History of the flamenco dress: origin and evolution
September 24, 2023
Alegrias: flamenco palo
February 2, 2024The Albaicin is the oldest neighborhood in the city of Granada. To know its origin, we must go back several centuries, specifically to the Muslim era. During the period of time that the Muslims were in the Kingdom of Granada, they built a series of fortresses and houses on the hill opposite the 'Sabika', that is, the hill on which the Alhambra was built. Therefore, one of its main functions was its strategic location.
Later, after the reconquest in 1492, the three cultures coexisted in this neighborhood: Christians, Jews and Muslims, and in Granada there was a certain tolerance regarding the religion and culture of each person. Almost 100 years later, this was left for history, since the Moors (descendants of Muslims converted to Christianity) were expelled from the neighborhood, as well as from Granada, and marched to the Alpujarras, in the hope of not being persecuted. The neighborhood of the Albaicín was depopulated of these people, but the few inhabitants that lived in it, were the gypsy families that arrived during the XV century because of the migrations. Therefore, we can say that the Albaicín was a cultural meeting point, where several communities coexisted at the same time, thus flowing a transit of knowledge and art.
These cultural meetings are linked to the birth of flamenco, and in addition to the Sacromonte neighborhood, the Albaicin has a long tradition with this art. It has places and families closely related to flamenco, as is the case of the Morente family, which to this day still live in the neighborhood. We can highlight the birthplace of Enrique Morente (1942-2010) which is located on the slope of San Gregorio, which is currently a tourist accommodation, but it is still a place with duende and charm, as it is a mansion of the twentieth century that has been restored respecting the characteristics of the neighborhood.
On the other hand, we can talk about the figure of Jaime 'El Parrón', father of the singer Marina Heredia, also closely linked to the Peña 'La Platería'. The latter is the oldest flamenco club in Spain, founded in 1946 and currently located in the albaicinera Plaza de Toqueros, 7. The first meetings of flamenco enthusiasts that gave rise to this club, took place in the silver workshop of Manuel Salamanca Jimenez, in San Matias Street, which later moved to where it is today, in a beautiful carmen in the Albaicin neighborhood.
Finally, after years of neglect by the competent authorities, in the twentieth century the neighborhood was restored, leading to its recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.
What can I learn about the Albaicín?
Between churches and palaces, between centenary cypresses and fountains, you will always find a place to admire the Alhambra, and it is one of the great wonders of this neighborhood. And, speaking of churches, we can see that the neighborhood is actually divided into two: Lower Albaicin, where we can find the Church of San Miguel Bajo; and the upper Albaicin, crowned by the church of San Miguel Alto, a place from which you can go to see the sunset with the Alhambra, Granada and Albayzin as views.
Route through the Lower Albaicín
It is a place full of legends, narrow streets that are connected to each other by squares, cisterns and wells. The best way to get to know this maze of streets is to do it on foot in order to be able to see all the details hidden in every corner. We can start this route from the new street calderería, heading for the Carrera del Darro, commonly called Paseo de los Tristes, as it was formerly the road leading to the cemetery of San José.
Calderería nueva street is, together with the Alcaicería, the small Arab souk that we have in Granada, a street with a unique charm full of small stores and tea shops.
The Real Chancillería (Royal Chancery), an institution created by the Catholic Monarchs in order to ennoble the city of Granada and Castilianize it, although it was not until the time of his grandson Charles V that he ordered the construction of this elegant Renaissance building. Next to it, the Church of San Gil and Santa AnaThe Church of San Gil and Santa Ana, designed by Diego de Siloé on an old mosque, another symbol of victory and subjugation of Christianity.
After this, we begin the route at the foot of the Darro River, this beautiful street, takes all the attention of visitors. Here we can find El Bañuelo, Arab baths that were inside the walls of the Zirid Granada. Another route that incorporates El Bañuelo is the Dobla de Oro. Just in front of the baths, we have the remains of what was the Cadi Bridge, one of the main roads that connected the neighborhood with the Alhambra.
Going up one of the small streets that crosses the Carrera del Darro, specifically Calle Concepción de Zafra, we arrive at the Monastery of the Concepción de la Concepción de Zafra. Concepción Monastery baroque style, to the recently reconstructed Maristan Nazari Nasrid Maristanwhich was a hospital for the poor. Between these two places, we recommend visiting the tea shop El Bañuelo, one of the most beautiful for its direct views of the Alhambra.
From here, we recommend 'getting lost' among the streets, where you can find carmenes, charming little squares and many viewpoints. We highlight, for example, the Church of San Nicoláswhere at its feet we can find one of the most famous viewpoints of the city, the viewpoint of San Nicolas with direct views of the Alhambra and all of Granada; the Palace of Dar al-Horrawhich was part of a Zirid palace and as a curiosity, was so named because it was the residence of Aixa al-Horra, mother of the last emir of Granada, Boabdil. As well as the Monastery of Santa Isabel La Real.
Route through the Alto Albaicín
Starting this time, from the Placeta del Cristo de las Azucenasin the heart of the neighborhood, popularly known as the Huerto del Carlos, we are heading towards Plaza Larga. To get to this place, we have to pass through the Door of the Weightswhich was part of the wall that surrounded the Qadima citadel. It became one of the most important entrances after the expulsion of the Moors, being this square the place where the butchers and slaughterhouses were located, independent of the others that were in the lower part of the city. The direction we take from here is to San Miguel Alto. To do this we have to go down the slope of San Gregorio, where we can see cisterns, tanks to store the water that came from the irrigation ditch of Aynadamar and thus be able to supply water to the neighborhood, as the Aljibe de paso de San Gregorio . As well as small squares, part of the wall of San Miguel, and caves where people still live today.
In short, the Albaicin is a place to get lost, to discover hidden places where you can see the Alhambra from the door of a carmen, bougainvilleas that bloom and give a unique color next to the coolness of its streets. Thanks to its history, its people, its art and its culture, it is a unique place that only exists in Granada.
