE KORAN RECESS IN THE MOSQUE, THE SCENE OF YÚSUF’S
+ASSASSINATION.]
+
+but, after uttering some unintelligible words, he was carried senseless
+to his apartments, where he shortly died. The assassin, meantime, was
+given up to the infuriated mob, who slew him and burned his body. The
+Sultán was interred within the Alhambra. He left three sons: Mohammed,
+who succeeded him; Isma’íl, and Kays.”
+
+The body of Yúsuf was interred in a superb sepulchre of white marble; a
+long epitaph, in letters of gold upon an azure ground, recorded his
+virtues: “Here lies a king and martyr, of an illustrious line, gentle,
+learned and virtuous; renowned for the graces of his person and his
+manners, whose clemency, piety and benevolence were extolled throughout
+the kingdom of Granada. He was a great prince; an illustrious captain; a
+sharp sword of the Moslems; a valiant standard-bearer amongst the most
+potent monarchs.”
+
+The Mosque, which once resounded with the dying cries of Yúsuf, still
+remains, but the monument which recorded his virtues has long since
+disappeared. His name, however, yet abides among the ornaments of the
+Alhambra, and will be perpetuated in connection with this renowned pile,
+which it was his pride and delight to adorn.
+
+
+
+
+The Towers, Courts, and Halls of the Alhambra.
+
+
+“As an Englishman approaches the Alhambra,” says Ford, “he rubs his
+eyes, for he finds himself in a park of real English elms. Delicious
+green roofs they form, but no more in keeping with the old Moorish
+Palace than Bolton Abbey would be with the Pyramids. But why English?
+Why; because this wood was the present of the Iron Duke, who had the
+estate of Soto de Roma, with its four thousand once pheasant-haunted
+acres given him reluctantly by the grateful Ferdinand VII., and who sent
+out these elms from England.”
+
+The first feeling which strikes a visitor on entering the Alhambra is
+one of amazement to find himself suddenly transported to fairly-land.
+Arches bearing upon pillars so slender that the wonder is they are able
+to sustain the superincumbent weight--the style differing from all
+regular orders of architecture--ceilings and walls incrusted with
+fretwork so minute and intricate that the most patient draughtsman finds
+it difficult to follow. Yet, although the patterns present so great
+variety, the compotent parts are, in their origin, the same; and it is
+by changing the colours and juxtaposition of the several pieces that the
+astonishing diversity is produced. This exquisite Moorish work appears
+to have been accomplished by means of moulds applied successively, the
+continuity of the design being preserved with greatest care. Amidst or
+around the complex forms are constantly disposed Arabic sentences of
+moral and religious tendency, the most oft-repeated homily being, “Wa la
+ghálib ila Alá,” that is, “There is no conqueror but God:” the sentence
+being sometimes enclosed within Cufic characters written twice, and
+forming the words signifying “Grace,” and “Blessing,” the letters so
+curiously interwoven that the text may be read from left to right, and
+from right to left.
+
+
+PUERTA DE JUSTICIA--THE GATE OF JUSTICE.
+
+The Gate of Justice has ever been the principal entrance into the
+fortress. Like all the other towers of the Alhambra, it is built of
+concrete, the jambs of the doorway being of white marble, and the
+elegant horseshoe arch and spandrils of brick.
+
+The Gate of Justice was erected in 1338 by the Sultán Yúsuf, and was so
+called because (in accordance with ancient practice all over the East)
+the Kings of Granada occasionally sat under it to administer justice to
+every class of their subjects. The hand and key, which are seen in
+relievo upon the stone, have given rise to a variety of conjectures,
+more or less plausible.
+
+The quaint open hand, carved over the outer arch, has a talismanic and
+Arabian Nights effect. Some authorities say it typifies the hand of God,
+the symbol of power and providence; others suppose it to be a type of
+the five commandments of Islam--to fast; to give alms; to smite the
+infidel; to make the pilgrimage to Mecca; and to perform purifications.
+But it is, in all likelihood, the old Roman talisman against the Evil
+Eye, such as we see in coral on Neapolitan lockets. The Evil Eye is
+especially dreaded by Orientals, and the Spaniards tremble at its
+influence even now.[8]
+
+Over the inner arch is a sculptured key: there was an old legend
+believed in through the centuries anterior to the Expulsion, that the
+Christians would never take the “red castle” until the outer hand had
+grasped the inner key. It was also agreed that the key was an emblem of
+the Prophet’s power to open the gates of hell or heaven. The truth is,
+that the key was an old Cufic emblem, intimating Allah’s power to open
+the hearts of true believers. It was also a badge on the Almohades’
+banners, and is seen in many Moorish castles.
+
+[Illustration: THE GATE OF JUSTICE, ERECTED BY YÚSUF I.]
+
+Washington Irving says of these strange symbols: “According to
+tradition, the hand and key were magical devices on which the fate of
+the Alhambra depended. The Moorish king who built it was a great
+magician, or, as some believed, had sold himself to the devil, and had
+laid the whole fortress under an evil spell. By this means it had
+remained standing for several hundred years, in defiance of storms and
+earthquakes, whilst almost all other buildings of the Moors had fallen
+to ruin and disappeared. This spell, the tradition went on to say, would
+last until the hand on the outer arch should reach down and grasp the
+key, when the whole pile would tumble to pieces, and all the treasures
+buried beneath it by the Moors would be revealed.”
+
+
+SALA DEL TRIBUNAL--HALL OF JUSTICE.
+
+The Hall of Justice has three court-rooms, or apses, now blazoned with
+the royal Spanish badges of the yoke and the bundle of arrows, familiar
+to us as the badge of Katharine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and
+Isabella, the first queen of our much-married monarch, Henry VIII.
+
+Of the many beautiful arches which adorn the Palace, the one forming the
+entrance to the central alcove, or divan, of the Hall of Justice is
+perhaps the most remarkable; the exquisite form of the arch and
+richly-ornamented spandril with the poetic inscription which encloses
+it--“May power everlasting and imperishable glory be the destiny of the
+owner of this Palace”--and the slender porcelaine columns from which it
+springs, exciting the deepest admiration.
+
+In this Hall are the famous paintings on leather, ascribed to the end of
+the fourteenth century. The painting of a group of Moslems, apparently
+congregated in Council, merits close attention, as giving the veritable
+costume of the Moors in Granada of the fourteenth century, at which
+period the delineations were certainly made, and, in all probability, by
+an Italian artist working under Moslem direction. Other paintings
+portray various chivalrous or amatory subjects; or they may be taken to
+represent romantic episodes as legendary as the story of the Chinese
+lovers on a willow-pattern plate. One scene (see p. 47) represents a
+wicked magician, or wild man of the woods,
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE AND COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+coercing a Christian maiden, who, nevertheless, is holding a docile lion
+by a leading chain; the compliant animal meanwhile permitting domestic
+fowl and other pretty wantons to play undismayed around him. A Christian
+warrior on horseback makes short work of the wild man; but, alas! for
+the maiden, a valiant Moor comes galloping up, at once transfixes the
+Christian rescuer with his spear, and presumably claims the beautiful
+captive as the reward of his prowess. This episode of a Moor killing a
+Christian may be taken as a strong presumption of the paintings being
+wrought under Mohammedan influence, as it appears most unlikely that it
+would have been so represented by a Spaniard after the conquest of
+Granada. Some spectators in the upper chamber of a tower in the
+background seem to heartily approve of the whole proceeding.
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE.]
+
+However fantastic these pictures may be, they are at least unique, and,
+as such, must be regarded with the utmost interest. We may conjecture
+that the painter fell into the hands of the Moors by the fortune of war;
+or, on the other hand, came by invitation to Granada.
+
+Much difference of opinion exists amongst writers who have described the
+Alhambra with respect to these three curious paintings on leather which
+are found in the domes of the alcoves of the Hall of Justice. It is said
+by many that they are not the work of Moorish artists, but were executed
+posterior to the Conquest of Granada by Spanish painters. This opinion
+is founded chiefly on the injunctions contained in the Korán, forbidding
+the representation of animated beings; but that this law was disregarded
+by the builders of the Alhambra is fully proved by the fountain of the
+Court of Lions, and the bas-relief which forms part of a fountain now in
+the Museum of the Palace.
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE, SHOWING FOUNTAIN OF COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+There is evidently much more analogy between these paintings and the
+bas-relief than between them and the works of the Spaniards after the
+Expulsion; witness the bas-reliefs from the royal chapel of Granada,
+built by Ferdinand and Isabella, which represent their entrance into the
+Alhambra, and evidently belong to a later period of Art.
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE AND PART OF COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE.--THREE FIGURES FROM THE PICTURE OF THE
+MOORISH TRIBUNAL.]
+
+The ornaments, moreover, which are introduced into these paintings are
+strictly of a Moorish character.
+
+The subject on the centre alcove is considered by the Spaniards to
+represent a Tribunal, whence they have called this Hall. From the
+different colours of the beards and dresses of the figures, they would
+appear to represent the chiefs of the
+
+[Illustration: PART OF PICTURE IN THE HALL OF JUSTICE REPRESENTING A
+CHRISTIAN KNIGHT RESCUING A MAIDEN FROM A WICKED MAGICIAN, OR
+WILD-MAN-O’-THE-WOODS. THE CHRISTIAN KNIGHT IS, IN TURN, SLAIN BY A
+MOORISH WARRIOR.]
+
+tribes of Granada. One head traced from this picture is given on page
+48.
+
+These paintings are of bright colours, but in flat tints, without
+shadow, and were first drawn in outline of a brown colour. They are
+painted on skins of animals sewn together, and nailed to the wooden
+dome; a fine coating of gypsum forming the surface to receive the
+painting. The ornaments on the gold ground are in relief.
+
+
+PAINTING ON THE CEILING OF THE LEFT ALCOVE.
+
+To determine whether the subject of this picture be legendary or
+historical is difficult. Christians appear to be engaged in hunting the
+lion and the bear, while the Moslems confine their attentions to the
+wild boar. The spoils of the chase are presented at the feet of both
+Christian and Moslem ladies--the humility with which the Christian
+knight, who is upon his knees, offers his share of the spoil to his
+lady, may be contrasted with the more commanding attitude of the Moslem,
+as finely exhibiting the estimation in which women were held by their
+respective nations. Many hounds--one of which has the luck to fall in
+with a stray fox--take part in the
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE.--MOOR’S HEAD.
+
+(_From a tracing by M. Jules Goury, a celebrated French architect, from
+the painting representing a Moorish Tribunal._)]
+
+chase, and the ladies are attended by lap-dogs. The huntsmen are on
+horseback and on foot. When the wild boar is slain, he is hoisted on the
+back of a mule by attendants, and borne triumphantly home. A great
+variety of birds and trees--amid the branches of which monkeys partially
+conceal themselves--make up the various scenes. In spite of the want of
+perspective, there is much spirit in the details, and the female figures
+especially are most graceful.
+
+That these unique relics should be taken from their present
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE, COURT OF THE MOSQUE, BUILT BY YÚSUF I.]
+
+[Illustration: “WA LA GHÁLIB ILA ALÁ!”--THERE IS NO CONQUEROR BUT
+GOD!--THE FAMOUS MOTTO OF MOHAMMED I. AND HIS SUCCESSORS. AN EXAMPLE
+FROM THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF THE ANCIENT GATE OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: 1. SECTION OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE (_looking East_).]
+
+[Illustration: 2. SECTION OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE (_looking towards the
+Court of the Lions_).]
+
+[Illustration: PAINTING ON THE CEILING OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE. No 1.]
+
+[Illustration: PAINTING ON THE CEILING OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: PART OF PICTURE IN THE HALL OF JUSTICE.--THE MOOR’S
+RETURN FROM HUNTING.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE--THE DEATH OF THE LION AT THE HANDS OF A
+CHRISTIAN KNIGHT.]
+
+[Illustration: PART OF PICTURE IN HALL OF JUSTICE.--MOORISH HUNTSMAN
+SLAYING THE WILD BOAR.]
+
+position and preserved under glass, is a consummation devoutly to be
+wished.
+
+
+LAS DOS HERMANAS--THE TWO SISTERS.
+
+Perhaps the most interesting, as it certainly is the loveliest apartment
+in this palace of enchantment, is the HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, a title,
+the guide books would fain have us believe,
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM THE COURT OF
+THE LIONS.]
+
+conferred by reason of two enormous slabs of white marble laid in the
+pavement, precisely alike in form, and without flaw or stain; but the
+surpassing splendour of this chamber forbids us to accept a reason so
+inadequate for the designation. There is nothing so very extraordinary
+in two huge blocks of stone, be they never so faultless; that is only a
+matter of quarrying: if such objects are to excite wonder, we may turn,
+with more profit, to the Pyramids of Egypt. Let us rather concern
+ourselves with the beauty and symmetry of this unequalled spot.
+
+First, then, the gate of the tower exceeds all other gates in
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM ENTRANCE DOOR.]
+
+profusion of ornament, and in the beauty of the prospect from the
+entrance through a range of apartments, where a multitude of arches
+terminate in a large window affording a view of open country. In
+sunshine, the variety of tints thrown upon this _enfilade_ are
+surprisingly beautiful. In all probability the Hall of The Two Sisters
+formed part of the private apartments of the Moorish kings. The alcoves,
+or divans, on either side of the Hall, with the charming retiring rooms
+on the upper floor, give it the character of a residence; just as the
+Hall of Ambassadors, as its aspect shows, and its traditional name
+implies, was destined only for public receptions. It may reasonably be
+declared that the Hall of The Two Sisters, together with the corridors
+and alcoves which surround it, cannot be equalled even by other parts of
+the Palace. Its stalactite ceilings are the most perfect examples
+remaining of this curious and interesting kind of decoration. To
+preserve them, the outer walls are raised ten feet above the dome, and
+support an encasing roof over all. Nothing can exceed the glory of the
+honeycomb vaultings, with thousands of fantastic cell formations, each
+one differing from the other, yet all combining in uniformity. The
+effect
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+is as if the architect had been assisted in his work by swarms of
+Brobdingnagian bees.
+
+At the upper end of the Hall of The Two Sisters, but separated from it
+by a corridor, is an alcove, once overlooking a beautiful garden, as we
+learn from a verse in the room. It is known as The _Mirador_ or Balcony
+of “Lindaraja.” On this favoured spot the poets, painters, and
+architects of that day lavished their most exalted efforts. All the
+varieties of form and colour which adorn other portions of the Palace
+have here been blended with the happiest effect. The delighted observer
+is spell-bound, and finds it difficult to remove himself from the
+fascination of the place.
+
+The lattice window of the upper story gives light to a corridor leading
+to apartments appropriated to the fair odalisques. It was through these
+lattices that the beauties of the hareem viewed
+
+[Illustration: UPPER BALCONY OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+the splendid fêtes enacted for their entertainment in the great hall
+below, but in which they could participate only as distant spectators.
+These gratings are precisely similar in their construction to those
+which are now seen in the hareems of the East.
+
+The long series of inscriptions in the Hall of The Two Sisters were much
+mutilated, and in some cases utterly destroyed, in a barbarous attempt
+at decoration--_rien n’est sacré pour un sapeur_--made by the
+Ayuntamiento of Granada in 1832, when the Infante, Don Francisco de
+Paula visited the city. Fortunately, so far as the text goes, the
+sentences may be found in _Antigüedades Arabes de España_.[9] The
+greatest pains have been expended upon the inscriptions which address
+themselves to the eye of the connoisseur by the beautiful forms of the
+characters; exercise his intellect by the effort of deciphering their
+curious and
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, FROM THE “LINDARAJA” BALCONY.]
+
+complex involutions, and reward his imagination by the beauty of the
+sentiments and the music of their composition.
+
+Many will be grateful to see some specimens of the verses from the Hall
+of The Two Sisters:--
+
+“I am the garden, and every morn am I revealed in new beauty. Observe
+attentively how I am adorn’d, and thou wilt reap the benefit of a
+commentary on decoration;
+
+“For, by Allah! the elegant structures around me assuredly surpass all
+other edifices by the happy presage attending their foundation.
+
+“How many delightful prospects I enfold! Prospects, in the contemplation
+of which a mind enlightened finds the gratification of its desire.
+
+“Look upon this wonderful cupola, at sight of whose perfection all other
+domes must pale and disappear;
+
+“To which the Constellation of the Twins extends the hand of salutation;
+and, for communion, the Full Moon deserts her station in the heavens.
+
+“Nay, more; were they to take these aisles for their abiding place,
+those heavenly bodies would render constant homage to their beauty.
+
+“No wonder, then, if the stars grow pale in their high stations, and if
+a limit be put to the duration of their light.
+
+“Here also behold the portico, unfolding every beauty. Indeed, had this
+palace no other ornament, it would still surpass the firmament in
+splendour:
+
+“For manifold are the gorgeous habilaments in which thou, O Sultán! hast
+arrayed it, surpassing in brilliancy the lustrous robes of Yemen!
+
+“To look at them, one would imagine them to be planets revolving in
+their orbits, and throwing into shade the sunburst of morning.
+
+“Here are columns ornamented to absolute perfection; the beauty of which
+has become glorified: columns
+
+[Illustration: BALCONY OF THE FAVOURITE, “LINDARAJA.”]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE GLAZED TILES IN THE DADO OF THE HALL OF
+THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+“Which, when struck by the earliest beam celestial, may be likened,
+notwithstanding their vastness, to many blocks of pearl.
+
+“Indeed, there is no palace more imposing in its elevation, nor so
+brilliantly decorated; nor having more extensive apartments;
+
+“They may be compared to markets where the richest comers are overpaid
+in beauty, and where the arbiter of elegance presides eternally to
+pronounce his award;
+
+“And where the sigh of the zephyr is inhaled by the noontide ray whose
+scintillating beam is more refulgent than all other light.
+
+“Between myself and the most high fortune the closest relationship
+exists, and the greatest resemblance between us lies in the splendour of
+our destiny.
+
+“Every art has laid its gifts upon me; nay, all have united in
+conferring perfection.
+
+“By those who are permitted to behold me I am regarded as the Queen of
+Beauty who bestoweth the prize upon her well-beloved;
+
+“Indeed, when the enraptured observer has feasted his eyes upon me, he
+will find reality surpassing the most extravagant flights of fancy;
+
+“He will see the moon-beam start from my orbs, and its scintillation
+leave me only to enter the mansions of the blest.
+
+“The palace is a palace of transparent crystal; it appears to be
+illimitable as the boundless ocean;
+
+“And yet I am not the sole marvel of this heaven upon earth; for I
+overlook with ecstacy a garden, the like of which no human eye has
+contemplated.
+
+“I was built by the Imam Ibn Nasr. May Allah uphold his majesty as a
+pattern to other kings!”
+
+The last half-dozen verses, printed _supra_, are inscribed on the jambs
+of the doorway which gives entrance to the exquisite little chamber
+already described. The windows of the _Mirador_ still overlook the
+garden eulogised in the penultimate verse. The dado of the Hall of The
+Two Sisters is a most beautiful Mosaic, presenting the same general form
+on all four sides of the Hall, but differing considerably in the filling
+up of the patterns.
+
+[Illustration: THE FAVOURITE’S BALCONY.]
+
+In the Hall of The Two Sisters formerly stood the famous Arab vase (_el
+jarro_) [see pp. 77 and 95] which tradition says was discovered in one
+of the subterranean chambers of the palace, “full of gold.” It is now
+placed in the Museum. The vase is of the fourteenth century, and is
+exquisitely enamelled in white, blue and gold. The decorations are
+Hispano-Moresque, and are fully described in the work on pottery by
+Peter Davillier. Another lovely amphora, is engraved in the Spanish work
+_Antigüedades Arabes de España_,[10] the equal, indeed, the companion
+
+[Illustration: EL JARRO. THE ARABIAN VASE AND NICHE IN WHICH IT FORMERLY
+STOOD, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS. THE VASE, CONSIDERABLY MUTILATED, IS NOW
+IN THE MUSEUM OF THE PALACE. (_See p. 95._)]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: VIEW IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAIL OF THE UPPER STORY, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS, AND]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION OF PART OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: INSCRIPTION IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: PANEL, ORNAMENT, AND INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF THE TWO
+SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS ON THE FRONT OF “LINDARAJA’S” BALCONY.]
+
+[Illustration: EL JARRO. ARAB VASE OF METALLIC LUSTRE, PROBABLY FROM THE
+BALEARIC ISLES (MAJORCA). THIS VASE NOW STANDS IN THE MUSEUM OF THE
+PALACE.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE I.
+
+No. 1.
+
+Ornament in panels on the Walls, Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE II.
+
+No. 2.
+
+Soffit of an arch, Court of the Fishpond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE III.
+
+No. 3.
+
+Ornament over doorway at the entrance, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE IV.
+
+No. 4.
+
+Ornament in doorway at the entrance to the Ventana, Hall of the Two
+Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE V.
+
+No. 5.
+
+Ornament on the side of windows, upper story, Hall of the Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE VI.
+
+No. 6.
+
+Ornament in spandrils of arches, Hall of the Two Sisters.
+
+No. 7.
+
+Ornaments in spandrils of arches, Hall of the Abencerrages]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE VII.
+
+No. 8.
+
+Ornaments in panels, Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE VIII.
+
+No. 9.
+
+Ornaments in panels, Court of the Mosque.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS AT THE EXIT OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+to _el jarro_, formerly existed in the Palace, but it was unfortunately
+broken about the year 1837, and the pieces sold to a passing traveller.
+It is here figured from Murphy’s _Arabian Antiquities_, 1815.
+
+[Illustration: AN ARAB VASE OF THE XIVTH CENTURY IN THE NICHE WHEREIN IT
+STOOD UNTIL THE YEAR 1837.]
+
+The Hall of The Two Sisters fairly intoxicates one with the fragile yet
+imperishable beauty of the place. The eye soars upward, and flutters in
+and out of those flower-cup cells which seem the first creative types of
+some fresh world. Architects--Owen Jones amongst the number--inform us
+that the thing is very simple: it is a beauty put together by mere
+receipt proceeding from three primary figures--the right-angled
+triangle, the rectangle, and the isosceles triangle: capable of millions
+of combinations, just like the three primary colours, or the seven notes
+of the musical scale. “A simple receipt,” says an anonymous writer on
+the glories of the Alhambra; “but who, nowadays,
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE TWO
+SISTERS.]
+
+can cook anything like it?” The same writer goes on to say that in
+devising the Alhambra, the Moors were always thinking of the Arab tent.
+They wanted air and lightness. The marble pillars are the tent spears,
+but of stone. The net-work lace veil that filigrees every wall with
+cobwebs of harmonious colour, is the old tent tapestry, the
+Córdovan-stamped leather hangings are the Indian shawls that canopied
+the wandering and victorious horseman’s tent. They wanted mere pendant
+flowers woven together into roof and gossamer-pierced panels that
+hardly
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO OF RECESS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+arrest the air. Everything must float and sway; they would not bar out
+the chirp of the dripping silver water. They thinned and shaved the
+pillars till they were no longer cylinders of marble, but tender
+saplings, or flower-stalks, slender as spear-shafts. The spandrils are
+not corbelled beams, faced with gargoyle monsters, but perforated
+supports as to some fairy’s cabinet. There is nothing to hold up, only
+ivory-patterned walls, and a honeycombed dome that seems to float in
+mid-air.
+
+
+HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.
+
+Here it is said that thirty-six cavaliers of the heroic line of
+Abencerrage were sacrificed to appease the jealousy or allay the fears
+of a tyrant. The fountain ran red with the noblest blood of Granada; and
+a deep stain on the marble pavement is pointed out by the _cicerone_ of
+the pile as a sanguinary record of the massacre. The discolourations
+must be regarded with the same perfect faith with which one looks upon
+the traditional stains of Rizzio’s blood on the floor of the chamber of
+the unhappy Queen Mary at Holyrood. Who desires to be sceptical on such
+points of popular belief? The enlightenment of the happy reader of De
+Foe’s immortal romance--happy in the masterly illusion of the
+author--robbed him of one of the chief delights of his life. If there is
+any country in Europe where it is easy to live in the romantic and
+fabulous traditions of the past, it is in legendary, proud-spirited,
+romantic Spain, where the old, magnificent, barbaric spirit even now
+contends with modern innovation.
+
+In the silent halls of the Alhambra, surrounded with the insignia of
+regal sway, and vivid with traces of Oriental voluptuousness, everything
+speaks and breathes of the glorious days of Granada when under the
+dominion of the Crescent. In the proudest days of Moslem domination,
+the Abencerrages were the soul of everything noble and chivalrous. The
+veterans of the family, who sat in the royal Council, were the foremost
+to devise those heroic enterprises which carried dismay into the
+territories of the Christian; and what the sages of the family devised,
+the young men of the name were prompt to execute. In all services of
+hazard, in all adventurous forays, the Abencerrages were sure to win the
+brightest laurels. In those noble recreations, too, which bear so close
+an affinity to war, still the Abencerrages carried off the palm. None
+could equal them in splendour of array, in gallantry of device, or in
+their noble bearing and glorious horsemanship. Their open-handed
+munificence made them the idols of the populace, while their lofty
+magnanimity and perfect faith gained them golden opinions from the
+generous and high-minded; the “word of an Abencerrage” was a guarantee
+that never admitted doubt.
+
+The main facts connected with the fate of the chieftains of that
+generous but devoted race seem to have been ascertained, leaving little
+doubt of this hall having been the scene of their calamitous end. Alas!
+that boudoirs made for love and life should witness scenes of hatred and
+of death; and let none presume to “peep and botanize” over-much, for
+nothing is more certain than that heroic blood can never be effaced,
+still less if shed in most unnatural murder. Nor, according to Lady
+Macbeth, will “all the perfumes of Arabia” serve to sweeten the foul
+deed. The blood at least is genuine to all intentions of romance as that
+of “the gentle Lutenist” at Holyrood, or of Becket at the shrine of
+Canterbury. It behoves us to beware of those dull people who, deprived
+of imagination, pretend to judgment; and who would abolish the midsummer
+fairies, or proscribe old Æsop; there is no faith in them.
+
+All who visit the Alhambra are sure to make for the fountain
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES (BENI CERRAJ).]
+
+where the Abencerrages were beheaded, the more credulous looking with
+interest upon the natural reddish-brown veins of the marble, which are
+supposed to be indelible blood-stains. It is said that Boabdil resolved
+upon the extirpation of the noble family of the Abencerrages in
+consequence of the alleged discovery of an intrigue, including a false
+charge of infidelity against his gentle queen, and directed the
+decapitation of thirty-six of
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC--HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+them in this Hall. The story has passed into ballads, dramas, and
+romances, until it has grown too strong to be eradicated. Boabdil,
+however, was of a mild and amiable character, if wavering and
+irresolute; and too gracious to have ordered so inhuman a massacre as
+the execution of thirty-six of not only a gallant, but a powerful and
+numerous family, with many friends. The truth is, it was Boabdil’s
+father, Muley-Abu-l-Hasen, represented by both Christian and Arabian
+chroniclers as of a cruel and ferocious nature, who unjustly put to
+death some cavaliers of the illustrious line upon suspicion of their
+being engaged in a conspiracy to dispossess him.
+
+It so happens that the fame of Boabdil the Unlucky can be cleared of
+such infamy as the wholesale massacre of the Abencerrages through direct
+evidence afforded by a contemporary Hispano-Moresque ballad, “_Ay de mi
+Alhama!_” written in 1482, and which Lord Byron has made familiar by his
+version, “_A very mournful Ballad on the siege and conquest of Alhama._”
+
+The fact that Muley-Abu-l-Hasen in vain invested the castle and town of
+Alhama[11] after its capture by the Marquis of Cadiz, and the direct
+reference in the ballad to its loss, ascribed to the wrath of Allah at
+the wickedness of the King, clearly exonerates Boabdil from the crime of
+his father.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+    “By thee were slain, in evil hour,
+     The Abencerrage, Granada’s flower;
+     And strangers were received by thee
+     Of Córdova the Chivalry.
+                 Woe is me, Alhama!
+
+    “And for this, oh king! is sent
+     On thee a double chastisement:
+     Thee and thine, thy crown and realm,
+     One last wreck shall overwhelm.
+                  Woe is me, Alhama!”
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With the loss of the two “Keys” to Granada--Loja and Alhama--both being
+forthwith heavily garrisoned by the
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN DOOR, HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE IX.
+
+No. 10.
+
+Ornament over arches at the entrance to the Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE X.
+
+No. 11.
+
+Ornament on the walls, Hall of the Abencerrages.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XI.
+
+No. 12.
+
+Ornament in panels on the walls, Court of the Mosque.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XII.
+
+No. 13.
+
+Spandril of an arch of window, Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XIII.
+
+No. 14.
+
+Brackets supporting ceiling of the portico, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XIV.
+
+No. 15.
+
+Small panel in jamb of a window, Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XV.
+
+No. 16.
+
+Small panel in jamb of a window, Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XVI.
+
+No. 17.
+
+Small panel in jamb of a window, Hall of the Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR VIEW, TAKEN FROM THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+[Illustration: CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE ABENCERRAGES.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC, FROM A FRAGMENT IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC, NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: CHIEF GATE OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XVII.
+
+No. 18.
+
+Panel in the upper chamber of the House of Sanchez.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XVIII.
+
+No. 19.
+
+Soffit of great arch at the entrance of the Court of the Fishpond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XIX.
+
+No. 20.
+
+Spandril from niche of doorway at the entrance of the Hall of
+Ambassadors, from the Sala de la Barca.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XX.
+
+No. 21.
+
+Lintel of a doorway, Court of the Mosque.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXI.
+
+No. 22.
+
+No. 23.
+
+Capital of Columns, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXII.
+
+No. 24.
+
+No. 25.
+
+Capital of Columns, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXIII.
+
+No. 26.
+
+NO. 27.
+
+Capital of Columns, Court of Fishpond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXIV.
+
+No. 28.
+
+No. 29.
+
+No. 30.
+
+No. 31.
+
+No. 32.
+
+No. 33.
+
+Ornament on the Walls of the windows of “Lindaraja’s” Balcony.]
+
+[Illustration: TRANSVERSAL SECTION OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION SHOWING HEIGHTS]
+
+[Illustration: OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF THE “WINE GATE.”]
+
+[Illustration: THE GATE OF JUDGMENT.]
+
+[Illustration: PORCH OF THE GATE OF JUDGMENT.]
+
+[Illustration: A SECTION OF THE GATE OF JUDGMENT.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: VIEW OF THE ACQUEDUCT, NEAR THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXV.
+
+Details of an Arch, Portico of the Court of Lions.
+
+Spandril of the opposite side of Arch.
+
+No. 34.
+
+Court of The Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXVI.
+
+No. 35.
+
+Capitals in the Hall of Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXVII.
+
+Section on the line A.B.
+
+Plan of the Pendants in the Angle.
+
+No. 36.
+
+Details of the Great Arches in the Hall of the Bark.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXVIII.
+
+No. 37.
+
+4, 5. Arches, Court of The Lions.
+
+1, 2, 3, 6. Arches, Hall of Justice.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXIX.
+
+No. 38.
+
+Details of The Great Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXX.
+
+No. 39.
+
+1. Hall of Ambassadors.
+
+2. Court of The Fish Pond.
+
+3. Hall of The Bark.
+
+4. Hall of The Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXI.
+
+No. 40.
+
+Detail of an Arch, Court of The Fish Pond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXII.
+
+No. 41.
+
+Detail of an Arch, Portico of The Court of Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: A VIEW OF THE ALHAMBRA FROM THE ALBAYCIN.]
+
+[Illustration: GATE OF JUSTICE.]
+
+Christians, the reduction of the last stronghold of the Moors became
+only a question of time. As we know, the surrender of Granada took place
+within four years after the fall of Loja.
+
+But it is not the history of the Dominion and Expulsion, so much as the
+description of the Hall of the Abencerrages, that demands attention at
+present.
+
+After the glories of the _Sala de las Dos Hermanas_, the Hall of the
+Abencerrages, elegant as it is, pales somewhat in interest. There are
+but few inscriptions here. It has been repeatedly “restored,” and much
+of the ornament which decorates the walls seems to have been transferred
+from the Hall of The Two Sisters. The arches, however, appear in their
+original state, and are most beautiful in general form, as in their
+surface decoration. The manner in which the arch-form gradually grows
+out from the shaft of the column is exquisite. In the centre of the Hall
+is the famous “Fountain,” with the waters of which the blood of the
+Abencerrage chieftains is said to have mingled.
+
+The beautiful wooden doors to the Hall of the Abencerrages existed in
+their places, and in perfect condition till the summer of 1837, when
+they were removed and sawn in halves by the then resident Governor of
+the Alhambra for the purpose of stopping a gap in another part of the
+Palace; and, as they proved too large for the openings to which they
+were applied, the superfluous parts were broken up for firewood!
+
+The doors are of white wood, with similar mouldings and ornaments on
+either side; the decorations were originally in colour, traces of which
+may still be discovered. The folding doors are hung on pivots, which are
+let into the socket of a marble slab below, and above into the soffit of
+a beam which crosses the colonnade of the Court of the Lions. This
+method of hanging the doors is precisely similar to that adopted in
+ancient temples, and is still practised throughout the East. The manner
+in which the bolt secures, at the same time, both flaps of the larger
+doors and the wicket, is full of ingenuity.
+
+Don Rafaél Contreras caused these doors, or what remained of them, to be
+replaced in the position for which they were originally intended. He
+found the fragments amid the lumber of the palace! His own words are:
+“Nous l’avons restaurée en 1856, l’ayant trouvé _brisée en quatre
+morceaux, abandonnée dans les magasins du palais_”--They were found,
+broken into four pieces, in the lumber rooms of the palace.
+
+
+PATIO DE LA ALBERCA--THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+This Court was called in former times _Patio de los Arrayanes_--the
+Court of the Myrtles--by reason of its beautiful flowering shrubs which
+gem either side of the Fishpond; trim myrtle hedges, and orange trees
+rising beside the water.
+
+To enter the Court of the Fish-pond is to be straightway translated to
+the palace of Haroun-al-raschid: Granada changes to Damascus. The
+Moorish arches, springing from slender palm-tree shafts, are of
+bewildering beauty; the walls, no longer forbidding blocks of stone, but
+pierced trellises, that turn sunlight and moonlight into patterns
+resembling so much Venetian filigree. “Surely they are needle-work
+turned to stone,” says a traveller of long ago; “or some great Sultán
+has built them with panels cut from caskets of Indian ivory, though the
+piecing be not seen. The myrtles grow green and glossy round the great
+marble tank, 150 feet long, which flows with mellow water, in which
+burnished fish--some apparently red-hot, others of molten silver--steer,
+flirt, skim, and splash. Never stop to think that the dry, whity-brown,
+tubular-tiled, sloping roofs
+
+[Illustration: NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF AN ALCOVE IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF THE ARCADE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF
+THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION THROUGH PART OF THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND]
+
+[Illustration: AND THE HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: THE BATHS, HALL OF REPOSE.]
+
+EXPLANATION OF THE LETTERS OF REFERENCE IN THIS PLATE.
+
+     A A A. Entrances to the quarter of the Palace containing the baths.
+
+     B B B B B B. Passages communicating with the different apartments
+     and baths.
+
+     C C. Apartments, looking into.
+
+     D D. A Court with a fountain in its centre.
+
+     E E Baths and dressing-rooms.
+
+     F F F. Warm baths.
+
+     G G G. The place where the water was heated. The copper vessels
+     anciently employed for this purpose were sold many years ago by the
+     then Governor of the Alhambra for the sum of 14,000 reals, about
+     £350 sterling. From these coppers, the warm water was conducted
+     between the walls to the different baths by means of pipes
+     communicating with them, and which are distinctly shown by the
+     white line.
+
+     I I I I I I. Other baths and apartments. The lines _a_ _a_ _a_ _a_
+     _a_ _a_ _a_ _a_ _a_ _a_ _a_ designate steps by which the bathers
+     descended into the water.
+
+     K. The great Hall of the Baths.
+
+[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF THE BATHS IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION OF THE HALL OF THE BATHS.]
+
+[Illustration: A SECTION OF THE BATHS IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: THE SULTÁNA’S BATH.]
+
+[Illustration: THE SULTÁN’S BATH.]
+
+[Illustration: THE HALL OF THE BATHS.]
+
+[Illustration: CEILING OF THE HALL OF THE BATHS.]
+
+[Illustration: LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH THE BATHS.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXIII.
+
+No. 42.
+
+Cornice to the roof, Court of The Mosque.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXIV.
+
+No. 43.
+
+Divan, Court of The Fish Pond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXV.
+
+No. 44.
+
+Actual state of the Colours.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXVI.
+
+No. 45.
+
+Windows in the Alcove, Hall of The Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXVII.
+
+No. 46.
+
+The Vase.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXVIII.
+
+No. 47.
+
+Details of one of the Arches, Hall of Justice.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XXXIX.
+
+No. 48.
+
+Details of the Arches, Hall of the Abencerrages.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XL.
+
+No. 49.
+
+Centre Painting on the Ceiling, Hall of Justice.]
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+[Illustration: GALLERY, THE COURT OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR,
+OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+[Illustration: COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+ought to be flat, and are not now Moorish; do not pause to imagine the
+pierced marble balustrade that once walled-in this bathing-place of the
+dark-skinned people; nor picture glowing Bathsebas--Rubens’ group of
+floating, and laughing Sultánas, with female black slaves watching their
+gambols from under the shady portico. Air and water are the perpetual
+treasures of this place, and I tasted them both gratefully as I strode
+under the pointed arches, away from the burning lashes of the sun that
+drove me under cover.”
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+The transverse section of the Court, looking towards the palace of
+Charles V. (see p. 356), forms a beautiful arcade: the slender columns
+which support the arches would appear unequal to their superincumbent
+weight were not the spandrils lightened by perforations. The
+construction of these arches is remarkable for its simplicity. Over the
+columns, which are of white marble, are built brick piers, and the
+spandrils of the arches are filled in with tiles placed diagonally. To
+these are attached perforated plaster ornaments, which give a
+singularly light and elegant appearance to the arches, and at the same
+time, by freely admitting currents of air, distribute a delicious
+coolness through the Courts.
+
+It will be observed that the ornaments in plaster, with which the walls
+of the Court of the Fish-pond are covered, are in a better state of
+preservation than similar decorations in other parts of the Palace.
+
+The windows over the entrance doorway are formed of ribs of plaster, and
+it is thought that these were once filled with stained glass. No traces
+of such glazing can now be discovered; the conjecture seems to have
+arisen from the fact that a wall here, next the Hall of Ambassadors, has
+similar blank windows in which small spaces are painted of various
+colours. Between the windows, and at the angles, are four escutcheons of
+the Kings of Granada with the oft-repeated motto: “There is no Conqueror
+but God;” the whole being enclosed within a cipher, formed by the word
+signifying “Grace” written twice in Cufic characters, and so interwoven
+that it may be read from right to left, and from left to right. On the
+ribs of the window is the word signifying “Blessing,” in Cufic
+characters, with this peculiarity, that the first two letters are
+enclosed within a cipher formed by the two last. This device also is so
+ingeniously written that the word may be read both ways. On six
+escutcheons, at the sides, the word signifying “Blessing” is treated in
+the same skilful manner.
+
+Immediately over the Mosaic under the gallery is an inscription of
+twelve verses in African characters, full of Oriental hyperbole, but
+perhaps inferior in composition to those already selected from the Hall
+of The Two Sisters.
+
+Under the galleries, at the north and south ends of the Court, are four
+recesses, profusely ornamented, elaborate, and
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+beautiful; well preserved, and retaining much of their original colour.
+
+From amongst the inscriptions of the Court of the Fish-pond it may be
+permitted to print two or three:
+
+“Go and tell true believers that Divine help and ready victory are
+reserved for them. (From the sixty-first chapter of the Koràn).
+
+“I am like the nuptial array of a bride, endowed with every beauty and
+perfection.
+
+“Truly, Ibn Nasr is the sun, shining in splendour;
+
+“May he continue in the noon-tide of his glory even unto the period of
+his decline.”
+
+[Illustration: GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND; OR, OF THE
+MYRTLES.]
+
+In the Court of the Fish-pond is an arch which differs in character from
+all others existing in the Alhambra: it has the peculiarity of
+presenting one surface only of decoration, with a principal or guiding
+figure made out by colours. The ornaments bear a much nearer resemblance
+to natural forms than in other parts of the Palace; and the whole arch
+has more of the Persian character of decoration.
+
+
+PATIO DE LOS LEONES--THE COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+“From the lower end of the Court of the Alberca,” says Irving, “we
+passed through a Moorish archway into the renowned Court of Lions.
+There is no part of the edifice that
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+gives a more complete idea of its original beauty and magnificence, for
+not any portion has suffered so little from the ravages of time. In the
+centre stands the fountain famous in song and story. The alabaster
+basins still shed their diamond drops; and the twelve lions which
+support them cast forth their crystal streams as in the days of Boabdil.
+When one looks upon the fairy tracery of the peristyles, and the
+apparently fragile fret-work of the walls, it is difficult to believe
+that so much has survived the wear and tear of centuries, the shocks of
+earthquake, the violence of war, and the quiet, though no less baneful,
+pilferings of the tasteful traveller: it is almost sufficient to excuse
+the popular tradition, that the whole is protected by a magic charm.”
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC, SOUTH SIDE OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+The Court of the Lions, takes its name from the fountain in the centre
+supported by twelve sculptured lions. The Court is a parallelogram of
+100 feet by 50 feet, and is surrounded by a portico, with small
+pavilions at either end. The portico and pavilions consist of 128
+columns, supporting arches of the most delicate and elaborate
+construction, which still retain much of their original beauty. The
+irregularity in the arrangement of the
+
+[Illustration: FOUNTAIN AND EAST TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+columns, which are placed sometimes singly, and sometimes in pairs, does
+not detract from the general harmony; but, on the contrary, a charming
+effect is produced by this capricious departure from uniformity. The
+capitals, though similar in outline, offer a great variety in their
+foliage; and though the same design is more than once repeated in this
+Court, no attempt appears to have been made towards a symmetrical
+arrangement.
+
+The ceiling of the portico is decorated in the most complex manner, the
+stucco being laid on with inimitable delicacy--it is so cunningly
+handled as to exceed belief.
+
+The walls are covered, to a height of five feet, with tiles of blue and
+yellow chequy, with a border of small escutcheons enamelled blue and
+gold, bearing an Arabic motto on a Bend.
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+About each arch is arabesque work, surrounded with a rim of characters,
+consisting, for the most part, of verses from the Koràn. Unhappily, a
+modern roof of red tiles disfigures this beautiful Court, which is the
+most highly-prized fountain-court in the Palace.
+
+In the centre of the Court are the twelve marble lions, conventionally
+treated. Supported on the backs of the animals is the beautiful basin of
+the fountain--in form, a dodecagon--out of which rises a lesser basin. A
+large volume of water falling into
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+the basins, once issued from the mouths of the lions to a large
+reservoir, whence it was conveyed to the apartments of the Palace.
+Notwithstanding that these lions exhibit the want of development in the
+art of sculpture amongst the Arabs, they yet possess a spirited, if
+primitive, grace.
+
+The inscription around the basin has been variously given: the rendering
+of Pascual de Gayángos is regarded as the most
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: FOUNTAIN IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+authoritative. The verses, which may, perhaps, consist of twelve or so,
+are couched in the usual double-shotted language of the Oriental. Two or
+three are subjoined:
+
+“Blessed be He who gave the Imam Mohammed a mansion which in beauty
+excels all other mansions.
+
+“Look at this solid mass of pearl glistening all around, which falls
+within a circle of silvery froth, and then flows amidst translucent
+jewels of surpassing loveliness; exceeding the marble in whiteness, and
+the alabaster in transparency.
+
+“O thou who beholdest these lions couching, fear not; _life is wanting
+to enable them to show their fury_.”
+
+The salutary warning here given irresistibly reminds one of “the
+shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort” with whom the mad spirit,
+Robin Goodfellow, made such frolic--the immortal
+
+[Illustration: A LITTLE TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: A PEEP INTO THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+Athenian weaver, who opines--“To bring in--God shield us!--a lion among
+ladies is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful
+wild-fowl than your lion living.” Yet the admonition may not have been
+altogether superfluous amongst the beauties of the hareem, who seldom
+contemplated graven images. It must not be forgotten, moreover, that the
+Mohammedans of Spain were somewhat lax in the matter of obedience to
+certain precepts of the Koràn.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLI.
+
+Centre Ornament of the Window.
+
+Dado.
+
+Dado.
+
+Pilaster.
+
+Pilasters.
+
+No. 50.
+
+Mosaic Dado in centre window on the N. side, Hall of Ambassadors.
+
+The recess or divan containing these beautiful Mosaics was, doubtless,
+the throne of the Moorish kings. The Mosaics are as perfect as when
+originally executed, and seem, indeed, to be imperishable. They are
+formed of baked clay squeezed into moulds of the different figures,
+glazed on the surface.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLII.
+
+No. 51.
+
+Mosaic Dados on pillars between the windows, Hall of Ambassadors.
+
+The Mosaic Dados on the pillars of the Hall of Ambassadors present a
+great variety in their patterns, although the component parts are in
+each the same.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLIV.
+
+Lining of one of the columns.
+
+Pilaster.
+
+Dado.
+
+Dado.
+
+Dado.
+
+No. 53.
+
+Mosaics in the Hall of the Two Sisters.
+
+The beautiful Mosaic in the centre of this plate is part of the Dado of
+the Hall of the Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLV.
+
+Pavement of the Hall of the Baths.
+
+No. 54.
+
+Mosaic Dado round the internal walls of the Mosque.
+
+Mosaics from the Mosque and the Hall of the Baths. The Mosaic Dados
+round the walls of the Mosque appear to be the only portions of the
+ancient private Mosque attached to the Palace which have been preserved
+intact in their original situation. The motto of the Kings of Granada,
+“_There is no conqueror but God_,” was replaced by “_Nec plus ultra_” of
+Charles V., when the Mosque was converted by him into a chapel. The
+beautiful Mosaic at the top of the plate is placed round the fountain of
+the Chamber of Repose of the Baths, described elsewhere.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLVI.
+
+No. 55.
+
+Azulejos. Painted Tiles.
+
+On the floor of one of the alcoves of the Hall of Justice are to be seen
+the painted tiles delineated in the centre of this plate.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLVII.
+
+No. 56.
+
+No. 57.
+
+Mosaics in the Baths.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLVIII.
+
+No. 58.
+
+Mosaic from the portico of the Generalife.]
+
+[Illustration: THE COURT OF THE LIONS, FROM THE WEST.]
+
+[Illustration: TEMPLE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: COURT OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: SIDE ELEVATION OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS AND FOUNTAIN.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: FOUNTAIN OF LIONS, WITH DETAILS OF THE ORNAMENT.]
+
+[Illustration: PLAN OF THE BASIN OF THE FOUNTAIN OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRST SIX VERSES OF THE INSCRIPTION AROUND THE BASIN
+OF THE FOUNTAIN OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE XLIX.
+
+No. 59.
+
+Blank window, Hall of the Bark.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE L.
+
+No. 60.
+
+Soffit of arch, Entrance of the Hall of Abencerrages.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LI.
+
+No. 61.
+
+Cornice at springing of arch of doorway at the entrance of the Ventana,
+Hall of the Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LII.
+
+No. 62.
+
+No. 63.
+
+Borders of Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LIII.
+
+No. 64.
+
+Border of Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LIV.
+
+No. 65.
+
+No. 66.
+
+Borders of Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LV.
+
+No. 67.
+
+Ornament in panels on the wall, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LVI.
+
+No. 68.
+
+Ornaments painted on the pendants, Hall of the Bark.]
+
+[Illustration: THE LAST SIX VERSES OF THE INSCRIPTION AROUND THE BASIN
+OF THE FOUNTAIN OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: ENTABLATURE IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE CENTRE ARCADE OF THE COURT OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: PART OF PANEL IN THE COURT OF LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS.
+
+(_From a drawing made about 1830_).]
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS (UPPER PORTION).]
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS, TAKEN
+THROUGH THE PAVILION
+
+THE ROOF IS A MODERN]
+
+[Illustration: AT EACH END OF THE COURT, AND EXHIBITING AN ELEVATION OF
+THE SIDE PORTICOS.
+
+ONE, OF RED TILES.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LVII.
+
+No. 69.
+
+Bands, side of arches, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LVIII.
+
+No. 70.
+
+No. 71.
+
+Bands, side of arches, Court of the Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LIX.
+
+No. 72.
+
+Ornaments on panels, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LX.
+
+No. 73.
+
+Ornaments on panels, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXI.
+
+No. 74.
+
+Ornaments on panels, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXII.
+
+No. 75.
+
+Ornaments on panels, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXIII.
+
+No. 76.
+
+Frieze in the upper chamber, House of Sanchez.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXIV.
+
+No. 77.
+
+Cornice at springing of arches, windows of the Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: CAPITALS IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS, WITH A MEASURE OF ONE
+METRE.]
+
+Although the upper parts of the walls are only coated with plaster,
+strengthened with reeds, centuries of neglect have not sufficed to
+destroy this slight, “aerie, faerie” thing of filigree, which has not
+even the appearance of durability. Wherever the destroyer has mutilated
+the fragile ornaments, “the temple-haunting
+
+[Illustration: NORTH GALLERY IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+martlet, guest of summer,” builds his nest and careers in the delicate
+air, breaking, with his twitter, the silence of these sunny, now
+deserted courts, once made for Oriental delights, and even now the place
+in which to read the _Arabian Nights_, or spend a honeymoon--
+
+              This guest of summer,
+    The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
+    By his lov’d mansionry, that the heaven’s breath
+    Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,
+    Buttress, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird
+    Hath made his pendent bed, and procreant cradle;
+    Where they most breed and haunt, I have observ’d,
+    The air is delicate. [_Macbeth_, Act i., sc. 6]
+
+
+SALA DE LA BARCA--HALL OF THE BARQUE.
+
+Beyond where the fountain bubbles in the Court of the Fish-pond, is the
+oblong Hall of the Barque, which is still as radiant with colours as the
+edge of fading evening cloud. The rivers of poems that fret the walls
+sing the praises of some long dead Sultán, who conquered twenty
+fortresses, and whose excellence, running clear through his great deeds,
+was as the silk thread that carries a necklace of pearls.
+
+“The ceiling of the Hall of the Barque,” says Owen Jones, “is a
+wagon-headed dome of wood, of the most elaborate patterns, receiving its
+support from pendentives of mathematical construction so curious, that
+they may be rendered susceptible of combinations as various as the
+melodies which may be produced from the seven notes of the musical
+scale; attesting the wonderful power and effect obtained by the
+repetition of the most simple elements.”
+
+Alas! it must be added that this beautiful Hall was greatly injured by a
+fire, which took place in September, 1890.
+
+
+SALA DE LOS EMBAJADORES--HALL OF AMBASSADORS.
+
+After traversing the Hall of the Barque, we come upon the Hall of
+Ambassadors--the Golden Saloon--with a dome which bursts like a
+flower-bell upon the sight. The most
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE BARQUE, WITH VIEW OF THE
+COURT OF THE FISH-POND, OR OF THE MYRTLES.]
+
+beautiful thing about these Moorish domes is, not their grand poise and
+balance, but the airiness of them. They seem mere resting clouds
+swelling round you and canopying you with colour. You have no sense of
+their weight or means of permanency. The stalactite ornament, as it is
+called, seems fashioned in emulous rivalry of golden-celled honeycomb,
+in which honey still rests; honey, dyed by the juices of the flowers
+from which it has been drawn. The walls are like the leaves of
+illuminated missals, framed by cornices of poem and prayer.
+
+[Illustration: THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+The Hall of Ambassadors is a square of thirty-seven feet, and is sixty
+feet high from the floor to the centre of the dome. It is the largest,
+as well as the most imposing of the Halls of the Alhambra, though in
+arrangement and symmetry of details less perfect than the Hall of The
+Two Sisters.
+
+Inscriptions of verses from the Koràn abound amongst the decorations.
+
+The present ceiling of the Hall of the Ambassadors is a dome of wood,
+ornamented by ribs intersecting each other in various patterns in gold,
+on grounds of blue and red. The ceiling is ingenious in construction and
+beautiful in detail. Owen Jones thinks that an arch of brick was
+originally thrown across the hall, which gave way after the completion
+of the building, carrying with it an earlier ceiling, which was
+afterwards replaced by the present dome.
+
+In the centre divan, on the north side of the Hall, there is
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+a most beautiful Mosaic dado, as perfect as when originally executed,
+and which seems to be imperishable. It is formed of baked clay, squeezed
+into moulds of the different figures, glazed on the surface, and
+bevelled slightly on the edge. Thus, when necessary, the Mosaics were
+not only easily withdrawn from the moulds, but, when united, they formed
+a key for the mortar. In this particular recess, doubtless, was the
+throne of
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF THE BARQUE, THE ANTE-ROOM OF THE
+HALL OF AMBASSADORS, WITH VIEW OF THE COURT OF THE FISH-POND.
+
+(_From a drawing made about 1830_).]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXV.
+
+No. 78.
+
+From the centre arch of the Court of Lions.
+
+No. 79.
+
+From the entrance to the Divan, Hall of the Two Sisters.
+
+Spandrils of Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXVI.
+
+No. 80.
+
+Details of the wood-work of the door to the Hall of Abencerrages.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXVII.
+
+No. 81.
+
+No. 82.
+
+Spandrils of Arches, Hall of Justice.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXVIII.
+
+No. 83.
+
+Ornaments on the walls of the Hall of the Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXIX.
+
+No. 84.
+
+From the entrance to the Court of Lions from the Court of the Fish
+Ponds.
+
+No. 85.
+
+From the entrance to the Court of the Fish Ponds from the Hall of the
+Bark.
+
+Spandrils of Arches.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXX.
+
+No. 86.
+
+No. 87.
+
+No. 88.
+
+No. 89.
+
+No. 90.
+
+No. 91.
+
+No. 92.
+
+Mosaics from the Hall of Ambassadors, Hall of Two Sisters, and Hall of
+Justice.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXI.
+
+No. 93.
+
+Plaster Ornaments, used as upright and horizontal bands enclosing panels
+on the walls.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXII.
+
+No. 94.
+
+No. 95.
+
+No. 96.
+
+No. 97.
+
+No. 98.
+
+No. 99.
+
+No. 100.
+
+Mosaics from the Hall of Ambassadors, Hall of Two Sisters, Hall of
+Justice, and Court of the Fish Pond.]
+
+[Illustration: PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION AND ELEVATION OF THE INTERIOR OF THE HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAIL IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: KUFIC INSCRIPTIONS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC ON DADO OF BALCONY HALL OF AMBASSADORS]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MURAL ORNAMENT, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT AT THE SIDE OF DOORWAY, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXIII.
+
+No. 101.
+
+Panels on walls, Tower of the Captive.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXIV.
+
+No. 102.
+
+Blank window, Hall of the Bark.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXV.
+
+No. 103.
+
+Rafters of a roof over a doorway now destroyed beneath the Tocador de la
+Reyna.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXVI.
+
+No. 104
+
+Band at springing of arch at the entrance of Hall of the Two Sisters
+from the Court of Lions.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXVII.
+
+No. 105.
+
+Panelling of the centre recess, Hall of Ambassadors.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXVIII.
+
+No. 106.
+
+Part of ceiling of the Portico of the Court of the Fish Pond.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXIX.
+
+No. 107.
+
+Blank window, Hall of the Bark.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXX.
+
+No. 108.
+
+Ornaments on the walls, House of Sanchez.]
+
+[Illustration: AN ARABIAN ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: AN ARABIAN ORNAMENT, ENTRANCE TO THE HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: INSCRIPTIONS AND ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: INSCRIPTIONS IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MURAL ORNAMENT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF
+AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXI.
+
+Cornice and window in the centre of the Façade of the Mosque.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXII.
+
+Detail of the central part of “Lindaraja’s” Balcony.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXIII.
+
+Lower part of “Lindaraja’s” Balcony.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT FROM THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, NORTH FRONT OF THE
+HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN THE SIDE OF A WINDOW, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: A CEILING IN OUTLINE, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: THE CEILING OF THE DOME LAID FLAT, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF GLAZED TILES IN THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, EAST SIDE OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, NORTH SIDE OF THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC IN DADO, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+the Moorish kings, as indicated both by the inscriptions on the walls,
+and the extraordinary care bestowed upon the decoration of the recess.
+
+The Mosaic dados present a great variety in their patterns, the
+combinations being endless.
+
+“The colours of blue, red, and gold are still to be seen on the capital
+of the column of the centre window of the Hall, but no traces of gold,
+or any colour, have been discovered
+
+[Illustration: CEILING OF GALLERY, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+on the shaft. The same thing occurs in the Court of the Fish-pond and
+the Court of the Lions, but, in each case, the harmony of the colouring
+appears to require that they should be gilt. It is probable that in the
+restorations which the Palace underwent during the residence of the
+Spanish kings, it was found much more easy to remove the gold from the
+columns, exposing the white marble, than to incur the expense of re-
+
+gilding.” Such is the opinion of the famous decorative artist, Owen
+Jones; but the fondness of the Oriental for the spotless purity of
+marble, and the transparency of alabaster, so oft expressed in the
+inscriptions, forbids its acceptance.
+
+In the several alcoves, or divans, which surround the Hall, the walls
+are covered with plaster ornaments in relief, presenting the greatest
+variety; the patterns in each divan being different.
+
+[Illustration: EXTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE (PRIVATE PROPERTY).]
+
+Beneath this Golden Saloon is a network of dungeon-like passages, by
+which, it is said, Sultáns escaped in treasonable revolts, when angry
+scimitars were glittering in the fountain-courts, or when the incensed
+populace were tossing their threatening spears in the humming city
+below. Here is also a prison-cell sort of room, with whispering holes at
+each end, which
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXIV.
+
+Detail of the lateral windows in the Hall of the Two Sisters.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXV.
+
+Details of the front of the Mosque in the Harem.]
+
+[Illustration: PLATE LXXXVI.
+
+Details of the upper part of “Lindaraja’s” Balcony.]
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION OF PORTICO ADJACENT TO THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF ORNAMENT OF KORÁN RECESS NEAR THE
+ENTRANCE-DOOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF ORNAMENT IN THE COURT OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS IN THE COURT OF THE MOSQUE, EASTERN FAÇADE.]
+
+[Illustration: AN ARCHED WINDOW OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: AN ARCHED WINDOW OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE MOSQUE, FROM KORÁN RECESS.]
+
+[Illustration: ARAB LAMP IN THE MOSQUE.]
+
+Philip the Second built to amuse the wretched child, Don Carlos. Also a
+vaulted cellar, where some rude sculpture has been immured by the
+prudish monks.
+
+
+PATIO DE LA MEZQUITA--COURT OF THE MOSQUE.
+
+The exquisite façade of this Court is much disfigured by a modern
+gallery. From the portions which remain, however, the general design may
+be traced with tolerable certainty.
+
+The inscriptions are few and unimportant, consisting, for the most part,
+of the constantly-recurring motto: “There is no Conqueror but God,” and
+some verses from the Koran.
+
+The grand Mosque of the Alhambra was built in 1308 by Mohammed III., and
+was in good preservation until the occupation of the French, who, says
+Don Pascual de Gayángos, entirely destroyed it. It has been thus
+described by _Ibnu-l-Khattíb_, the Grand Wizír of Yúsuf I.: “It is
+ornamented with Mosaic work, and exquisite tracery of the most beautiful
+and intricate patterns, intermixed with silver flowers and graceful
+arches, supported by innumerable pillars of polished marble; indeed,
+what with the solidity of the structure, which the Sultán inspected in
+person, the elegance of the design, and the beauty of the proportions,
+the building has not its like in this country; and I have frequently
+heard our best architects say that they had never seen or heard of a
+building which can be compared to it.”
+
+
+LA MEZQUITA--THE MOSQUE.
+
+The old Mosque, afterwards a chapel, was “purged” and consecrated by
+Ferdinand and Isabella, and retains but few traces of its purpose during
+the Moorish Dominion. The door was once overlaid with bronze, and, like
+all the rest of the Palace, was stripped and spoiled by generations of
+guardian thieves, who allowed no one but themselves to steal. Above the
+door is still the exquisite-laced niche where the Korán used to be
+placed by the green-turbaned Moollahs. Near the entrance is an elaborate
+and beautiful niche, which was probably the _Mihráb_, or sanctuary of
+the Mosque. Whilst at his prayers in this _Mihráb_, the martyred
+Yúsuf--he who built the Gate of Justice in 1348, and who completed the
+Alhambra--fell a victim to the dagger of an assassin in the year 1354.
+The inscriptions in the Mosque, which were dumb to the conquerors, still
+protest for the old faith, and cry aloud from barge-board and netted
+rafter, “Be not one of the negligent.” “God is our refuge in every time
+of trouble.”
+
+
+LOS BAÑOS--THE BATHS.
+
+The plan of these Baths is very similar to the arrangement still used
+throughout the East.
+
+[Illustration: CHAMBER OF REPOSE.]
+
+From the elegant little saloon at the entrance where the bathers
+unrobed, and whither they resorted after the bath, we pass, by a
+circuitous passage, in which are two smaller baths, into the general
+vapour-bath, paved with white marble, and lighted with openings in the
+form of stars, lined with glazed earthenware. This corresponds with the
+apartment called by the Arabs the _hararah_, or vapour-bath, and
+described in Lane’s _Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians_; and
+it was under the graceful arcades which support the dome that the
+bathers
+
+[Illustration: CHAMBER OF REPOSE.]
+
+underwent the attentions of the _masseuses_ who waited on them. From the
+great hall we pass into a smaller one, having at each end a marble tank,
+used for solitary ablutions. Beyond, at the present day, an accumulated
+heap of ruins prevents the recognition of the means for heating the
+bath.
+
+The upper part of the Chamber of Repose, which is supported on marble
+columns, forms a gallery with small divans, in which two persons, or, at
+most, four, could be accommodated at
+
+[Illustration: CHAMBER OF REPOSE.]
+
+the same time; from which it would appear that the bath was confined
+entirely to the use of the sovereign and his hareem. The floor is paved
+with beautiful Mosaics, which are in perfect preservation.
+
+Inscription: “What is most to be wondered at is the felicity which
+awaits men in this palace of delight.”
+
+Los Baños are well preserved, for they lie out of the way of ordinary
+ill-usage. The vapour-bath is lighted from above by small lumbreras, or
+“louvres.”
+
+GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA.”
+
+The _Mirador_--Prospect-chamber--of “Lindaraja” overlooks this secluded
+little court or garden, with its alabaster fountain, its cypress,
+orange, and citron trees rising from trim
+
+[Illustration: GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA,” AND THE APARTMENTS TRADITIONALLY
+SAID TO HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BY “LINDARAJA,” A FAVOURITE SULTÁNA.]
+
+hedges of myrtles and roses. The _Mirador_ is a charming little
+apartment of fifteen feet by ten feet, or thereabouts, with three tall
+windows protected by _jalousies_. It is ordinarily and
+
+[Illustration: THE GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA.”]
+
+erroneously pointed out as the residence of Washington Irving during his
+abode in the Palace in 1829. His apartments were, however, in the Mihráb
+Tower, now known as the _Tocador de la Reina_.
+
+
+TOCADOR DE LA REINA--THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM--
+
+so called by the Spaniards, is about nine feet square. It was,
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC PAVEMENT IN THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM (TOCADOR DE
+LA REINA).]
+
+in part, modernised and painted in arabesque by Charles V. In a corner
+is a marble slab drilled with holes, through which, it is said, perfumes
+were wafted while the Queen was dressing.
+
+It is not unimportant to locate precisely the dwelling-place of
+Washington Irving during his sojourn in the Alhambra in 1829. It was in
+the suite of rooms annexed to the Queen’s Dressing-room that he took up
+his quarters. The kindly American genius, who regarded Englishmen as his
+own kith and kin, makes it quite plain. He says: “On taking up my abode
+in the Alhambra, one end of a suite of empty chambers of modern
+architecture, intended for the residence of the
+
+[Illustration: “THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM,” AT THE SUMMIT OF THE MIHRÁB
+TOWER, WITH DISTANT VIEW OF THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+Governor, was fitted up for my reception. It was in front of the
+Palace.... I was dissatisfied with being lodged in a modern
+apartment.... I found, in a remote gallery, a door, communicating
+apparently with an extensive apartment, locked against the public.... I
+procured the key, however, without
+
+[Illustration: TOWERS AND PROMENADE.]
+
+difficulty; the door opened to a range of vacant chambers of European
+architecture, though built over a Moorish arcade.... This fanciful suite
+of rooms terminated in an open gallery with balustrades, which ran at
+right angles with a side of the garden. The whole apartment had a
+delicacy and elegance in its decorations, and there was something so
+choice and sequestered in its situation along with this retired little
+garden, that it awakened an interest in its history. I found, on
+inquiry, that it was an apartment fitted up at the time when Philip V.
+and the beautiful Elizabeth of Parma were expected at the Alhambra, and
+was destined for the Queen and the ladies of her train. One of the
+loftiest chambers had been her sleeping-room; and a narrow staircase
+leading from it ... opened to the delightful belvedere, originally a
+_mirador_ of the Moorish Sultanás, but fitted up as a boudoir for the
+fair Elizabeth, and which still retains the name of the _tocador_ or
+toilette of the Queen. The sleeping-room I have mentioned, commanded
+from one window a prospect of the Generalife and its embowered
+terraces.... I determined at once to take up my quarters in this
+apartment. My determination occasioned great surprise ... but I was not
+diverted from my humour.”
+
+
+TORRE DE LOS SIETE SUELOS--TOWER OF THE SEVEN STAGES.
+
+This Tower is said to descend seven stories under ground. Four
+subterranean chambers have been investigated. Divers marvellous tales
+are related concerning this building, in which the Moorish kings are
+believed to have deposited their treasures. Here, according to fable, is
+heard the clash of arms, and of soldiers seen stationed to guard immense
+treasures.
+
+LA TORRE DE LOS PICOS--THE TOWER OF THE PEAKS--
+
+is a Moorish postern gate crowned with minarets. The openings in the
+Tower for dropping missiles upon assailants are of the time of the
+Catholic Sovereigns. It is said that the
+
+[Illustration: THE TOWER OF THE PEAKS.]
+
+French intended to blow up this Tower--the holes made by the sappers yet
+remain--but the procrastination of their agents saved the building. From
+this postern, a path, crossing the ravine, leads up to the _Generalife_.
+
+
+TORRE DE COMARES--TOWER OF COMARES.
+
+The whole interior of this gigantic Tower is occupied by the Hall of the
+Ambassadors which is described _supra_.
+
+[Illustration: THE CAPTIVE’S TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE INFANTAS TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: THE INFANTAS TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE INFANTAS TOWER (CEILING).]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION ON THE LINE C. D. OF PLAN.
+
+SECTION ON THE LINE C. B. OF PLAN.
+
+SECTIONS AND PLANS OF THE INFANTAS TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: ROOM IN THE TORRE DEL CAUTIVO, OR CAPTIVE’S TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: THE LADIES’ TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: THE HOMAGE TOWER, ANCIENT ARAB RUINS IN THE ALCAZÁBA.]
+
+[Illustration: GRANADA, FROM THE HOMAGE TOWER.]
+
+[Illustration: TORRE DE LA AQUA--TOWER OF THE AQUEDUCT.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAIL OF THE ONLY ANCIENT “JALOUSIE” REMAINING IN THE
+ALHAMBRA.]
+
+TORRE DE LA VELA--THE WATCH-TOWER.
+
+Here, an inscription records, the Christian flag was first hoisted by
+the Cardinal Mendoza and his brother. The panorama from the roof of this
+Tower is glorious. Below, lies Granada, belted with plantations; beyond,
+expands the Vega, guarded like an Eden by a wall of mountains. It is a
+scene for painters to sketch and for poets to describe.
+
+The _Torre de la Vela_ is so called, because on this _watch-tower_ hangs
+a silver-tongued bell, which is heard on a still night even at Loja,
+thirty miles away. The bell is rung on 2nd January, the anniversary of
+the surrender of Granada. Maidens come on this day to strike the bell,
+which act ensures a
+
+[Illustration: THE INFANTAS TOWER.]
+
+husband, and of excellence in proportion to the noise made, which, it
+need not be said, is considerable and continuous.
+
+TORRE DE LAS INFANTAS--TOWER OF THE INFANTAS.
+
+TORRE DEL CAUTIVO--CAPTIVE’S TOWER.
+
+On the north-east wall of the fortress are several towers partly in
+ruin, which retain traces of beautiful decorations in the interior. The
+_Torre del Cautivo_ and the _Torre de las Infantas_ are the best
+preserved. They appear to have formed detached habitations complete in
+themselves; and from their position in this retired part of the
+fortress, and the extreme beauty of the internal decorations, there can
+be little doubt that they were isolated residences of favourite
+Sultanás.
+
+
+TORRE DEL HOMENAGE--HOMAGE TOWER.
+
+The Homage Tower rises at the end of the _Pelota_, or Fives, Court, the
+wall of which much disfigures the Place of the Cisterns. In this Homage
+Tower is a Roman votive altar, embedded by the Moors in the masonry,
+inscribed by “the grateful Valerius to his most indulgent wife,
+Cornelia.”
+
+
+TORRE DE LA AQUA--TOWER OF THE AQUEDUCT.
+
+Close to the two Towers, _Del Candil_ and _De la Cautiva_, is the corner
+Tower _De la Aqua_, where an aqueduct, stemming the ravine, supplies the
+hill with water.
+
+
+THE LADIES’ TOWER.
+
+The interior of the Ladies’ Tower was formerly remarkable for an alcove
+of extraordinary beauty. The Tower is isolated, and, unfortunately, a
+tourist purchased it for a trifling sum. After stripping the marvellous
+decoration--a masterpiece of Yúsuf I.--the aforesaid traveller
+magnanimously presented the denuded carcass to the State.
+
+
+THE MUSEUM.
+
+In a chamber near to the entrance of the Court of the Lions, a
+collection of Moorish remains has been brought together. A conspicuous
+object is the marble sarcophagus, or tank, brought from the _Alcazába_,
+with basso-relievos of animals;
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE ENTRANCE DOOR TO THE MUSEUM OF THE
+ALHAMBRA.]
+
+among them the “deer-slaying lion,” which occurs so often in Greek art,
+and, like the Mithraic daughter of the bull, may be the symbol of some
+hieratic mystery, possibly the triumph of the evil principle. It is
+difficult to say whether this rude
+
+[Illustration: BAS-RELIEF, NOW IN THE MUSEUM OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: THE SAME SUBJECT FROM AN ENGRAVING IN MURPHY’S ARABIAN
+ANTIQUITIES.]
+
+sculpture is antique or Moorish. An Arabic inscription is carried round
+the border, but this may be later than the carving; at all events, stags
+are animals connected by the Orientals with the fountain--“As the hart
+panteth for the water-brooks”--and the Spanish Moors, among other
+departures from strict Moslem rules, did not reject either paintings or
+carvings of living objects. The splendid vase, _el jarro_, has been
+brought hither from the Hall of the Two Sisters, and is described at
+page 76, with a plate at page 95.
+
+
+PALACE OF CHARLES V.
+
+On one side of the _Plaza de los Algibes_--Place of the
+
+[Illustration: PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+Cisterns--is an isolated Moorish tower called _La Torre del Vino_, built
+in 1345, by Yúsuf I., and remarkable for its exquisite arch, called the
+“Wine Gate” (see page 133). Opposite is the large Palace begun by
+Charles V., great in conception and impotent in conclusion, unfurnished
+and roofless. To make way for this edifice, Charles destroyed large
+portions of what the Moors had raised, tearing down whole ranges of the
+Alhambra.
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION AND SECTION OF THE PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR, PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+[Illustration: PART OF EXTERIOR, PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+This pile of buildings, commenced for Charles V., was never finished, in
+consequence of his frequent absence, occasioned by the almost perpetual
+wars in which he was engaged, particularly in his efforts to suppress
+the insurrections of the Moors in the Alpujarras, and elsewhere.[12] The
+spot chosen for
+
+[Illustration: ROMAN COURT, PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+the site of the Palace commands a most beautiful view of the city of
+Granada, as well as its surrounding _Vega_. As a specimen of Spanish
+architecture, it reflects the highest credit on Pedro Machuca, who
+began it in 1526. It is, in every way, adapted to the climate; and its
+interior, which, in its chief feature, takes a circular form, is
+spacious and splendid. In any other situation the Palace of Charles V.
+would justly excite admiration: but here it is misplaced. With all its
+grandeur and architectural excellence, Washington Irving could only look
+upon the structure as “an arrogant intrusion.” It is falling rapidly to
+decay. The walls are crumbling, the wood-work is rotten, and the
+splendid apartments--all that resulted from an intention to eclipse the
+palace of the Moslem kings--are given up to bats and owls.
+
+This projected Palace, begun in 1526, progressed slowly until 1633, and
+was then abandoned. Whatever beauty there is in the Spanish Palace at
+Granada, is external. On the other hand, the Moors were content with the
+beauty of the interior of the Alhambra.
+
+[Illustration: Plan of the Alhambra Palace at Granada.
+
+_Specially drawn for Mʳ Albert F. Calvert’s book on the Alhambra, from
+measurements by the late M. Jules Goury_]
+
+[Illustration: GROUND-FLOOR PLAN OF THE ALHAMBRA, AND OF THE FOUNDATIONS
+OF THE PALACE OF CHARLES V.]
+
+[Illustration: PLAN OF THE PALACE OF CHARLES V., AND OF THE
+SUBTERRANEOUS VAULTS OF THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[Illustration: HALL OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: SUNK LINES ON THE WALLS, HALL OF JUSTICE AND COURT OF THE
+LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: FRIEZE IN THE HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: PANEL ON JAMBS OF DOORWAYS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF THE BARQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: CORNICE OVER COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: FRIEZE OVER COLUMNS, COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: BAND ROUND PANELS IN WINDOWS, HALL OF THE TWO SISTERS.]
+
+[Illustration: PANELLING IN WINDOWS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN PANELS, COURT OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENTS AT THE JUNCTIONS OF INSCRIPTIONS, COURT OF THE
+LIONS AND COURT OF THE FISH-POND.]
+
+[Illustration: SUNK LINES ON THE WALLS, HOUSE OF THE COMMANDANT.]
+
+[Illustration: ORNAMENT IN PANELS, HALL OF AMBASSADORS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE ORNAMENTS WHICH ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE
+PAINTING OVER THE CENTRE ALCOVE OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE. THESE ORNAMENTS,
+BEING OF A STRICTLY MOORISH CHARACTER, STRONGLY SUPPORT THE OPINION THAT
+THE PAINTINGS ON THE CEILINGS OF THE ALCOVES OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE ARE
+THE WORK OF MOORISH ARTISTS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS AND ARABIAN INSCRIPTIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF ARABIAN WORK.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS, AND INSCRIPTIONS, AND ARABIAN CHAPITERS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAILS OF ARABIAN WORK.]
+
+
+
+
+The Generalife.
+
+
+The Generalife is called by the Spaniards _Cuarto Real_, signifying a
+diminutive royal palace--an appanage, or “fourth part” of the Alhambra.
+
+In point of situation, the royal villa, or “pleasaunce,” of the Moorish
+Kings of Granada, is fully equal to the site chosen for the erection of
+the Alhambra. It stands upon an acclivity, behind which are lovely
+gardens, extensively timbered with trees of gigantic growth, where
+nightingales sing themselves hoarse in shrubberies rendered luxuriant by
+soft, refreshing rivulets. In the Generalife may be seen many Cufic
+inscriptions: the white tiles with golden scrolls occur nowhere else.
+The _Cuarto Real_ and its beautiful gardens once belonged to Dalahorra,
+mother of “Muley Hasen,” and within three months of the capitulation of
+Granada they were ceded to Alonzo de Valiza, prior of Santa Cruz of
+Avila. Ford made an abstract of the original conveyance by which we
+learn how Alonzo de Valiza took possession. “Don Alonzo entered the
+garden pavilion, affirming loudly that he had made an entry; next, he
+opened and shut the door, locking it, and giving the key into the
+custody of one _Macafreto_, a well-known householder of Granada; he then
+went into the garden, where he severed the branch of a tree and dug up
+some earth with a spade, thus exercising his rights of proprietorship.”
+Such was the practice of conveyancing in the time of the Moors.
+
+A gateway of the _Cuarto Real_, called _Puerta del Pescado_, is of
+Moorish origin, and has three arches.
+
+A picturesque ravine divides the hill of the Alhambra from
+the _Sierra del Sol_. Here, the approach is under a high
+embowered avenue of fig trees and myrtles. The situation of
+the Generalife--_Jennatu-l-’arif_--[13] “The Garden of the
+Architect”--proved so entrancing to the Sultán _Isma’il-Ibn Faraj_ that
+he was not at rest until he had erected this mountain villa as an abode
+for the “Light of his Hareem,” a summer-house, devoted to seclusion,
+pleasure, and luxury:
+
+    “When free and uncrown’d as the Conqueror rov’d
+     By the banks of that lake, with his only belov’d,
+     He saw, in the wreaths she would playfully snatch
+     From the hedges, a glory his crown could not match,
+     And preferr’d in his heart the least ringlet that curl’d
+     Down her exquisite neck to the throne of the world.”
+
+                          _Tom Moore._
+
+Once again the pages of the Grand Wizír _Ibnu-l-Khattíb_ furnish
+testimony at first hand of transactions in which his ungrateful master,
+Mohammed V., was involved, and who owed his safety to an accidental
+visit to the Generalife.
+
+A conspiracy, having for its object the dethronement of Mohammed V., and
+the usurpation of his half-brother, Isma’il, succeeded only too well.
+The mother of Isma’il, soon after the death of Yúsuf I., when Mohammed
+had rightfully ascended the throne of Granada, created a party against
+the monarch, and had attached to her faction all the discontented. The
+castle of the Alhambra was surprised in August, 1359. The conspirators,
+having liberated Isma’il from his place of confinement, mounted him upon
+a horse and proclaimed him through
+
+[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF THE GENERALIFE AT GRANADA.
+
+A. Advanced parts.
+
+B. The Inner Gallery, commanding a view of the gardens.
+
+C C C C. Terraces and Aqueducts.
+
+D D D, E E. The surrounding country.]
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+the city as their Sultán. How Mohammed had the good fortune to escape is
+thus set forth by his Wizír:
+
+“At the time these events were taking place, the Sultán Mohammed was
+absent from the Alhambra, having gone, together with a son of his, to
+reside at a delightful country seat close to Granada, called
+_Jennatu-l-’arif_, a spot well known for the luxuriance of its trees,
+which never admit the rays of the sun,
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+as well as for the healthfulness of the air, which is continually
+refreshed by running streams of limpid water. This garden is only
+separated from the royal residence by a high and strong wall, defended
+by a deep moat. In this place the Sultán was suddenly awakened by the
+clatter of arms, the cries of the assailants, and the beating of drums
+in the distance. Not knowing what caused the tumult, Mohammed went out
+in the direction of the Alhambra; but, finding that the conspirators
+occupied all the avenues, he retraced his steps, and Allah was pleased
+to provide for his salvation; for, having mounted a fleet horse, which
+was always kept saddled and prepared for him, he galloped off to Guadix,
+where he arrived safely the same morning, and presented himself to the
+governor of the castle, who was very far from suspecting what had
+happened. Mohammed was immediately waited upon by the chief inhabitants
+of the place who all swore to protect him, so that he not only reigned
+undisturbed over Guadix and its immediate neighbourhood, but soon found
+himself at the head of devoted followers who hastened to him from all
+parts.”
+
+Meanwhile, his brother, the usurper, despatched an embassy to the King
+of Castile, offering to renew the treaty of peace then existing between
+the two countries. The Castilian King (Pedro I.), happening then to be
+at war with the people of Barcelona, readily assented to the proposal,
+and ratified the usurper’s occupation of Granada. Isma’il, however, did
+not long enjoy the power he had seized. He was besieged in the Alhambra
+by Abú ’Abdillah, afterwards Mohammed VI., taken prisoner, and put to
+death, together with his brother, Kayes, in 1360.
+
+The history of the dethroned king, Mohammed V., is particularly
+interesting for the reason that he it was who put the finishing touches
+to the decoration of the Alhambra, after the work was interrupted by the
+assassination of his father, Yúsuf I.
+
+Immediately upon the death of Isma’il, Mohammed VI. was proclaimed king,
+and reigned for about two years, at the end of which period, seeing
+himself pressed on the one side by the rightful sovereign who burned to
+revenge the outrage done to him and recover the throne of his ancestors;
+and harassed, on the other hand, by Pedro, King of Castile; he formed
+the strange
+
+[Illustration: A VIEW OF THE ROYAL VILLA OF THE GENERALIFE AT GRANADA.]
+
+[Illustration: TRANSVERSE SECTION OF THE ROYAL VILLA OF THE GENERALIFE
+AT GRANADA.]
+
+resolution of throwing himself upon the protection of the latter, and
+repairing to his Court. “He might just as well,” says the Wizír, “have
+thrown himself into the jaws of a hungry tiger thirsting for blood, for
+no sooner had the infidel dog cast his eyes on the countless treasures
+which Mohammed and his chiefs had brought with them, than he conceived
+the wicked design of murdering them and appropriating their riches; on
+the second day of Rejeb, 763 (April 27, A.D. 1362) he was put to death
+with all his followers, at a place called Tablada, close to Seville.”
+
+But to return to the dethroned Sultán, Mohammed V., whose history is
+highly romantic.
+
+The people of Guadix continued their allegiance, protected his person,
+and swore to devote their lives to his cause. Pedro was but lukewarm in
+his behalf; and Mohammed, obtaining only vague promises from the
+Christian King, crossed over to Fez at the invitation of the Sultán of
+Western Africa (_Ibnu-l-Khattíb_, in his life of Mohammed V., gives the
+details of
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+this journey), and made a public entrance into Fez, where he was
+received with every mark of distinction.
+
+After a long sojourn with the Sultán, Mohammed returned to Andalus in
+great state with a large number of followers, his adherents greatly
+increasing on his arrival at Guadix. All ranks flocked to his standard,
+the presence of the long-absent and popular sovereign infusing new
+vigour amongst the troops. The whole of the _Gharbia_, or Western
+districts, submitted to him. He was then enabled to take Malaga and to
+march upon Granada, which surrendered without opposition, and he thus
+saw himself once again in possession of his dominions. His triumphant
+entry into Granada took place April 6th, A.D. 1362, immediately before
+the death of the usurper, Mohammed VI., at the hands of King Pedro.
+
+Mohammed V. reigned until the year 1391, when he was succeeded by his
+son, Yúsuf II.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+To reach the summer resort of the Moorish Kings from the Alhambra, the
+better way is to leave the Palace by the _Torre del Picos_--Tower of the
+Peaks, or minarets--and thus approach the tall white towers and long
+arcades of the Generalife. To wander amidst its gardens and groves in
+the most sultry season is to enjoy a still more breezy region than that
+of the Alhambra.
+
+The Generalife is a confluence of waters: the canal of the Darro empties
+its full virgin stream, and at times boils under evergreen arches
+through the Acequia Court.[14] In contemplation of its beauty, the
+present is forgotten in the past; old-world echoes still reverberate
+through the bemyrtled Courts, where the many flowers which enamel its
+terraces and aqueducts tranquilly attest that once a garden smiled:
+
+    “Cypress and ivy, weed and wall-flower grown
+       Matted and mass’d together, hillocks heap’d
+     On what were chambers, arch crush’d, column strown
+       In fragments, chok’d up vaults, and frescos steep’d
+     In subterranean damps, where the owl peep’d,
+       Deeming it midnight: Temples, baths, or halls?
+     Pronounce who can; for all that Learning reap’d
+      From her research hath been, that these are walls--”
+             _Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage_, Canto IV.
+
+[Illustration: GARDEN OF THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE GARDEN OF THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: ELEVATION AND GROUND PLAN OF THE PORTICO OF THE
+GENERALIFE.]
+
+What is pointed out as “the trysting place of the Sultána,” is a grove
+of cypress trees, enormous in their proportions, and old as the Moors
+themselves. The beautiful Zoraya, surnamed “The Morning Star,” to whom
+reference has been already made, is said to have been discovered under
+their spreading branches with her lover, the Abencerrage, but this is a
+calumny of the _Romanceros_, and they are false witnesses. The tradition
+is, but with little to substantiate it, that the Sultána was condemned
+to be burnt alive, if,
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC, PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+within thirty days, she did not produce four knights to defend her cause
+against her four accusers. The fatal day arrived; no knights appeared,
+when, just at the supreme moment, there came upon the scene Don Juan de
+Chacon, Lord of Carthagena (whom she had implored to become her
+champion) accompanied by three other Christian knights, all in Saracenic
+armour. They fought and conquered, and the last of the conspirators,
+with his dying breath, confessed his invention of the false charge
+against the Abencerrage and the innocent Sultána.
+
+The reader who is desirous of perusing the circumstantial narrative of
+this supposed transaction may be referred to the late Mr. Henry
+Swinburne’s account in his _Travels in Spain_, while Mr. Peyron, in his
+_Essays on Spain_, has given a translation of an Arabian document
+purporting to be an official report concerning it.
+
+Upon the naked summit of the height above the Generalife are some
+shapeless ruins, known as the _Silla del Moro_--the seat of the
+Moor--said to have been a point of observation of Boabdil, the Unlucky,
+while an insurrection was raging in the city below. An apocryphal
+portrait of Boabdil, _El Rey Chico_, hangs in the picture gallery of the
+Generalife. The face is mild, handsome, and somewhat melancholy, with a
+fair complexion and yellow hair. Other indifferent paintings are to be
+seen in the gallery, including those of Ferdinand and Isabella. The
+genealogical tree of the Marquis of Campotejar of the Grimalda Gentili
+family, better known as Pallavicini, of Genoa, is exhibited in the
+picture gallery. The villa now belongs to the Marquis, who, being an
+absentee, has placed the palace under the care of an _administrador_.
+The founder of the Grimaldi family was one Cidi Aya, a Moorish prince,
+who was of service to Ferdinand on the expulsion of the Moors, at which
+time he became a Christian knight under the name of Don Pedro. His son,
+Don Aixa, is represented in the pedigree hanging in the picture gallery,
+trampling, like a renegade, on the ensigns of his ancestors. An enormous
+weapon, traditionally known as “The Sword of Boabdil,” having a
+beautifully enamelled sheath enriched with gold and silver work, is
+preserved in the office of the Italian Consulate at Granada.
+
+The decorations of the Generalife are in no respect inferior to those of
+the Alhambra; the wood-work is of _nogal_, or Spanish chestnut, and,
+where it has not been wantonly injured, is in its original condition. It
+is thought that the Moors preserved their wood-work by coating it with a
+substance called
+
+[Illustration: FRONT VIEW OF THE PORTICO OF THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: A CEILING IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE.
+
+ENTRANCE TO THE GALLERY OF RETRATOS (PORTRAIT GALLERY).]
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE.
+
+GALLERY IN THE ACEQUIA COURT.]
+
+_colle_ and _almaqu_, _i.e._, size mixed with a reddish earth, and
+rendered obnoxious to insects. The black lines which ornament the
+wood-work are believed to have been traced with a hot iron.
+
+[Illustration: GALLERY IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+Nothing can exceed the symmetry of the Portico of the Generalife. The
+columns are of white marble, surmounted by arches and arabesques. The
+inscription, many times repeated, and running along the whole front of
+the Portico, is that which occurs so frequently in the Alhambra, “There
+is no conqueror but God.” The dado has a very rich effect, the colours
+being black, blue, gold, scarlet, and green.
+
+The transverse section of the Royal Villa, shown in the plate at p. 411,
+gives an idea of the beauty of the interior decorations. The ceiling of
+the chief apartment is a _chef-d’œuvre_ of Arabian workmanship; the
+exquisite delicacy and consummate taste displayed by the artist must be
+seen before a full appreciation can be acquired. The ceiling is
+delineated at p. 425.
+
+The Acequia Court reminds the observer of the Court of the Fishpond; or
+of Myrtles, in the Alhambra. Although of no such great dimensions,
+similar arcades, galleries, and fountains, are here seen in profusion.
+The slender pillars and gossamer-perforated fabrics are, as in the case
+of the greater Palace, like nothing so much as our conception of
+fairy-work, rather a dream of beauty than the production of human hands.
+
+
+LA CASA DEL CARBON--THE CHARCOAL HOUSE.
+
+Halfway down the Zacatin, which was, in Moorish times, the bazaar, or
+market, of Granada--then alive with busy silversmiths, and with silk
+merchants, who offered the most wondrous productions of the loom--stands
+whatever remains of the elegant palace known as the Charcoal House, from
+having been appropriated to the sale of that commonplace article. The
+edifice, until recent times, bore the name by which it had been known
+for centuries, viz.: _La Casa del Gallo de Viento_--The Weather-cock
+House.
+
+There is a tradition that the palace was built by Bàdìs Ibn Hàbus, the
+third Sultàn of Granada of the Zeyrite dynasty, about 1070 A.D., by
+whose direction a vane was made in the
+
+[Illustration: THE ACEQUIA COURT, IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE ACEQUIA COURT IN THE GENERALIFE, FROM THE MAIN
+ENTRANCE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE ACEQUIA COURT IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE ACEQUIA COURT IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+[Illustration: CYPRESS COURT IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+[Illustration: GALLERY OF THE ACEQUIA COURT IN THE GENERALIFE.]
+
+shape of a warrior mounted on a steed, with a shield and levelled spear
+in his hands. _Al-makkarì_ tells us that he read in the manuscript of a
+learned Moorish historian the following anecdote concerning it: “I was
+told by the _Faquih Sìdì Hasan_ ... that he was present at the taking
+down of the talisman, known as the weather-cock, which once stood on the
+top of the old _Kassabah_--fortified enclosure--at Granada, and was
+removed on account of the improvements and repairs about to be made in
+that building. I saw it with my own eyes; it was of heptagonal shape,
+and bore the following Arabic inscription in verse:
+
+“The palace at fair Granada presents to the eye of the observer a
+talisman turning round with the succession of time.
+
+“The horseman on its weather-cock, although a solid body, turns with
+every wind.
+
+“This to the wise man, reveals many a mystery.
+
+“Indeed, after subsisting a short time, a calamity shall come which
+shall ruin both the palace and its owner.
+
+“Thus shall Andalus vanish one day!”
+
+The archway-entrance to the _Casa del Carbon_ is very richly decorated,
+as may be seen by the illustration at p. 443, but the interior has been
+greatly interfered with and disfigured. Below, is a subterranean
+passage, said to communicate with the Alhambra; but the Duke d’Abrantes,
+who owned the _Casa_, regarded such means of communication as “uncanny,”
+and blocked up the passage. An inspection of the Arabic title-deeds to
+this interesting property, which are still extant, would amply repay the
+pains of conveyancing amateurs.
+
+
+LA CASA SANCHEZ--THE HOUSE OF SANCHEZ.
+
+La Casa Sanchez, so-called from having been the dwelling of an honest
+muleteer of that name, was once one of the most picturesque and most
+Moorish of dwellings. But, alas! in the year 1837, the whole front was
+“restored” and “beautified,” and an ancient fish-pond, similar to that
+of the Court of Myrtles, was filled up and converted into a garden by
+one of the resident officers of the Palace. The ruthless _empleado_, who
+caused the Moorish doors of the Hall of the Abencerrages to be sawn
+asunder, permitted also this outrage by a man of equal
+
+[Illustration: MOSAIC PAVEMENT IN THE DRESSING-ROOM OF THE SULTÁNA.]
+
+taste with himself, who ruined the little architectural
+gem. The ruin yet offers a specimen of minute and beautiful
+_tarkish_--stucco-work--that even the lovely examples of the Alhambra
+itself cannot surpass. An illustration at p. 445, from a drawing of
+about the year 1830, ’ere the spoiler came, will give an idea of the
+departed beauty of the jewelled building.
+
+[Illustration: SABRE OF THE LAST MOORISH KING OF GRANADA, COMMONLY
+CALLED “THE SWORD OF BOABDIL.”]
+
+[BLANKPAGE] [Illustration: ELEVATION OF THE CASA DEL CARBON, OR “HOUSE
+OF CARBON,” ONCE KNOWN AS THE HOUSE OF THE WEATHER-COCK.]
+
+[Illustration: HOUSE OF SANCHEZ.]
+
+[Illustration: PLAN AND SECTION OF THE GREAT CISTERN IN THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+[BLANKPAGE] APPENDIX.
+
+Moresco-Spanish Ballads.
+
+Selected from the Translations of John Gibson Lockhart.
+
+
+Lockhart’s intention was to furnish the English reader with some notion
+of that old Spanish minstrelsy preserved in the different _Cancioneros_
+and _Romanceros_ of the Sixteenth Century; he owns, however, than only a
+Spaniard can achieve for his native _chansons_ what Percy, Ellis, or
+Ritson has done for English ballads. Until such a Spanish editor arises,
+it seems impossible to determine to what period the composition of the
+oldest Spanish ballads now extant ought to be referred.
+
+The first collection of romantic Spanish ballads, that of Ferdinand de
+Castillo, was published so early as 1510; and, as the title of the book
+declares that the volume contains the ancient and modern songs of the
+Troubadours of Spain, it is clear that a certain number of the pieces
+were then considered ancient. There are not wanting circumstances which
+would seem to establish for many of the Spanish ballads a claim to
+antiquity much higher than is to be inferred from this date; for, in the
+_General Chronicle of Spain_, which was compiled in the fourteenth
+century at the instance of Alfonso the Wise, allusions are constantly
+made to the popular songs of the minstrels, or _Joglares_. One thing is
+certain, that the Spaniards are in possession of the oldest, as well as
+the largest, collection of _popular_ ballad poetry, properly so called,
+than is to be found in the literature of any other European nation; and
+Lockhart very pertinently puts the enquiry, “Had there been published at
+London, in the reign of our eighth Henry, a vast collection of English
+ballads about the wars of the Plantagenets, what illustration and
+annotation would not that collection have received ere now?”
+
+It is fair, perhaps, to conclude that a great and remarkable influence
+was exerted over Spanish thought and feeling--and, therefore, over
+Spanish language and poetry--by the influx of those Oriental tribes who
+occupied, for long centuries, the fairest provinces of Spain;
+particularly when it is remembered that the Christian youth studied
+freely and honourably at the feet of Jewish and Mohammedan philosophers.
+
+Throughout the oldest Spanish ballads there breathes a spirit of charity
+towards their Moorish enemies, for, in spite of adverse faith, in spite
+of adverse interests, they had much in common. Loves, and sports--nay,
+sometimes their haughtiest recollections--were in common; and even their
+heroes were the same: Bernardo del Carpio, Fernan Gonzalez, the Cid
+himself, had, at some period of their lives, fought beneath the standard
+of the Crescent, and the minstrels of either nation had equal pride in
+the celebration of their prowess. Even in the ballads most exclusively
+devoted to the records of feats of Spanish heroism, it is quite common
+to find some handsome compliment paid to the Moors. And when, at a later
+period, the conquest of Granada had mingled the Spaniards with the
+persons and manners of the Moors, the Spanish ballad-mongers still
+celebrated the achievements of their Saracen rivals; and the compliment
+towards “the Knights of Granada, gentlemen, albeit Moors,”
+
+    _Caballeros Granadinos_
+    _Aunque Moros hijos d’algo_,
+
+must have been extremely gratifying to the defeated.
+
+The ballads of Moorish origin are rather of the romantic than the
+historical class. They were sung in the villages of Andalusia in either
+language, but to the same tunes, and listened to with equal pleasure by
+Mussulman and Christian. In these strains, says Lockhart, whatever
+merits or demerits they may possess, they present a lively picture of
+the life of the Arabian Spaniard. We see him as he was in reality, “like
+steel among weapons--like wax among women.”
+
+There came, indeed, a time when the fondness of the Spaniards for their
+Moorish ballads was made a matter of reproach; but this was not till
+long after the period when Spanish bravery had recovered the last
+fragments of the Peninsula from the Moslem.
+
+The greater part of the Moorish ballads refer to the period immediately
+preceding, and at the time of the downfall of the throne of Granada. The
+amours of that splendid court; the bull fights, and other spectacular
+displays in which its lords and ladies delighted no less than those of
+the Christian courts of Spain; the feuds of the two great families of
+the Zegris and the Abencerrages, which contributed so largely to the
+ruin of the Moorish cause; and the incidents of the last war, in which
+the power of the Moslem was entirely overthrown by the arms of Ferdinand
+and Isabella.
+
+The ballad, composed on the departure from Granada of the Moors, is a
+specimen of romantic minstrelsy which has never depended on historic
+truth. The allusion in the third stanza to the old white beard of the
+Moorish king seems to favour the conjecture that “Muley Hasen,” and not
+his son Boabdil, surrendered the keys of the fortress.
+
+
+“THE FLIGHT FROM GRANADA.”
+
+     There was crying in Granada when the sun was going down--
+     Some calling on the Trinity--some calling on Mahoun!
+     Here passed away the Korán--there in the Cross was borne--
+     And here was heard the Christian bell, and there the Moorish horn;
+
+     _Te Deum Laudamus!_ was up the Alcala sung:
+     Down from th’ Alhambra’s minarets were all the crescents flung;
+     The arms thereon of Aragon they with Castile’s display;
+     One king comes in in triumph--one weeping goes away!
+
+     Thus cried the weeper, while his hands his old white beard did tear,
+    “Farewell, farewell, Granada! thou city without peer!
+     Woe, woe thou pride of heathendom! seven hundred years and more
+     Have gone since first the faithful thy royal sceptre bore!
+
+    “Thou wert the happy mother of a high renownéd race;
+     Within thee dwelt a haughty line that now go from their place;
+     Within thee fearless knights did dwell, who fought with mickle glee
+     The enemies of proud Castile--the bane of Christientie!
+
+    “The mother of fair dames wert thou, of truth and beauty rare,
+     Into whose arms did courteous knights for solace sweet repair;
+     For whose dear sakes the gallants of Afric made display
+     Of might in joust and battle on many a bloody day!
+
+    “Here gallants held it little thing for ladies’ sake to die,
+     Or for the Prophet’s honour, and pride of Soldanry:
+     For here did valour flourish, and deeds of warlike might
+     Ennobled lordly palaces, in which was our delight.
+
+    “The gardens of thy Vega, its fields and blooming bowers--
+     Woe, woe! I see their beauty gone, and scatter’d all their flowers
+     No reverence can he claim, the king that such a land hath lost
+     On charger never can he ride, nor be heard among the host;
+     But in some dark and dismal place, where none his face may see,
+     There, weeping and lamenting, alone that king should be!”
+
+     Thus spake Granada’s king as he was riding to the sea,
+     About to cross Gibraltar’s Strait away to Barbary:
+     Thus he in heaviness of soul unto his queen did cry.--
+     (He had stopp’d and ta’en her in his arms, for together they did fly).
+
+    “Unhappy king! whose craven soul can brook”--(she ’gan reply)
+    “To leave behind Granada--who hast not heart to die--
+     Now for the love I bore thy youth, thee gladly could I slay!
+     For what is life to leave when such a crown is cast away?”
+
+THE DEATH OF DON ALONZO OF AGUILAR.
+
+The Catholic zeal of Ferdinand and Isabella was gratified by the
+external conversion at least of great part of the Moors of Granada; but
+the inhabitants of the Sierra of Alpujarra, to which the remnant of the
+Moors had retired, resisted every effort of the priests who were sent
+among them, so that the order for baptism was at length enforced by
+arms. These Moorish mountaineers resisted strenuously, but were at
+length subdued, and, in great part, extirpated. Amongst many severe
+losses sustained by the Spanish forces in this guerilla warfare, was
+that recorded in the following ballad. The tragic story has been made
+familiar to English readers by the Bishop of Dromore’s exquisite version
+of “Rio Verde! Rio Verde!”
+
+    Fernando, king of Aragon, before Granada lies,
+    With dukes and barons many a one, and champions of emprise;
+    With all the captains of Castile that serve his lady’s crown,
+    He drives Boabdil from his gates, and plucks the Crescent down.
+
+    The Cross is rear’d upon the towers, for our Redeemer’s sake!
+    The king assembles all his powers, his triumph to partake;
+    Yet at the royal banquet, there’s trouble in his eye--
+    “Now speak thy wish, it shall be done, great king!” the lordings cry.
+
+    Then spake Fernando: “Hear, grandees! which of ye all will go,
+    And give my banner in the breeze of Alpujar to blow?
+    Those heights along, the Moors are strong; now who, by dawn of day,
+    Will plant the Cross their cliffs among, and drive the dogs away?”
+
+    Then champion on champion high, and count on count doth look;
+    And falt’ring is the tongue of lord, and pale the cheek of duke;
+    Till starts up brave Alonzo, the knight of Aguilar,
+    The lowmost at the royal board, but foremost still in war.
+
+    And thus he speaks: “I pray, my lord, that none but I may go:
+    For I made promise to the queen, your consort, long ago,
+    That ere the war should have an end, I, for her royal charms,
+    And for my duty to her grace, would show some feat of arms!”
+
+    Much joy’d the king these words to hear--he bids Alonzo speed;
+    And long before the revel’s o’er the knight is on his steed;
+    Alonzo’s on his milk-white steed, with horsemen in his train,
+    A thousand horse, a chosen band, ere dawn the hills to gain.
+
+    They ride along the darkling ways, they gallop thro’ the night;
+    They reach Nevada ere the cock hath harbinger’d the light;
+    But ere they’ve climb’d that steep ravine, the east is glowing red,
+    And the Moors their lances bright have seen, and Christian banners spread.
+
+    Beyond the sands, between the rocks, where the old cork-trees grow,
+    The path is rough, and mounted men must singly march and slow;
+    There, o’er the path, the heathen range their ambuscado’s line,
+    High up they wait for Aguilar, as the day begins to shine.
+
+    There, nought avails the eagle-eye, the guardian of Castile,
+    The eye of wisdom, nor the heart that fear might never feel,
+    The arm of strength, that wielded well the strong mace in the fray,
+    Nor the broad plate, from whence the edge of faulchion glanced away.
+
+    Not knightly valour there avails, nor skill of horse and spear;
+    For rock on rock comes rumbling down from cliff and cavern drear;
+    Down--down like driving hail they come, and horse and horsemen die;
+    Like cattle whose despair is dumb when the fierce lightnings fly.
+
+    Alonzo, with a handful more, escapes into the field,
+    There, like a lion, stands at bay, in vain besought to yield;
+    A thousand foes around are seen, but none draw near to fight;
+    Afar, with bolt and javelin, they pierce the steadfast knight.
+
+    A hundred and a hundred darts are hissing round his head;
+    Had Aguilar a thousand hearts, their blood had all been shed;
+    Faint, and more faint, he staggers upon the slippery sod,
+    At last his back is to the earth, he gives his soul to God!
+
+    With that the Moors plucked up their hearts to gaze upon his face,
+    And caitiffs mangled where he lay the scourge of Afric’s race;
+    To woody Oxijera then the gallant corpse they drew,
+    And there, upon the village green, they laid him out to view.
+
+    Upon the village-green he lay, as the moon was shining clear,
+    And all the village damsels to look on him drew near;
+    They stood around him all a-gaze, beside a big oak-tree,
+    And much his beauty they did praise, tho’ mangled sore was he.
+    Now, so it fell, a Christian dame, that knew Alonzo well,
+    Not far from Oxijera did as a captive dwell,
+    And hearing all the marvels, across the woods came she,
+    To look upon this Christian corpse, and wash it decently.
+
+    She look’d upon him, and she knew the face of Aguilar,
+    Although his beauty was defac’d with many a ghastly scar,
+    She knew him, and she cursed the dogs that pierced him from afar,
+    And mangled him when he was slain--the Moors of Alpujar.
+
+    The Moorish maidens, while she spake, around her silence kept,
+    But her master dragged the dame away--then loud and long they wept;
+    They washed the blood, with many a tear, from dint of dart and arrow,
+    And buried him near the waters clear of the brook of Alpujarra.
+
+
+THE BULL-FIGHT OF GAZUL.
+
+Gazul is the name of one of the Moorish heroes who figure in the
+“_Historia de las Guerras Civiles de Granada_.” The following is one of
+many ballads in which the dexterity of Moorish cavaliers in the
+Bull-fight is described. The reader will observe that the shape,
+activity, and resolution of the animal destined to furnish the amusement
+of the spectators, are enlarged upon, just as the qualities of a modern
+racehorse might be amongst ourselves--nor is the bull without his name.
+The day of the Baptist is a festival of the Mussulmans, as well as
+amongst Christians:
+
+     King Almanzor of Granada, he hath bid the trumpet sound,
+     He hath summon’d all the Moorish lords, from the hills and plains around;
+     From Vega and Sierra, from Betis and Xenil,
+     They have come with helm and cuirass of gold and twisted steel.
+
+     ’Tis the holy Baptist’s feast they hold in royalty and state,
+     And they have closed the spacious lists, beside the Alhambra’s gate;
+     In gowns of black with silver laced, within the tented ring,
+     Eight Moors to fight the bull are placed, in presence of the King.
+
+     Eight Moorish lords of valour tried, with stalwart arm and true,
+     The onset of the beasts abide, as they come rushing through;
+     The deeds they’ve done, the spoils they’ve won,
+         fill all with hope and trust
+     Yet, ’ere high in heaven appears the sun, they all have bit the dust!
+
+     Then sounds the trumpet clearly, then clangs the loud tambour,
+     Make room, make room for Gazul!--throw wide, throw wide the door!
+     Blow, blow the trumpet clearer still! more loudly strike the drum!
+     The Alcaydé of Algava to fight the bull doth come.
+
+     And first before the King he passed, with reverence stooping low,
+     And next he bowed him to the Queen and th’ Infantas all a-rowe;
+     Then to his lady’s grace he turned, and she to him did throw
+     A scarf from out her balcony was whiter than the snow.
+
+     With the life-blood of the slaughtered lords all slippery is the sand,
+     Yet proudly in the centre hath Gazul ta’en his stand;
+     And ladies look with heaving breast, and lords with anxious eye,
+     But firmly he extends his arm--his look is calm and high.
+
+     Three bulls against the knight are loosed, and two come roaring on,
+     He rises high in stirrup, forth stretching his rejón;
+     Each furious beast upon the breast he deals him such a blow,
+     He blindly totters and gives back across the sand to go.
+
+    “Turn, Gazul, turn!” the people cry: the third comes up behind,
+     Low to the sand his head holds he, his nostrils snuff the wind;
+     The mountaineers that lead the steers without stand whispering low,
+    “Now thinks this proud Alcaydé to stun _Harpado_ so?”
+
+     From Guadiana comes he not, he comes not from Xenil,
+     From Gaudalarif of the plain, or Barves of the hill;
+     But where from out the forest burst Xarama’s waters clear,
+     Beneath the oak-trees was he nursed, this proud and stately steer.
+
+     Dark is his hide on either side, but the blood within doth boil,
+     And the dun hide glows, as if on fire, as he paws to the turmoil.
+     His eyes are jet, and they are set in crystal rings of snow;
+     But now they stare with one red glare of brass upon the foe.
+
+     Upon the forehead of the bull the horns stand close and near,
+     From out the broad and wrinkled skull like daggers they appear;
+     His neck is massy, like the trunk of some old knotted tree,
+     Whereon the monster’s shaggy mane, like billows curled, ye see,
+
+     His legs are short, his hams are thick, his hoofs are black as night,
+     Like a strong flail he holds his tail in fierceness of his might;
+     Like something molten out of iron, or hewn from forth the rock,
+     _Harpado_ of Xarama stands, to bide the Alcaydé’s shock.
+
+     Now stops the drum; close, close they come; thrice meet,
+          and thrice give back;
+     The white foam of _Harpado_ lies on the charger’s breast of black;
+     The white foam of the charger on _Harpado’s_ front of dun;
+     Once more advance upon his lance--once more, thou fearless one!
+
+     Once more, once more! in dust and gore to ruin must thou reel!
+     In vain, in vain thou tearest the sand with furious heel!
+     In vain, in vain, thou noble beast! I see, I see thee stagger,
+     Now keen and cold thy neck must hold the stern Alcaydé’s dagger!
+
+     They have slipped a noose around his feet, six horses are brought in,
+     And away they drag _Harpado_ with a loud and joyful din;
+     Now stoop thee, lady, from thy stand, and the ring of price bestow,
+     Upon Gazul of Algava, that hath laid _Harpado_ low.
+
+
+THE BRIDAL OF ANDALLA.
+
+The following exquisitely tender ballad has been often imitated by
+modern poets:
+
+    “Rise up, rise up, Xarifa! lay the golden cushion down;
+     Rise up, come to the window, and gaze with all the town!
+     From gay guitar and violin the silver notes are flowing,
+     And the dulcet lute doth speak between the trumpet’s lordly blowing;
+     And banners bright from lattice light are waving everywhere,
+     And the tall, tall plume of our cousin’s bridegroom floats
+          proudly in the air;
+     Rise up, rise up, Xarifa! lay the golden cushion down:
+     Rise up, come to the window, and gaze with all the town!
+
+    “Arise, arise Xarifa! I see Andalla’s face--
+     He bends him to the people with a calm and princely grace;
+     Through all the land of Xeres and banks of Guadalquivir,
+     Rode forth bridegroom so brave as he, so brave and lovely never,
+
+     Yon tall plume waving o’er his brow, of purple mixed with white,
+     I guess ’twas wreathed by Zara, whom he will wed to-night:--
+     Rise up, rise up, Xarifa! lay the golden cushion down:
+     Rise up, come to the window, and gaze with all the town!
+
+    “What aileth thee, Xarifa? what makes thine eyes look down?
+     Why stay ye from the window far, nor gaze with all the town?
+     I’ve heard you say on many a day, and sure you said the truth,
+     Andalla rides without a peer, ’mong all Granada’s youth;
+     Without a peer he rideth, and yon milk-white horse doth go
+     Beneath his stately master, with a stately step and slow:--
+     Then rise, oh! rise, Xarifa! lay the golden cushion down;
+     Unseen here through the lattice, you may gaze with all the town!”
+
+     The Zegri lady rose not, nor laid her cushion down,
+     Nor came she to the window to gaze with all the town;
+     But though her eyes dwelt on her knee, in vain her fingers strove,
+     And though her needle press’d the silk, no flower Xarifa wove;
+     One bonny rosebud she had traced, before the noise drew nigh;
+     That bonny bud a tear effaced, slow drooping from her eye.
+    “No, no!” she sighs; “bid me not rise, nor lay my cushion down,
+     To gaze upon Andalla with all the gazing town!”
+
+    “Why rise ye not, Xarifa? nor lay your cushion down?
+     Why gaze ye not, Xarifa, with all the gazing town?
+     Hear, hear the trumpet, how it swells, and how the people cry!
+     He steps at Zara’s palace-gate--why sit ye still?--oh, why?”
+
+      “At Zara’s gate stops Zara’s mate; in him shall I discover
+       The dark-eyed youth pledged me his truth with tears, and was my lover?
+       I will not rise, with weary eyes, nor lay my cushion down,
+       To gaze on false Andalla with all the gazing town!”
+
+
+ZARA’S EAR-RINGS.
+
+    “My ear-rings! my ear-rings! they’ve dropped into the well,
+     And what to say to Músa, I cannot, cannot tell;”
+     ’Twas thus, Granada’s fountain by, spoke Albuharez’ daughter--
+    “The well is deep--far down they lie, beneath the cold blue water;
+     To me did Músa give them, when he spake his sad farewell,
+     And what to say when he comes back, alas! I cannot tell.
+
+    “My ear-rings! my ear-rings!--they were pearls, in silver set,
+     That, when my Moor was far away, I ne’er should him forget;
+     That I ne’er to another tongue should list, nor smile on other’s tale,
+     But remember he my lips had kissed, pure as those ear-rings pale,
+     When he comes back, and hears that I have dropped them in the well,
+     Oh! what will Músa think of me!--I cannot, cannot tell!
+
+    “My ear-rings! my ear-rings!--he’ll say they should have been,
+     Not of pearl and of silver, but of gold and glittering sheen,
+     Of jasper and of onyx, and of diamond shining clear,
+     Changing to the changing light, with radiance insincere;
+     That changeful mind unchanging gems are not befitting well;
+     Thus will he think--and what to say, alas! I cannot tell.
+
+    “He’ll think, when I to market went, I loitered by the way;
+     He’ll think a willing ear I lent to all the lads might say;
+     He’ll think some other lover’s hand among my tresses noosed,
+     From the ears where he had placed them my rings of pearl unloosed;
+     He’ll think, when I was sporting so beside this marble well,
+     My pearls fell in--and what to say, alas! I cannot tell.
+
+    “He’ll say, I am a woman, and we are all the same;
+     He’ll say, I loved, when he was here, to whisper of his flame,
+     But, when he went to Tunis, my virgin troth had broken,
+     And thought no more of Músa, and cared not for his token.
+     My ear-rings! my ear-rings! oh, luckless, luckless well!
+     For what to say to Músa, alas! I cannot tell.
+
+    “I’ll tell the truth to Músa--and I hope he will believe,
+     That I thought of him at morning, and thought of him at eve:
+     That, musing on my lover, when down the sun was gone,
+     His ear-rings in my hand I held, by the fountain all alone;
+     And that my mind was o’er the sea, when from my hand they fell,
+     And that deep his love lies near my heart, as they lie in the well!”
+
+
+THE LAMENTATION FOR CELIN.
+
+     At the gate of old Granada, when all its bolts are barred,
+     At twilight, at the Vega-gate, there is a trampling heard;
+     There is a trampling heard, as of horses treading slow,
+     And a weeping voice of women, and a heavy sound of woe!
+    “What tower is fallen, what star is set, what chief comes here bewailing?”
+    “A tower is fallen, a star is set!--Alas! alas for Celin!”
+     Three times they knock, three times they cry, and wide the
+          doors they throw;
+     Dejectedly they enter, and mournfully they go;
+     In gloomy lines they mustering stand, beneath the hollow porch,
+     Each horseman grasping in his hand a black and flaming torch;
+     Wet is each eye as they go by, and all around is wailing,
+     For all have heard the misery.--Alas! alas for Celin!
+
+     Him, yesterday, a Moor did slay, of Ben-cerraji’s blood--
+     ’Twas at the solemn jousting--around the nobles stood;
+     The nobles of the land were by, and ladies bright and fair
+     Looked from their latticed windows, the haughty sight to share;
+     But now the nobles all lament--the ladies are bewailing--
+     He was Granada’s darling knight.--Alas! alas for Celin!
+
+     Before him ride his vassals, in order two by two,
+     With ashes on their turbans spread, most pitiful to view;
+     Behind him his four sisters, each wrapped in sable veil,
+     Between the tambour’s dismal strokes take up their doleful tale;
+     When stops the muffled drum, ye hear their brotherless bewailing,
+     And all the people, far and near, cry--“Alas! alas for Celin!”
+
+     Oh! lovely lies he on the bier, above the purple pall,
+     The flower of all Granada’s youth, the loveliest of them all:
+     His dark, dark eyes are closed, his rosy lip is pale,
+     The crust of blood lies black and dim upon his burnished mail;
+     And evermore the hoarse tambour breaks in upon their wailing,
+     Its sound is like no earthly sound--Alas! alas for Celin!
+
+     The Moorish maid at the lattice stands, the Moor stands at his door;
+     One maid is wringing of her hands, and one is weeping sore;
+     Down to the dust men bow their heads, and ashes black they strew
+     Upon their broidered garments, of crimson, green, and blue;
+     Before each gate the bier stands still, then bursts the loud bewailing,
+     From door and lattice high and low--“Alas! alas for Celin!”
+
+     An old, old woman cometh forth, when she hears the people cry--
+     Her hair is white as silver, like horn her glazing eye:
+     ’Twas she that nursed him at her breast--that nursed him long ago;
+     She knows not whom they all lament, but soon she well shall know!
+     With one deep shriek, she thro’ doth break, when her ears
+          receive their wailing,
+    “Let me kiss my Celin ere I die.--Alas! alas for Celin!”
+
+[Illustration: ARCH OF THE WINE GATE.]
+
+[Illustration: PLAN, ELEVATION, AND DETAILS OF THE GATE OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: TRANSVERSE SECTION OF THE HALL OF JUSTICE.]
+
+[Illustration: FAÇADE OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+[Illustration: SECTION OF THE PAVILION IN THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: DETAIL OF THE CENTRAL ARCH OF THE COURT OF THE LIONS.]
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE BALCONY OF LINDARAJA.]
+
+[Illustration: TRANSVERSE SECTION OF THE MOSQUE.]
+
+
+
+
+Index.
+
+
+Frontispiece
+
+Dedication
+
+Preface, v., vii.
+
+Preface To Second Edition
+
+Introduction, xxv.-liv.
+
+
+Abencerrages, 10, 103-112, 149, 150
+
+Abou Hud, 22
+
+Abu-l-hasen, King of Granada (father of Boabdil), 10, 14, 17, 18
+
+Abu’ Abdillah (Boabdil), 10, 17, 18, 107, 108, 422
+
+Acequia Court, 414.
+
+Alcarraza, xxxvi.
+
+Alcazába, xxxv.
+
+Alfonso XIII., King of Spain, xxxi., 21
+
+Alfonso the Wise, 449
+
+Algibes, xxxv.
+
+Alhama, 108
+
+Alhambra:--Album, ix.;
+  Begun, 26;
+  Completed, 32;
+  Diagrams of Principle of Ornament, xlv.;
+  Exterior, 4;
+  Fire in the Hall of the Barque, viii.;
+  Frets, xli., xlii.;
+  Courts, Halls, and Towers of, 35;
+  Inscriptions, Mosaics, and Panels, xxxv., xxxvi.;
+  Miscellaneous Ornament, xlvii.;
+  Museum in the, 352-356; Ornament, xli.;
+  Pavements, xxxix., xl.;
+  Vases, 77, 95, 99;
+  Views of, 3, 5, 7.
+  _See_ also “List of Illustrations” in front of volume
+
+Al-makkarí, xxx., xxxi., 439
+
+Alonzo X., 26
+
+Alonzo de Valiza, 401
+
+Alonzo XI., 30, 31
+
+Ambassadors, Hall of, 28, 244-304
+
+“Andalus,” Etymology of, xxxi.
+
+Andalusians, Superiority of, xxx.
+
+_Antigüedades Arabes de España_, 20
+
+Appendix, 449
+
+Ayeshah, 10
+
+Azulejo Tiles, xxxix.
+
+
+Bacon, Lord, 13
+
+Bádís Ibn Hábus, 430
+
+Ballads:--Moresco-Spanish, 449;
+  The Flight from Granada, 451, 452;
+  The Death of Don Alonzo de Aguilar, 453, 455;
+  The Bull-Fight of Gazul, 455, 457;
+  The Bridal of Andalla, 457, 458;
+  Zara’s Ear-rings, 458, 459;
+  The Lamentation for Celin, 459, 460
+
+Barnardo del Carpio, 450
+
+Barque, Hall of the, 244
+
+Bas-relief, 355
+
+Baths, The, 28, 31, 324-327
+
+Boabdil, _see_ Abu’ Abdillah
+
+
+Cabra, Count of, 17
+
+Campotejar, Marquis of, 422
+
+Casa del Carbon, 430, 439
+
+Casa del Gallo de Viento, 430
+
+Casa Sanchez, 439
+
+Casa Real, the Spanish name for the Alhambra, xxxii.
+
+Cathedral of Granada, 13
+
+Charcoal, House of, 430, 439
+
+Charles V., xxxv., 19, 356, 364
+
+Charles Martel, 2
+
+Cid, The, “el Campeador,” 450
+
+Cisterns, Place of the, xxxv., 356
+
+Colours employed by the Moors, liii.
+
+Columbus, 13
+
+Contreras, Don Mariano, viii., xxxii.
+
+Contreras, Don Raphaël, viii., ix., xxxii.
+
+Conveyancing, Curious practice of, 401
+
+Coppeé, Henry, xl.
+
+Córdova, 4, 17
+
+Cuarto Real, _see_ Generalife
+
+
+D’Abrantes, Duke, 439
+
+Darro, 10, 414
+
+De Solis, Isabel, 8, 9
+
+Dolgorouki, Prince, vii.
+
+Dozy, Professor, ix., xxx., xl.
+
+
+Elizabeth of Parma, 19, 335
+
+English Elms at Granada, 35
+
+Ez-zaghal, 10, 18
+
+
+Ferdinand, the Saint, 23, 24, 26
+
+Ferdinand VII., 35
+
+Ferdinand and Isabella, 10, 13, 17, 18, 19, 422
+
+Fernando of Talavera, Archbishop of Granada, 14
+
+Fish-pond, Court of the, xxxv., 28, 32, 150, 191, 192, 195
+
+Ford, Richard, ix., 13, 35, 401
+
+
+Gayángos, Don Pascual de, ix., xxx., xxxi., xl., 323
+
+Geb-al-Tárik, 1, 5
+
+Generalife, The, 401, 402, 414, 422, 429, 430, 439
+
+Gibraltar, 1
+
+Gold Coin of Mohammed I., 20, 21
+
+Gonzalez, Fernan, of Castile, 450
+
+Goury, Jules, xlv., lv., 48
+
+Granada, xxix., 2, 4, 6, 9, 15, 414
+
+Guadix, 408, 413
+
+
+Homage Tower, 352
+
+
+Ibnu Battútah, xxviii.
+
+Ibnu-l-khattib, xxviii., xxix., 402, 413
+
+Illustrations, List of, xi.-xix.
+
+Illustrations, List of coloured, xxii.-xxv.
+
+Irving, Washington, ix., xl., 7, 19, 37, 331, 335, 364
+
+Isabella and Ferdinand, 10, 13, 17, 18, 19
+
+Isabel de Solis, “The Captive,” 8, 9, 11
+
+Isma’il-Ibn-Faraj, 402
+
+Jaen, 23
+
+James the Conqueror, 23
+
+Jennatu-l-’arif, _see_ Generalife
+
+Jones, Owen, viii., xliv., lv.
+
+Justice, Gate of, xxxv., 28, 29, 36, 37, 38
+
+Justice, Hall of, 38, 41, 42, 47, 48, 65
+
+
+Katherine of Aragon, 13, 38
+
+
+Ladies’ Tower, 352
+
+Lane-Poole, Stanley, ix.
+
+Lerma, Duke of, 6
+
+Lewis, John F., viii.
+
+“Lindaraja,” 67, 71, 328, 329
+
+Lions, Court of the, 195-244
+
+Lockhart, J. G., 449-460
+
+Lucena, 10, 17
+
+
+Macafreto, 401
+
+Machuca, Pedro, 364
+
+Malaga, 18, 29, 414
+
+Martos, 10
+
+Mint within the Alhambra, 20
+
+Mohammed I., xxvii., 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 51
+
+Mohammed V., xxvii., 402, 407, 408, 413
+
+Mohammed VI., 408, 413, 414
+
+Mohammed XII. (Ez-zaghal), 10, 18
+
+Moorish Ornament, xli.-liii.
+
+Moors, Final Expulsion of the, 5
+
+“Morning Star,” 10
+
+Mosque, The, 49, 304-324
+
+Motto of Mohammed I. and his successors, 25, 51
+
+Muhammed Hayat Khan, xli.
+
+Muley Hasen, _see_ Abu-l-hasen, King of Granada
+
+Murphy, J. C., viii., lv.
+
+Musa, 5, and foot-note
+
+Museum of the Alhambra, 352, 356;
+  Bas-relief, 355;
+  Vase, 77, 95
+
+
+Pedro I., 408, 413, 414
+
+Peninsular War, 19
+
+Peyron, Mr., 422
+
+Philip of Castile, 27
+
+Philip III., 6
+
+Philip V., 19, 335
+
+
+Queen’s Dressing-room, 331
+
+
+Saint Ferdinand, Academy of, 20
+
+Sanchez, House of, 439
+
+Salado, Battle of, 29
+
+Seville, 4, 24, 26
+
+Silla del Moro, 422
+
+Swinburne, Henry, 422
+
+
+Tablada, 413
+
+“Tanto Monta,” lv.
+
+Tarif, 1
+
+Tárik, 1, 5
+
+Tendilla, Count of, 14, 17
+
+Tours, 1
+
+Tower of “The Captive,” 351, 352
+
+Tower of Comares, 336, _see_ Hall of Ambassadors
+
+Tower of the Infantas, 351, 352
+
+Tower of the Peaks, 336, 414
+
+Tower of the Seven Stages, 335
+
+Two Sisters, Hall of the, 28, 30, 65-103;
+  Verses in the, 70-75
+
+
+Vega, or Plain of Granada, 9
+
+Votive Altar (Roman), Embedded in the Masonry of the Alhambra, 352
+
+
+Watt, H. E., xli.
+
+Weather-cock, House of the, 430, 439
+
+Welíd (Sultán), 5
+
+Wellington, Duke of, 35
+
+“Wine Gate,” xxxv., 28, 29, 356
+
+
+Ximenez, 13
+
+
+Yonge, Charlotte M., xli.
+
+Yúsuf, I. (Abu-el-Hejaj), xxvii., xxix., 28-34, 402
+
+Yúsuf II., 414
+
+
+Zacatin, 430
+
+Záwí, xxvii.
+
+Zegris, 10
+
+Zoraya, the “Morning Star,” 10
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+                             THE ALHAMBRA
+
+                         BY ALBERT F. CALVERT
+
+               _UNIFORM WITH “MOORISH REMAINS IN SPAIN”_
+
+
+                         _SOME PRESS OPINIONS_
+
+“A remarkable representation of the chief features of a building that
+has been, for six centuries, one of the wonders of the world.”--_Times._
+
+“The standard work upon a splendid subject.”--_Daily Telegraph._
+
+“Affords an inviting opportunity of studying this beautiful example of
+Moorish art.”--_Morning Post._
+
+“A treasure to the student of decorative art.”--_Morning Advertiser._
+
+“Seems to have been a labour of love.”--_Sporting Life._
+
+“Superb pictorial guide.”--_Sportsman._
+
+“It is a book apart.”--_Manchester Courier._
+
+“The final book on the Alhambra.”--_Sussex Daily News._
+
+“Takes high rank among the lavish books.”--_Financial News._
+
+“Among the most important art books which have been
+published.”--_Globe._
+
+“For any adequate idea of its beauty one must go to the book
+itself.”--_Echo._
+
+“Altogether an attractive volume.”--_Sunday Special._
+
+“Exercises on the reader something of the fascination which inspired its
+production.”--_Observer._
+
+“Will contribute as much as anything to bringing home to men’s minds the
+greatness of the Moors.”--_Reynolds._
+
+“Helps one to realise the wonder and the glory of the Alhambra in a way
+that few other books can do.”--_Lloyds._
+
+“As a history it is conciseness itself.”--_Outlook._
+
+“The coloured plates ... alone are worth the price of the
+volume.”--_Academy._
+
+“A monumental work.”--_Bristol Mercury._
+
+“A notable work of art.”--_Lowestoft Standard._
+
+“It is the last word on the subject.”--_Nottingham Express._
+
+“One of the most sumptuous of modern tomes.”--_Newcastle Chronicle._
+
+“The most adequate illustrated souvenir.”--_Scotsman._
+
+“A remarkable masterpiece of book production.”--_Eastern Daily Press._
+
+“A magnificent work.”--_Melbourne Age._
+
+“Few writers would be better qualified to describe the
+Alhambra.”--_Bookseller._
+
+“The most complete record ... which has ever been contemplated, much
+less attempted.”--_British Architect._
+
+“One of the most magnificent books ever issued from the English
+Press.”--_Building World._
+
+“In every way well produced.”--_Building News._
+
+“Instructive and attractive.”--_Field._
+
+“We have seldom had a more pleasurable task than that of reviewing
+it.”--_Commercial Intelligence._
+
+“A fitting memorial of one of the greatest of human
+achievements.”--_Review of Reviews._
+
+“We shall be surprised if collectors of valuable books on art do not
+rush to become possessed of it.”--_Public Opinion._
+
+“Artistically excellent.”--_Guardian._
+
+“Quite the most beautiful book upon the Alhambra issued in
+England.”--_Sphere._
+
+“One of the most artistic productions of the year.”--_Publishers’
+Circular._
+
+“One of the most detailed and sumptuous works on the Alhambra that has
+come under our notice.”--_Yachtsman._
+
+“It may be doubted if Irving or any other visitor would perceive as much
+of the beauty of the Alhambra.”--_Liverpool Courier._
+
+“A monumental work ... perfect in description and equally perfect in
+artistic illustration.”--_Sheffield Telegraph._
+
+“At once an instruction and a delight.”--_Lancashire Post._
+
+“Will afford ... exquisite delight.”--_Western Daily Press._
+
+“An ineffable delight to every lover of the beautiful.”--_Dundee
+Advertiser._
+
+“Very exceptional interest and attractiveness.”--_Glasgow Herald._
+
+“A perfect treasure of beauty and delight.”--_Keighley News._
+
+“One of the most beautiful books of modern times.”--_Ely Gazette._
+
+“No traveller could desire a more sumptuous remembrancer.”--_To-day._
+
+“A very handsome art-work.”--_Melbourne Argus._
+
+                       MOORISH REMAINS IN SPAIN
+
+                         BY ALBERT F. CALVERT
+
+                     _UNIFORM WITH “THE ALHAMBRA”_
+
+
+                         _SOME PRESS NOTICES_
+
+“This book is certainly a store-house of Moorish ornament; of plates and
+illustrations there are literally hundreds, numbers of them printed in
+colours and gold, drawn out geometrically.... The wealth of illustration
+cannot be gainsaid; and with it Mr. CALVERT has made a genuine and very
+successful attempt to grapple with the problem of the working out of the
+bases of the Moorish geometrical designs, so amazing in their ultimate
+intricacy. In a series of diagrams, nearly two hundred in number, the
+astonishing complexity of the designs based on the triangle, rectangle,
+pentagon, and hexagon is unravelled with a completeness that surpasses
+anything of the sort with which we are acquainted. It is an excellent
+piece of work, which gives Mr. CALVERT’S book a real value of its
+own.”--_Times._
+
+“Mr. ALBERT F. CALVERT has in this sumptuous volume produced an artistic
+_chef d’œuvre_ as well as a deeply interesting historical treatise on
+one of the most picturesque periods of European history. Here we have in
+a series of graphic word-pictures the marvellous exploits of the Moors
+in the Peninsula, the foundation of an empire which lasted for several
+centuries, and has left marks of its eminence in arts and in learning,
+in a record of brilliant scholars and in architectural remains which are
+still the wonder of travellers. The influence of Moorish art is still
+felt among nations to whom the word Saracen is but a name, and Mr.
+CALVERT has performed a useful work in bringing together for the benefit
+of artists and students the masterpieces which the ravages of time,
+neglect, and hatred have still spared in Spain.... Mr. CALVERT deals in
+these pages with Cordova, Seville, and Toledo, and gives us drawings of
+the most famous Moorish buildings therein, with complete details of the
+wonderful decorative art lavished upon them by now forgotten architects
+and artists. These are faithfully reproduced in the illustrations, which
+form a veritable treasure-house of suggestion for moderns. The author
+has, indeed, brought Spain to the doors of Englishmen who are unable to
+visit that country, and placed its treasures fully before them. It only
+remains to add that the volume is produced in a style worthy of the
+object.”--_Daily Telegraph._
+
+“A volume which is not only rich in elaborate reproductions of Moorish
+designs in outline and colour, but is animated by a warm admiration for
+the great race which has left us so many tributes to beauty. Modestly as
+Mr. CALVERT states his claims, the reader should not neglect his
+eloquent introduction, in which he reminds us that it was to the Moslem
+Spain first owed some permanent national organisation.... The present
+condition of the monuments which remain is briefly described in
+subsequent chapters dealing with Cordova, Seville, and Toledo. Mr.
+CALVERT’S thorough study of Arabian work enables him to give the student
+valuable aid in distinguishing what are the monuments which belong to
+the golden age of Islamic achievement. He shows how little there is of
+this time in Seville, though Spanish taste endeavoured to maintain the
+tradition for four centuries after the Moorish spirit had given way
+before the conquering Christian.”--_Morning Post._
+
+“The book gives a vivid idea of the present state and former
+magnificence of Moorish buildings in the three Spanish cities which its
+author now describes; while the illustrations, which include upwards of
+eighty coloured plates, and an immense number of photographic halftones,
+are exceptionally good.”--_Standard._
+
+“An examination of the book reveals at once the fact that it is very
+well illustrated; while the author brings to his work an unmistakable
+freshness and vigour, brought about by prolonged visits to the places
+described, and gives evidence of the possession of the observing eye and
+a facility for expressive description.”--_Evening Standard._
+
+“It is really impossible to do justice, in a journal of this kind, to
+the sumptuous volume (its price is two guineas and the book is worth it)
+before us. To do that--to give the reader any adequate notion of the
+beauty of the illustrations with which it is enriched--we should have to
+summon all the resources of the colour printer’s art to our assistance,
+in order to reproduce them in a special _edition de luxe_ of the
+“P.M.G.” Inasmuch as that is not to be done, we must ask the reader to
+take it on trust from us that the illustrations of Moorish decorative
+art are something quite out of the common.... The making of this book
+must, surely, have been a labour of love; and love’s labour has
+certainly not been lost.”--_Pall Mall Gazette._
+
+“_Qui multum peregrinatur, raro sanctificatur_ runs the old monkish saw;
+but we find its living contradiction in Mr. CALVERT. This modern Jason
+set out to Western Australia in quest of gold. Adventuring into deserts,
+he found what he sought and returned home content, only to set forth
+again on further pilgrimages; which, if the evidence of our eyes is to
+be trusted, have resulted in the discovery of still more gold. Verily
+there is a profusion of it in this book; but its liberal use has paid
+the fee of sanctification. We cheerfully admit Mr. CALVERT into the
+ranks of those whom posterity will applaud for delightful yet
+unprofitable work.”--_Outlook._
+
+“This valuable and profusely-illustrated volume is designed to be the
+companion and complementary volume to the same author’s work on the
+Alhambra.... Mr. CALVERT’S frequent and protracted visits to Spain
+caused him to realise that the Moors were not a one-city nation, and
+that there were splendid remains of earlier Mohammedan architecture and
+decoration in Cordova, Seville, and Toledo. Moorish work of these three
+cities forms the theme of the present volume, in which, as in the book
+on the Alhambra, the letterpress is made subservient to the
+illustrations. The supply of pictures is at once lavish and
+excellent.... The colouring and the elaboration of the designs of
+various schemes of Moorish ornamentation, apart from general
+architectural effects, are often marvellous, and almost bewildering,
+both in the boldness of their conception and in the intricacy of their
+pattern.”--_Guardian._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT has produced a beautiful book.... It is illustrated with so
+lavish a richness of colour that to turn its pages gives one at first
+almost the same impression of splendour as one receives in wandering
+from hall to hall of the Alcazar of Seville: and this is probably the
+highest compliment we could pay to the book or its author.”--_Academy._
+
+“This is one of the books to which a simply literary review cannot
+pretend to do justice. Mr. CALVERT gives a brief record of the Moorish
+conquest of Spain, but the main purpose of his book is to bring before
+the English reader the art, architectural and decorative, of the
+people.... In this volume he deals with and presents, with great wealth
+of illustration, the relics of their achievement in Cordova, Seville,
+and Toledo.... The book seems worthy of the subject, and we would gladly
+give a more effective description of its many beauties.”--_Spectator._
+
+“As a production it is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful we have
+seen, the illustrations and colour printing, being exquisite. The author
+evidently knows his subject well, as the description in detail of
+Cordova, Seville, and Toledo range far and above any other publication.
+It is certainly one of the most interesting books of the
+year.”--_Crown._
+
+“A truly sumptuous volume.”--_Speaker._
+
+“This sumptuous volume.”--_Westminster Gazette._
+
+“Scholarly and richly illustrated volume.... Although he himself
+deprecates the value of the essays accompanying the illustrations of his
+book, declaring his purpose to have been rather to present a picture
+than to chronicle the romances of Spanish-Morisco art, Mr. CALVERT has
+given a very complete and deeply-interesting account of the evolution of
+that art, which he has skilfully combined with a condensed history of
+the people who produced it.”--_Connoisseur._
+
+“Just when the new Spanish marriage is attracting attention to a country
+of departed greatness, Mr. CALVERT’S volume appears with the courtliest
+of dedications to His Majesty Alfonso XIII. In many respects this
+handsome volume is a timely wedding present for his Spanish Majesty, as
+it is a gorgeous literary tribute to the beauty of the jewels in the
+Spanish Crown--Cordova, Seville, and Toledo. Mr. CALVERT is an
+enthusiast and an antiquary.... The author himself allows us to regard
+his volume in the main as a picture book, and we can imagine that many a
+designer who eschews the noble simplicity of fresh forms and the
+Christian aspiration of Gothic art will turn with profit to the wealth
+of plates here bestowed. The coloured plates are gorgeous rather than
+delicate; for that we must thank the Moors, and marvel at the
+inventiveness of their artist geometricians.”--_Antiquary._
+
+“Already in his _Alhambra_ Mr. CALVERT has shown his keen appreciation
+of the beauties of Spanish-Moresco architecture combined with an insight
+into its special characteristics and a recognition of the manner in
+which those characteristics reflect the idiosyncracies of its builders.
+The present volume deals chiefly with the Cathedral Mosque of Cordova,
+the Alcazar of Seville, and the less important relics of Moorish art at
+Toledo, bringing vividly before the imagination the almost bewildering
+richness of design, with the infinite variety, yet intrinsic simplicity,
+of decorative motives, that set the art of the Moors apart from that of
+any other people, the creators of the marvellous palaces and tombs of
+India not excepted.... Though Mr. CALVERT relies mainly on the copious
+illustrations of his book to impress upon the spectator the beauty of
+the survivals of Moorish art in Spain, he supplements his descriptions
+of them with a history of the Moors during the eight centuries of the
+domination in Spain. To the actual story of the three typical towns
+selected Mr. CALVERT has added a very interesting and richly-illustrated
+chapter on the general principles of Arab ornament.”--_Studio._
+
+“An interesting, well-written, and illuminative work, sumptuously
+illustrated and tasteful alike in method and detail. Mr. CALVERT is to
+be heartily congratulated. His admirable work on the Alhambra, to which
+the present volume is designed to be complementary, showed him to be not
+merely a careful and appreciative student of Moorish art, but a
+connoisseur possessed of remarkable powers of discrimination. Of the new
+book before us we can at once say that it is in every way worthy of its
+fascinating subject, and a fitting companion to its predecessor.... The
+exquisiteness of the Mosque Cathedral of Cordova, and the superb tracery
+and decoration of the Alcazar of Seville, are here adequately revealed,
+perhaps for the first time. Indeed, to the traveller familiar with these
+wonders of Moorish delicacy, the present volume will reveal new
+beauties. Mr. CALVERT, as in his previous work, has made his letterpress
+subservient to his illustrations, and the illustrations are given with a
+minuteness and faithfulness of detail and colour, which will be
+particularly appreciated and acknowledged by those who are most
+acquainted with the subjects themselves.”--_Liverpool Post._
+
+“For his history and description of the mark which the Moor has left on
+Toledo, Cordova, and Seville, Mr. CALVERT has consulted many
+authorities, and has produced a useful and well-written letterpress
+which is in style touched by the colour and romance of the subject....
+Certainly the marvellous loveliness and richness and intricacy of
+detail, as well as the vastness of extent of boldness of conception of
+the relics of Moorish art in the three cities named, could not be more
+fully and vividly brought before the eyes than in this series of
+illustrations.... The great feature of the book is the series of eighty
+full-page coloured plates, in which the colour as well as form of the
+wonderful arabesque and diapering which distinguish the typical
+buildings of the best age of Moorish architecture in Spain, are shown
+with remarkable vividness and fidelity.”--_Scotsman._
+
+“It is only fitting that this important volume has been dedicated to the
+King of Spain, for it would be difficult to imagine a more sumptuous
+work illustrating the beautiful buildings which the Moors left behind
+them in the Peninsula to bear everlasting record to their taste and
+culture.... The illustrations are such a prominent feature of this
+volume that they claim our first attention. At the risk of being
+suspected of exaggeration we can only say that it is impossible to
+praise too highly the care with which they have been prepared. There are
+some hundreds of them, of which between eighty and ninety are exact
+reproductions in colour and gold of various portions of the marvellously
+beautiful decorations so beloved of the Moors and so characteristic of
+their work. The other illustrations are so numerous and well chosen as
+to give a perfect series of pictures of every portion of these Moorish
+buildings. Details of tracery, capitals of pillars, sections of friezes,
+decorations and roofs are pictured with absolute faithfulness, and as a
+treasure-house of Moorish art this book and its predecessor are, and
+will probably remain, unique. But by modestly remarking in his preface
+that he has made the letterpress subservient to the illustrations, the
+author has done himself a great injustice. Not only is the book
+carefully thought out and well arranged, but it is written in a most
+sympathetic spirit, and abounds in passages of real
+eloquence.”--_Birmingham Daily Post._
+
+“This handsome volume is the complement of Mr. CALVERT’S work on the
+Alhambra, and, like its predecessor, is lavishly illustrated.... The
+illustrations have been chosen with excellent taste, and executed with
+considerable skill.... It would be difficult to find anything more
+representative in their respective ways.”--_Manchester Guardian._
+
+                         IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN
+
+                         BY ALBERT F. CALVERT
+
+                          _8vo. 10s. 6d. NET_
+
+
+                         _SOME PRESS OPINIONS_
+
+“Covers a great deal of ground, and treats a great many
+subjects.”--_Times._
+
+“Is full of that true knowledge which comes of sympathy, and is both
+more trustworthy and more agreeable than many more pretentious
+volumes.”--_Morning Post._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT lends to his theme freshness of colour, detail, and good
+judgment.”--_Daily Mail._
+
+“No work of recent times so adequately depicts Spain and its people with
+so sympathetic an appreciation of its greatness and charm.”--_Daily
+News._
+
+“Its charm consists in the author’s whole-hearted enthusiasm for his
+subject.... Must infect the most hostile reader.”--_Pall Mall Gazette._
+
+“A most acceptable addition to the literature of travel.”--_Morning
+Advertiser._
+
+“We can heartily recommend this book.”--_Field._
+
+“Can be honestly recommended to anyone desirous of acquiring a knowledge
+of Spain.”--_Court Circular._
+
+“The author may be congratulated on a work that is by far the best he
+has produced.”--_Mining Journal._
+
+“Ought to be in the hands of everyone who would know something of the
+most maligned, and possibly, the most delectable country in
+Europe.”--_Bookseller._
+
+“Wholly charming.”--_Commercial Intelligence._
+
+“Cannot fail to stimulate interest in so fascinating a
+country.”--_Shipping Gazette._
+
+“Rarely have we seen a book that afforded us greater interest and
+pleasure.”--_Chamber of Commerce Journal._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT’S first aim has been to supply reliable information ...
+there can be no two opinions that he has succeeded.”--_Aberdeen Evening
+Express._
+
+“A magnificent volume ... the best which has been published abroad
+concerning Spain.”--_El Vanguardi_ (Barcelona).
+
+“An exquisitely tasteful volume.”--_El Diaro_ (Barcelona).
+
+“Written in a spirit of impartiality and justice worthy of all
+eulogy.”--_Diario de Barcelona._
+
+“To follow Mr. CALVERT ... is to be stirred with the keen desire to see
+something in person of this ancient and always remarkable
+country.”--_Leeds Mercury._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT’S interest is fresh and warm, and he is frankly
+enthusiastic about his subject.”--_Western Mail._
+
+“A very interesting series of pen pictures.”--_Birmingham Daily Mail._
+
+“Gives evidence of keen observation and power of deduction.”--_Western
+Daily Press._
+
+“Those who have read Mr. CALVERT’S books on Australia will be eager to
+welcome this new book from the same pen ... the same happy and skilful
+picturing power.”--_Western Morning News._
+
+“Makes surprisingly pleasant reading.”--_Hull Daily Mail._
+
+“Has many claims to favourable notice.”--_Ilford Guardian._
+
+“A vivid presentation of the country.”--_Bristol Mercury._
+
+“Very sympathetic and very well informed.”--_Midland Counties Herald._
+
+“One feels a strong desire to go to Spain, if only to share some of the
+pleasure which the author has experienced.”--_Preston Guardian._
+
+“A remarkable, beautiful and useful addition to the literature of
+Spanish travel.”--_East Anglian Times._
+
+“Contrives, without becoming prosy or dull in the slightest degree, to
+convey an immense amount of information.”--_Scotsman._
+
+“Full of colour and variety.”--_Glasgow Herald._
+
+“Fascinating because of its simplicity and realism.”--_Dundee
+Advertiser._
+
+“The work of a great traveller.... One of the most readable books of its
+kind we have come across.”--_Irish Times._
+
+“The whole of Spain will assuredly be grateful to the author for the
+publication of this volume.”--_La Publicidad_ (Madrid).
+
+“The author has rendered our country service by the publication of this
+work.”--_El Graduador_ (Alicante).
+
+“There is much of truth and justice in this study.”--_El Nervion_
+(Bilbao).
+
+                           LIFE OF CERVANTES
+
+                         BY ALBERT F. CALVERT
+
+                      _CROWN OCTAVO. 3s. 6d. NET_
+
+
+                         _SOME PRESS OPINIONS_
+
+“A popular and accessible account of the career of Cervantes.”--_Daily
+Chronicle._
+
+“An admirable, condensed biography.”--_Daily News._
+
+“Will appeal to a large number of readers.”--_Morning Post._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT is to be congratulated.”--_Standard._
+
+“A very readable and pleasant account of one of the greatest writers of
+all time.”--_Morning Leader._
+
+“We recommend the book to all those to whom Cervantes is more than a
+mere name.”--_Westminster Gazette._
+
+“A timely production ... written in a straightforward, unaffected style
+... supplies sufficient data to form a useful and readable
+narrative.”--_Globe._
+
+“The illustrations include ... a fascinating collection of title-pages
+and illustrations from the various editions of _Don Quixote_.”--_Star._
+
+“Nothing could be more useful than this careful and authoritative
+book.”--_Vanity Fair._
+
+“Is made trebly interesting by the very complete set of Cervantes’
+portraits it contains.”--_Black and White._
+
+“Nothing better could be desired.”--_Literary World._
+
+“It is very well written ... a really capital and most interesting
+little book.”--_Queen._
+
+“Thoroughly interesting and readable ... contains a wealth of
+information which should be greatly appreciated by all lovers of the
+chivalrous knight.”--_Dublin Express._
+
+“A most interesting resumé of all the facts up to the present time
+known.”--_El Nervion_ (Bilbao).
+
+“A complete and conscientious study.... The most notable work dedicated
+to the immortal author of _Don Quixote_ that has been published in
+England.”--_El Graduador_ (Alicante).
+
+“An excellent little volume.”--_Graphic._
+
+“A well-written book ... specially valuable for the collection of the
+proverbs of Cervantes.”--_Christian Leader._
+
+“Terse and brief.... The work of an enthusiast who does not surrender
+his critical position, a careful historian, whose living interest in
+life is not stifled by his absorption in detail.”--_Christian World._
+
+“Those who have been interested in Cervantes ... could not do better
+than get it.”--_Society Pictorial._
+
+“A very timely little volume ... full of information and of convenient
+compass.”--_Onlooker._
+
+“A handy, compendious life.”--_Rapid Review._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT, who is an appreciative writer, has condensed his
+subject-matter, and given it an accurate, concise, and readable
+form.”--_Hampstead Express._
+
+“Not the least interesting part of the volume consists of the
+illustrations.”--_Glasgow Herald._
+
+“There is room at the present moment for this very readable
+account.”--_Dundee Advertiser._
+
+“Can be heartily recommended to all who want to know something of the
+life of Cervantes.”--_Nottingham Express._
+
+“Mr. CALVERT is entitled to the gratitude of book lovers for
+his industrious devotion at one of the greatest literary
+shrines.”--_Birmingham Post._
+
+“More than a biographical account ... the figure of Cervantes receives
+such a setting as only a man of letters and a scholar could give
+it.”--_Bristol Mercury._
+
+“Most excellent and attractive ... written with fulness of knowledge and
+refined appreciation of the merits of Spain’s greatest
+romancer.”--_Yorkshire Daily Post._
+
+“No Spaniard could have written it with more conscientiousness and
+enthusiasm.... All the plates are exquisite, and, as the historical
+narrative leaves nothing to be desired, the book constitutes a most
+opportune literary jewel.”--_El Defensor_ (Granada).
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Formerly _Illiberis_, the Roman town at the foot of the Sierra
+Nevada, about six miles from Granada.
+
+[2] _Kilaat Al-hamra_, the red castle.
+
+[3] _Sheníl_ is the _Singilis_ of the Romans. The name of another
+“considerable stream” of Granada--the Darro--is derived from _Hadároh_
+in Arabic, probably from _Hadár_, which means the rapidity with which
+a swollen river comes down from the mountains; a description well
+defining the character of the river Darro, which rushes down the
+hill-side and comes boiling along its channel at the foot.
+
+[4] The Moors were not finally expelled from Spain until 1610.
+
+[5] It is a little singular that not only the Arab Governor of North
+Africa, Viceroy of the Caliph Welid, who despatched from Ceuta the
+invading forces under Tarif and Geb-al-Tarik, bore this name; but,
+eight centuries afterwards, the gallant hero who alone was able to
+rouse the lethargic Boabdil from his stupor to make a last stand
+for Islam, bore it also. The name of Musa of Granada must always be
+honoured as that of a fearless knight who, disdaining to surrender,
+at the last rode through a score of Christian knights, killing many
+of them; and, when too weak to continue the struggle, threw himself,
+encumbered with armour, into the river Xenil, thus meeting his end.
+
+[6] The Conde de Tendilla, the first Alcayde of the Alhambra, raised
+the tomb to be seen in the Cathedral of Granada, where lies Fernando
+“the Good,” of Talavera, first Archbishop of Granada, who died 14th
+May, 1507. The Count inscribed it “_Amicus Amico_.”
+
+[7] “Boabdil” is a corruption of Abu’ Abdillah, or Boabdila, as the
+Spaniards pronounced the name. He was, in addition to his sobriquet
+of “the Unlucky,” also called As-sagher, or “the lesser” (el rey
+chico), to distinguish him from his uncle and successor, Abu’ Abdillah
+(Mohammed XII.)
+
+[8] In the Hall of the Ambassadors, or Golden Saloon, is an inscription
+referring to this:--“The best praise be given to Allah! I will remove
+all the effects of an Evil Eye upon our master Yúsuf.”
+
+[9] Edited by Pablo Lozano. The antiquities and history of the Moorish
+domination in Spain remained unheeded until representations were made
+that research and accurate delineation would alone make their monuments
+intelligible. The Royal Academy of St. Ferdinand was commissioned
+to make drawings of the Palace of the Alhambra and of the Mosque of
+Córdova. The result of their labours were published at Madrid, in
+1780, in a folio volume entitled as above, with sixteen plates of
+Arabic designs, accompanied by a few pages of letterpress. It is an
+exceedingly rare volume.
+
+[10] Madrid, 1780 (already referred to).
+
+[11] The Moorish fortress of Alhama was rightly regarded as one of the
+two “Keys” of Granada, Loja--the Lôsha of the Moors--ranking as the
+other. Loja was besieged by Ferdinand and Isabella, and captured, in
+1488, after thirty-four days’ investment; chiefly, it is said, by the
+aid of English archers under Earl Rivers, son of Anthony Wydeville,
+brother to Elizabeth, Queen of our Edward IV. Alhama had fallen 28th
+February, 1482, and its loss is the subject of the ballad referred to.
+
+[12] Such, at least, are the reasons given for the abandonment of the
+gigantic blocks of stone which were heaped up by Charles to rival the
+unsurpassable. It is said, however, that repeated shocks of earthquake
+frightened him out of the enterprise.
+
+[13] _Al-’arif_, in Spanish, _Alarife_, means “an inspector of public
+works”; and, according to Ibnu-l-Khattíb, the Grand Wizír of Yúsuf I.,
+and of his son, Mohammed V., the site of the Generalife belonged to a
+person of that profession before it passed into the hands of the Sultán
+_Isma’il-Ibn-Faraj_, who, in A.D. 1320, bought the land
+for a large sum, and built the palace as a delightful retreat from the
+cares of State.
+
+[14] Acequia Court. The Arab word is _Sákiyyah_, whence the Spanish
+_Acequia_ is derived. The word means an artificial or diverted running
+stream in a garden; or, a canal for the purpose of irrigation.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 64822 ***