Arabesques

Somehow among the multitudes of descriptions about the Nasrid Palace in the Alhambra it is virtually never mentioned that this really is a different space from what we are used to define as "impressive", "humbling", or even "daunting".

Instead of vast interiors, an altogether quite compact palace dazzles with the intricate ornaments characteristic to Arabic art & architecture... Not huge verticals and vast horizontals are awe-inspiring...

Instead, the economical and exquisite proportions, inter-play of light, light reflections on water, and shadows, together with the mindboggling attention to detail are what must have made visitors of the past feel that they really are in the realm of a superior culture.

Today it is a rather theme park-like environment with too many loud and incredibly disrespectful tourists... One of the palace's greatest achievements is that it still managed to quietly dominate them... It is still a place of calm and absolute harmony, at least for the eyes if not always for the ears...

Having had the opportunity to visit it and the splendid town it resides in, a selection of photos are posted in this album.