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Alhambra: Palacio de los Abencerrajes (Abencerrajes Palace)

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Archaeological site of the Abencerrajes Palace
The image shows the archaeological site of the Abencerrajes Palace located in the upper area of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. According to historians, a beautiful palace with the characteristics of the Nasrid architecture and art once stood in this place.

Napoleon, who occupied the Alhambra from 1808 to 1812, was responsible for the destruction of buildings in this site. Upon his defeat, he ordered his retreating troops blew up the palace, including the Torre de Abencerrajes (Abencerrajes Tower).

The site was abandoned after the destruction. However, this changed in the 1930s when the restoration of the Alhambra started. After the discovery of artifacts of the Nasrid era around this area, the archaeologists took a keen interest in this site and started excavating different parts of the palace. The significant excavations took place in 1957, 1990, and 1991. The ruins you see are the results of the excavation and some restoration.

Before the destruction, the palace was known as the Palacio de la Contaduría (Accounting Palace) because the Christian kings who took over the Alhambra gave this area to the senior accountant of the Royal Council in 1501.

Attached to the Alhambra wall on the south side, the Abencerrajes Palace had multiple rooms on the east-side, and next to it and parallel to the wall had a court with a pond. The main road of the Medina, Calle Real, ran in front of the palace. There was a watchtower, now known as the Torre de los Abencerrajes, built on the wall on the west side and most-likely used for defensive and offensive purposes.

Related Images
Abencerrajes Palace – Archaeological Site
Foundations of the rooms in the Abencerrajes Palace
Torre de los Abencerrajes – Abencerrajes Tower
Patio de la Sultana – Sultana’s Court in the Generalife
Plaque describing the Abencerrajes Legend in the Patio de la Sultana
Cypress Tree of the Abencerrajes Legend Fame in the Patio de la Sultana
Sala de los Abencerrajes (Hall of the Abencerrajes) – A hall belonging to the Nasrid Palaces in the Alhambra

Related Pages
Alhambra
Palacios Nazaríes – Nasrid Palaces – A Shining Example of Moorish Art and Architecture
Los Jardines del Partal – The Gardens of the Partal
Alcazaba – A Formidable Fortress of the Nasrids
Medina, the Bustling City
Alhambra – Christian-Era Monuments
Alhambra – Outer Monuments
Generalife – Heavenly Gardens of the Nasrids

Copyright © 2020 by Lawrence Rodrigues. All rights reserved.

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