Alcassaba de la Alhambra de Granada

There was a fortress on this site long before the Alhambra existed in Granada, probably built somewhere in the 9th century .

It was only much later, around 1238, that the last bastion of the fortress was properly expanded . Walls and defenses were built around the previous castle and three new towers were built: The Broken Tower ( Torre Quebrada ), the Homenaje Tower ( Torre de l'Homenaje) and the Watchtower ( Torre de la Vela ). This turned the Alcassaba into a real fortress where the king built the royal residence.

The Nazari period was the heyday and the rulers naturally wanted a palace and so it stood on the site of today's Alhambra. Of course, it was wonderful that there was already a fortress that could be integrated into the whole thing , as we know the Alhambra today. The Alcassaba was of course used to defend the city of Granada and its rulers, but it was more than that. It was a small town where the soldiers lived .

Like the Alhambra, the Alcassaba was long abandoned and neglected and it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that restoration , exploration and repair work began.

Willem Vandenameele