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GRANADA

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 336 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GRANADA , the See also:

capital of the See also:province, and formerly of the See also:kingdom of Granada, in See also:southern See also:Spain; on the See also:Madrid-Granada-See also:Algeciras railway. Pop. (1900) 75,900. Granada is magnificently situated, 2195 ft. above the See also:sea, on the See also:north-western slope of the Sierra See also:Nevada, overlooking the fertile lowlands known as the See also:Vega de Granada on the See also:west and overshadowed by the peaks of Veleta (11,148 ft.) and Mulhacen (11,421 ft.) on the See also:south-See also:east. The southern limit of the See also:city is the See also:river Genii, the See also:Roman Singilis and Moorish Shenil, a See also:swift stream flowing westward from the Sierra Nevada, with a considerable See also:volume of See also:water in summer, when the snows have thawed. Its tributary the Darro, the Roman See also:Salon and Moorish Hadarro, enters Granada on the east, flows for upwards of a mile from east to west, and then turns sharply southward to join the See also:main river, which is spanned by a See also:bridge just above the point of confluence. The See also:waters of the Darro are much reduced by See also:irrigation See also:works along its See also:lower course, and within the city it has been canalized and partly covered with a roof. Granada comprises three main divisions, the Antequeruela, the Albaicin (or Albaycin), and Granada properly so-called. The first See also:division, founded by refugees from See also:Antequera in 1410, consists of the districts enclosed by the Darro, besides a small See also:area on its right, or western See also:bank. It is bounded on the east by the gardens and See also:hill of the See also:Alhambra (q.v.) ,the most celebrated of all the monuments See also:left by the See also:Moors. The Albaicin(Moorish Rabad al Bayazin, " Falconers' See also:Quarter ") lies north-west of the Antequeruela. Its name is sometimes associated with that of See also:Baeza, since, according to one tradition, it was colonized by citizens of Baeza, who fled hither in 1246, after the See also:capture of their See also:town by the Christians.

It was See also:

long the favourite See also:abode of the Moorish nobles, but is now mainly inhabited by See also:gipsies and artisans. Granada, properly so-called, is north of the Antequeruela, and west of the Albaicin. The origin of its name is obscure; it has been sometimes, though with little See also:probability, derived from granada, a See also:pomegranate, in allusion to the abundance of pomegranate trees in the neighbourhood. A pomegranate appears on the city arms. The Moors, however, called Granada Karnaltah or Karnattah-al-Yahud, and possibly--the name is composed of the Arabic words kurn, " a hill," and ,nattah, " stranger,"—the " city " or " hill of strangers." Although the city has been to some extent modernized, the See also:architecture of its more See also:ancient quarters has many Moorish characteristics. The streets are, as a See also:rule, See also:ill-lighted, ill-paved and irregular; but there are several See also:fine squares and avenues, such as the Bibarrambla, where tournaments were held by the Moors; the spacious Plaza del Trionfo, adjoining the See also:bull-See also:ring,on the north; the See also:Alameda, planted with See also:plane trees, and the Paseo del Salon. The business centre of the city is the Puerta Real, a square named after a See also:gate now demolished. Granada is the see of an See also:archbishop. Its See also:cathedral, which commemorates the reconquest of southern Spain from the Moors, is a somewhat heavy classical See also:building, begun in 1529 by Diego de Siloe, and only finished in 1703. It is profusely ornamented with See also:jasper and coloured See also:marbles, and surmounted by a See also:dome. The interior contains many paintings and sculptures by Alonso See also:Cano (1601–1667), the architect of the fine west See also:facade, and other artists. In one of the numerous chapels, known as the See also:Chapel Royal (Capilla Real), is the See also:monument of See also:Philip I. of See also:Castile (1478-1506), and his See also:queen See also:Joanna; with the See also:tomb of See also:Ferdinand and See also:Isabella, the first rulers of See also:united Spain (1452–1516).

The See also:

church of See also:Santa Maria (170 1759), which may be regarded as an annexe of the cathedral, occupies the site of the See also:chief See also:mosque of Granada. This was used as a church until 1661. Santa See also:Ana (1541) also replaced a mosque; Nuestra Senora de See also:las Angustias (1664–1671) is noteworthy for its fine towers, and the See also:rich decoration of its high See also:altar. The See also:convent of See also:San Geronimo (or Jeronimo), founded in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella, was converted into See also:barracks in 1810; its church contains the tomb of the famous See also:captain Gonsalvo or Gonzalo de See also:Cordova (1453-1515). The Cartuja, or Carthusian monastery north of the city, was built in 1516 on Gonzalo's See also:estate, and in his memory. It contains several fine paintings, and an interesting church of the 17th and 18th centuries. After the Alhambra, and such adjacent buildings as the Generalife and Torres Bermejas, which are more fitly described in connexion with it, the See also:principal Moorish antiquities of Granada are the 13th-See also:century See also:villa known as the Cuarto Real de San Domingo, admirably preserved, and surrounded by beautiful gardens; the Alcazar de Genii, built in the See also:middle of the 14th century as a See also:palace for the Moorish queens; and the Casa del Cabildo, a university of the same See also:period, converted into a See also:ware-See also:house in the 19th century. Few See also:Spanish cities possess a greater number of educational and charitable establishments. The university was founded by See also:Charles V. in 1531, and transferred to its See also:present buildings in 1769. It is attended by about boo students. In 1900, the See also:primary See also:schools of Granada numbered 22, in addition to an ecclesiastical See also:seminary, a training-school for teachers, schools of See also:art and See also:jurisprudence, and museums of art and See also:archaeology. There were twelve hospitals and orphanages for both sexes, including a leper See also:hospital in one of the convents.

Granada has an active See also:

trade in the agricultural produce of the Vega, and manufactures See also:liqueurs, See also:soap, See also:paper and coarse See also:linen and woollen fabrics. See also:Silk-See also:weaving was once extensively carried on, and large quantities of silk were exported to See also:Italy, See also:France, See also:Germany and even See also:America, but this See also:industry died during the 19th century. See also:History.—The identity of Granada with the Iberian city of Iliberris or Iliberri, which afterwards became a flourishing Roman See also:colony, has never been fully established; but Roman tombs, coins, See also:inscriptions, &c., have been discovered in the neighbourhood. With the See also:rest of See also:Andalusia, as a result of the See also:great invasion from the north in the 5th century, Granada See also:fell to the See also:lot of the See also:Vandals. Under the caliphs of Cordova, onwards from the 8th century, it rapidly gained in importance, and ultimately became the seat of a provincial See also:government, which, after the fall of the Omayyad See also:dynasty in 1031, or, according to some authorities, 1038, ranked with See also:Seville, See also:Jaen and others as an See also:independent principality. The See also:family of, the Zeri, Ziri or Zeiri maintained itself as the ruling dynasty until 1090; it was then displaced by the See also:Almohades, who were in turn overthrown by the See also:Almoravides, in 1154. The dominion of the Almoravides continued unbroken, See also:save for an See also:interval of one See also:year (1160-1161), until 1229. From 1229 to 1238 Granada formed See also:part of the kingdom of See also:Murcia; but in the last-named year it passed into the hands of See also:Abu Abdullah Mahommed See also:Ibn Al Ahmar, See also:prince of Jaen and founder of the dynasty of the See also:Nasrides. Al Ahmar was deprived of Jaen in 1246, but united Granada, See also:Almeria and See also:Malaga under his See also:sceptre, and, as the fervour of the See also:Christian crusade against the Moors had temporarily See also:abated, he made See also:peace with Castile, and even aided the Christians to vanquish the Moslem princes of Seville. At the same See also:time he offered See also:asylum to refugees from See also:Valencia, Murcia and other territories in which the Moors had been overcome. Al Ahmar and his successors ruled over Granada until 1492, in an unbroken See also:line of twenty-five sovereigns who maintained their See also:independence partly by force, and partly by See also:payment of See also:tribute to their stronger neighbours. Their encouragement of See also:commerce—notably the silk trade with Italy—rendered Granada the wealthiest of Spanish cities; their patronage of art, literature and See also:science attracted many learned Moslems, such as the historian Ibn Khaldun and the geographer Ibn Batuta, to their See also:court, and resulted in a brilliant See also:civilization, of which the Alhambra is the supreme monument.

The kingdom of Granada, which outlasted all the other Moorish states in Spain, fell at last through dynastic rivalries and a See also:

harem intrigue. The two See also:noble families of the Zegri and the Beni Serraj (better known in history and See also:legend as the See also:Abencerrages) encroached greatly upon the royal prerogatives during the middle years of the 15th century. A crisis arose in 1462, when an endeavour to See also:control the Abencerrages resulted in the dethronement of Abu Nasr Saad, and the See also:accession of his son, Muley Abu'l See also:Hassan, whose name is preserved in that of Mulhacen, the loftiest See also:peak of the Sierra Nevada, and in a See also:score of legends. Muley Hassan weakened his position by resigning Malaga to his See also:brother Ez Zagal, and incurred the enmity of his first wife Aisha by marrying a beautiful Spanish slave, Isabella de See also:Solis, who had adopted the creed of See also:Islam and taken the name of Zorayah, " See also:morning See also:star." Aisha or Ayesha, who thus saw her sons Abu Abdullah Mahommed (See also:Boabdil) and Yusuf in danger of being supplanted, appealed to the Abencerrages, whose leaders, according to tradition, paid for their sympathy with their lives (see ALHAMBRA). In 1482 Boabdil succeeded in deposing his See also:father, who fled to Malaga, but the See also:gradual advance of the Christians under Ferdinand and Isabella forced him to resign the task of See also:defence into the more warlike hands of Muley Hassan and Ez Zagal (1483-1486). In 1491 after the loss of these leaders, the Moors were decisively beaten; Boabdil, who had already been twice captured and liberated by the Spaniards, was compelled to sign away his kingdom; and on the 2nd of See also:January 1492 the Spanish See also:army entered Granada, and the Moorish See also:power in Spain was ended. The See also:campaign had aroused intense See also:interest throughout Christendom; when the See also:news reached See also:London a See also:special thanksgiving service was held in St See also:Paul's Cathedral by See also:order of See also:Henry VII.

End of Article: GRANADA

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