Spain's Alhambra Palace reopens to visitors

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Spain's Alhambra Palace reopens to visitors
A tourist visits the Court of the Lions (Patio de los Leones) at the Alhambra in Granada on June 17, 2020, on the day it reopens to the public after three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. JORGE GUERRERO / AFP.



GRANADA (AFP).- One Spain's most visited monuments, Alhambra Palace in the southern Spain reopened its doors on Wednesday after a three-month closure due to the virus.

Under a pristine blue sky with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background, the historic Moorish palace -- and Europe's jewel of Muslim architecture -- was once again opened to visitors, although with strict health and security regulations in place.

"I feel very proud to be here and to be the first visitor allowed into the Alhambra," said Mariana Castro Mendoza, a 36-year-old Mexican living in Granada, where the Alhambra is located.

To mark the occasion, she was allowed to ring the bell in the Torre de la Vela watchtower which dominates the site, saying it gave her "a great sense of pride" with the bell "a symbol of hope for everyone".

With travel regulations still in place until June 21, only locals were able to visit the site which was once home to the Moorish kings and is now one of the world's largest open-air museums of Islamic architecture.

Normally packed with visitors from Spain and beyond, the Alhambra is likely to see the crowds returning from next week when Spain's borders reopen.

And from July 1, the frontiers will be open to all international visitors, although strict security measures will remain in place.

At the entrance, sanitising gel was on hand and both staff and visitors were wearing masks, with spacing arrows on the floor to avoid crowding and signs reminding people to respect the two-metre security distance.

"This is a happy day because we're seeing visitors again," said Rocio Diaz who heads the trust that runs the site.

For now, the Alhambra can only let in up to 50 percent of its capacity of 4,250 visitors, with Diaz saying they had sold "around 1,000 tickets" on Wednesday.

"The Alhambra is always beautiful but now, with fewer people, I feel like it shines even more," said Mendoza, the Mexican visitor.

A World Heritage Site whose name is Arabic for "the red one", the Alhambra is a monumental complex that incorporates ornate Islamic palaces, a fortress and the Renaissance-style Carlos V Palace.

Last year, around 2.7 million visited the site, drawn by its interiors covered with myriad Arabic inscriptions and intricate geometrical patterns, and its beautiful gardens and stunning views.

The Alhambra was the seat of the Nasrid dynasty, the last Muslim rulers in the Iberian Peninsula, that ruled Granada from 1238 until Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella reconquered the city in 1492.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

June 18, 2020

DNA of 'Irish Pharaoh' sheds light on ancient tomb builders

Case cracked: Mystery Antarctica fossil is massive prehistoric egg

How did the old masters make their ultramarine?

Paris Pompidou Centre to reopen with focus on racism

Sotheby's Hong Kong Fine Classical Chinese Paintings Spring Sale to be held on 9 July

Sotheby's to offer the first shoes handmade by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman to appear at auction

Miró, Chagall, Hodler, de Chirico and Warhol lead Koller's July auctions

Important Chicago collections offered in Hindman's auction

White glove sale & records: Triumph for the first online sale of pocket watches at Sotheby's

'If I was Martha, what would I do?' For one, stay upright

First comprehensive show in London of Peter Schuyff's work on view at White Cube

Summers Place Auctions announces a major auction of Zimbabwe's leading sculptors

Spain's Alhambra Palace reopens to visitors

French composer Jarre to perform world's first 'Matrix avatar' concert

Clars Auction Gallery has record-breaking June 14th sale led by Andy Warhol

German government seeks ban on big events until at least end-October

'Recovered' French star Catherine Deneuve to return to filming

The next stage: UK theatres adapt to social distancing

From Columbus to Confederates, anger about statues boils over

Kristin Linklater, who made actors their vocal best, dies at 84

Historic and rare 1823/2 quarter worth six figures headed to auction

London Churchill statue to be uncovered before Macron visit

Germany pledges 120 million euros to Auschwitz fund

De Gaulle statue vandalised in northern France

This Raksha Bandhan, Pamper Your Sibling With The Best Gifts, Choose From 20,000 Options On Giftstoindia24x7.com

8 Incredible Photography Tips For Beginners

3 Free Downloaders for Youtube Music




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful