In 1832, Washington Irving, a talented American writer to whom we owe Sleepy Hollow: The Legend headless horseman, publish The Tales of the Alhambra. The novelist, essayist and biographer depicts the features of Granada, its romantic atmosphere, its traditions, but also its legends around the Alhambra where he himself lived for a few years.
The Tales of the Alhambra
A commemorative plaque and a statue pay homage to Irving. "This strong mixture of Buckwheat and Gothic, which dates from the time of the Moors, and with the particular character of certain street scenes which reminded us of passages from the Thousand and One Nights", he writes about this architectural masterpiece. But let's take a closer look at these myths mentioned by the author.
Legend of the Abencerrajes room
A family of the Muslim nobility who once lived in the Alhambra, the Abencerrajes (or Abencerrages) would have suffered the wrath of the Zenetes, their political rivals. The story goes that the latter invented a romantic relationship between their Sultana and one of the Abencerrajes, which had the effect of enraged Sultan Boabdil, the last Nasrid emir of Granada.
Selon la légende, il organisa alors une fête au cours de laquelle il fit décapiter 36 cavaliers et membres de la famille Abencerrajes dans la salle située au sud de la cour des Lions qui porte aujourd’hui leur nom. La couleur rougeâtre de la pierre de la fontaine proviendrait de ce massacre sanguinaire. Mais d’après Washington Irving ces faits ne seraient pas réels et émaneraient d’une confusion historique avec d’anciens émirs nasrides.
Legend of the Gate of Justice
On the door of the Tower of Justice, one of the main entrances to the Alhambra, is represented on the inner arch a key. The outer arch is adorned with a hand whose fingers symbolize the five pillars of Islam (belief in one God, the five daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage to La Mecca). The legend says that the day when this key and this hand will come together, that is to say when the Alhambra will collapse, will coincide with the end of the world.
Legend of the Moor's Chair
Further up the hill of the Sabika where the Alhambra stands is a very special chair. It was sitting at this exact spot that Boabdil the Moor watched helplessly during his reign as the revolt grew in his city of Granada. From up there, he was able to contemplate the extent of the damage caused by this insurrection within the Nasrid palaces and the entire Andalusian city.
