Four the last tour of my trip with my grandchildren to the kingdoms of Andalusia, we went to the beautiful city of Granada, which is about an hour and a half away from Malaga. You should plan on spending about four hours to cover only a part of the old city and both parts of the Alhambra. The sultans of Granada used to have two palaces, one for administration and another set on higher ground for entertaining which are connected by a tunnel for the Sultan and his guards. Find a good tour guide and pre-purchase tickets to skip all the queues. Note that your ticket is linked to your passport number to discourage a black market of thieves and scalpers. In order to get the most out of a visit, one should read the history of that kingdom from its inception to its fall. Without understand that history, the ruins of the Kingdom of Granada and what remains of its palaces holds little value. One of the most interesting features of the Alhambra palace were the advanced irrigation and sewage systems. A truly advanced feat of engineering, our guide pointed out that the Alhambra and gardens are located on a high elevation and water was brought up from the river through a system of cisterns and aqueducts which supplied all the waterways and fountains inside the palace, as well as the sewage. As our guide reported, at a time when every Muslim home had water and toilets, the ancient Europeans would relieve themselves in the streets. I mention this to illustrate the progress and ingenuity of the Muslim civilizations there. At the same time, when you pass by the ruins of the palaces of the sultans, you see the extent of the extravagance, corruption, and intrigues that most of these last sultans lived through. The last sultans of Granada, Abu Abdullah Al-Saghir and his mother, Aisha Al-Hurra, who was the daughter of the Muhammad the X, King of Granada, had great wealth and prestige. She was considered one of the most prominent female figures in the history of Andalusia. Regardless of what has been written and attributed to her, she was the main reason for the demise of Muslim rule. Her husband, Sultan Abu Al-Hasan, imprisoned her and her two sons because of a conflict between her and one of her Christian sister-wives. However, with her cunning and influence, she was able to escape and stirred the people of Granada against her husband. Then her son led a revolt against his father, deposed him, and appointed himself Sultan when he was only twenty years old, and so he was called Al Saghier—The Young. We would call this young sultan a “momma’s boy” who was under the complete influence of this mother. He wanted to prove himself as a governor, he launched a doomed campaign against the cities of Castile and fell captive. In order to save himself, he signed a secret agreement with the King of Castile which handed over Granada to the guardianship of the Spanish kings. Thus, Al Saghier returned to his home a sultan without a sultanate. After the fall of Málaga, Granada was handed over to the Christians without a fight, albeit after a long siege. The most important thing is that our friend Al Saghier, left the city along with his mother, his entourage, and his money, leaving the Muslims there to a bloody fate the likes of which history has not witnessed. Although the accounts differ, it is said that Al Saghier looked sadly over Granada for one final time, which was called “The Arab’s Last Sigh.” It is said that while he was looking at the palace and crying, his mother, Aisha al-Hurra, shouted at him, ” Cry like women, for a lost kingdom that you did not preserve like a man.” This poor little boy. Even as an exile, he was not spared his “mother’s mockery.” I think “The Arab’s Last Sigh” began long before when the son turned against his father and fought his uncle, it can be traced the rivalry between the daughters of kings and the concubines of kings. I think there is wisdom to be learned from this history. In any case, Granada and the Alhambra Palace deserve a visit. Most of the inscriptions on the walls of this palace are poems by the great poets of Andalusia, and among the most beautiful of these inscriptions is a poem by the poet Ibn Al-Khatib, and his masterpiece, of which we extract
May God send continuous rains
As it was in Andalusia always
Meeting loved ones was a dream
Or stolen with a pleasure stream
Time fulfills my varied wishes
Runs it on a drawn plans that do not differs.
Wishes that come at groups, singles or doubles
as if they were delegations of pilgrims
Rain has covered the garden with a bright dress
Of the smiling blooming flowers
Stay safe