Granada: The Breathtakingly Beautiful Alhambra Palace

P1390804 — A breathtaking panoramic view of the Alhambra castle complex

P1390805 — A breathtaking panoramic view of the Alhambra castle complex

P1390698 palacios Nazaries — The Alhambra, a magnificent treasure of Islamic art in Spain - the embodiment of beauty

P1390706 palacios Nazaries — The stunning play of light and water at the Alhambra, the most beautiful and unique Arab-style site

P1390697 palacios Nazaries — The most brilliant palace in Western civilization

ared0002 — Enchanting intricately carved wall decorations and surfaces

ared0006 — The aesthetic appeal of doorways as an Islamic architectural vocabulary

P1390729 palacios Nazaries — Beauty is a common language and emotion for all humanity

ared0015 — The masterfully crafted dome represents the unique beauty of Islamic architecture

P1390728 — The divinely created dome is even more captivating

P1390699 palacios Nazaries — The name Alhambra means 'Red' in Arabic

P1390700 — The changing interplay of light and shadow adds a sense of rhythmic beauty

P1390703 — The arch structure is one of the finest forms of Islamic art

P1390707 palacios Nazaries — The magnificent Fountain of Lions surrounded by the Court of the Myrtles

P1390713 — Intricately carved slender columns create visually stunning corridors

P1390714 1palacios Nazaries — The Fountain of Lions is the symbolic core of the entire Alhambra

ared0014 — Decorations featuring Arabic calligraphy full of humanistic beauty

Text and Photos / Chen Chi-Hsiang

After saying goodbye to Carmen, I continued my journey to explore the hidden gems of Andalucia. After Cordoba, I proceeded to Granada to visit the magnificent treasure of Islamic art in Spain, the world's most beautiful and unique Moorish-style Alhambra. It is the most brilliant and unique palace in Western civilization, built in the 13th century and serving as the most important stronghold of medieval Islam on the Iberian Peninsula.

Alhambra means "red" in Arabic; some say the building materials used to construct this palace contain iron, which oxidizes and turns red. The Alhambra is the most exquisitely crafted palace today, its meticulous carving and detail defy description in any language. It is very humane, completely lacking the ostentatious, gilded splendor typical of Western palaces. The divinely crafted domes are particularly enchanting, with first-class lighting, ventilation, tiles, and design representing an extraordinary level of refined taste, emanating the pinnacle of human civilization.

There is also the world's most beautiful and poetic Islamic garden - the natural theater, which is refreshing and uplifting. If paradise truly exists, then Granada here is undoubtedly comparable to heaven.