Some people call it the Moorish Jewel while the popular Spanish Poet Frederic Lorca Garcia chooses to describe it through his poem and his beautiful words that celebrate this popular historical city. Have you guessed what the mesmerizing place you will read about today is? It is indeed, the Spanish Pearl of Spain Granada. Granada, as Frederic Garcia describes it in his words, the city with its “fantastic echoes, white houses spring up on the mountain…Opposite the golden towers of the Alhambra reveal a jagged oriental dream against the sky. The Darro cries its ancient lament, lapping the regions of Moorish legend. The sound of the city vibrates in the air.”
For instance, Granada is considered as one of the most well known and most beautiful cities in Spain; and it is known more as the pearl of this magnificent country. And Granada is generally visited by tourists from different parts of the world and it and people choose it over many other destinations mainly because it has always been considered as the capital of Moorish Andalusia in ancient times. Granada also reminds us of the Spanish ancient history of “Alhambra”, one of the favourite destinations one can never miss once you get a golden opportunity to visit Spain. The visitors of the city of Granada are indeed invited to walk through its charming narrow paths and streets with its romantic style and through its beautiful gardens. Wherever tourists walk into the streets of Granada, they can enjoy the beautiful scenery of flowers that fill its streets giving its charming poetical view. And any passenger who passes by Alhambra would never miss to enjoy the taste of local wine in any of its authentic taverns, in which the sound of guitars and the mesmerizing Flamenco songs by gypsies invite you to stay in the taverns and live a night of a thousand and one nights in Granada. So in addition to what you have just learnt about Granada, what is so special about this city that invites the visitors from all over the world to visit it? What are the characteristics of this city? And what are the cultural traditions of Granada?
Granada, history and characteristics
Located at the foot of the highest Iberian mountain- massif, Sierra Nevada and not far from the Mediterranean sea; Granada makes a great choice of place that can be visited by tourist any time and at any season. The city of Granada is the city and more precisely the capital of Andalusia, in the Southern part of Spain. Granada lies along the Genil River of the slope of Sierra Nevada.
It may cross our mind the question and the meaning behind the naming of the city of Granada. For instance, Granada is a term that is derived from the Spanish language and it means ‘Pomegranate’. Needless to say of course that pomegranate is an abundant type of fruits that is usually appears on the city’s coat of arms. And Granada is known by some people as the Hill of strangers.
And Granada’s history appears more like an exciting thriller that witnessed the passage of different cultures and civilisations. Historians believe that Granada was born as an Iberian settlement, exactly in the Albayzin setting at the first place. Besides, the forces of Muslims took over the Iberian settlement in about 711. And it was with the help of the Jewish community around the foot of the hill of Alhambra that it was rather called Granata al Jahud. And every year, a huge number of African Arabs try to reach to Melilla and Ceuta in Spain through Granada. And even immigrants from Syria tried to enter Granada. In fact, Just in July, Granada witnessed the entrance of about 800 immigrants.
Cultural and natural traditions
Granada is a very special and unique city that is characterized by its very rich history that left its trace in every place and in every mind of the local inhabitants of this charming city. And one of the main characteristics of Granada is the great level of hospitality of its people and the help they offer all the visitors of this modest place. Not only people in Granada offer you friendship and hospitality; but they don’t hesitate to help all visitors to learn more about their culture and everything about the city by offering different services with their big heart.
Therefore, the visitor of Granada finds himself invited to an exciting trip into a whole culture based on hospitality. In fact, Granada has always been considered as a melting pot of different historical cultures in both modern and ancient times. And it takes a very short walk around the centre of this beautiful city to confirm this and to discover and observe the Liberian as well as the contemporary architecture.
Besides, in addition to the huge number of monuments that can be seen juxtaposed one next to the other in all the streets of Granada; tourists from Europe, America and Africa can be seen everywhere in Granada. And when it comes to the Intellectual value of Granada, one can notice the fact that the University of Granada attracts a huge number of students that hit the roof of more than 60,000 students from all over the parts of Spain. So, Granada not only displays the ancient aspect of Spain, but it fuses harmoniously all the types of dwellers from all around the countries around the world.
And if ever you have the opportunity to visit Granada, you should seize it and never forget to pay a visit to Alhambra in Granada and its neighbouring areas, because it is not an experience to be missed. Indeed, Alhambra displays many cites and places, including stunning touristic views no one can ever forget and Alhambra contains one of the most beautiful and attractive gardens in the world.
So, in a few words and thanks for its marvellous characteristics and beautiful scenery as well as snowy mountains, Granada can be described to be one of the best and most favourable destinations for its adventurous, cultural as well as business and intellectual properties.
