Editing Alhambra (section)

==Layout==
[[File:Map of alhambra sp.svg|thumb|Modern plan of the Alhambra|left]]

The Alhambra site is about {{cvt|700–740|m|-1}} in length and about {{cvt|200–205|m|-1}} at its greatest width.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=234}}<ref name=":7" /> It extends from west-northwest to east-southeast and covers an area of about {{cvt|142000|m2}} or 35 acres.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |title=Alhambra, Granada, Spain |url=https://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Alhambra-Granada-Spain |website=AirPano |access-date=23 January 2017 |archive-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203192259/http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Alhambra-Granada-Spain |url-status=live }}</ref> It stands on a narrow promontory overlooking the ''Vega'' or Plain of Granada and carved by the river [[Darro (river)|Darro]] on its north side as it descends from the [[Sierra Nevada (Spain)|Sierra Nevada]].<ref>{{harvp|Salmerón Escobar|2007}}</ref> The red earth from which the fortress is constructed is a granular aggregate held together by a medium of red clay which gives the resulting layered brick- and stone- reinforced construction (''tapial calicastrado'') its characteristic hue and is at the root of the name of 'the Red Hill'.<ref name="Salmerón_III">{{harvp|Salmerón Escobar|2007|loc=III. The material base: construction and form}}</ref>

The Alhambra's most westerly feature is the Alcazaba, a large fortress overlooking the city. Due to touristic demand, modern access runs contrary to the original sequence which began from a principal access via the ''Puerta de la Justicia'' (Gate of Justice) onto a large [[souq]] or public market square facing the Alcazaba, now subdivided and obscured by later Christian-era development.<ref name="Salmerón_III"/> From the ''Puerta del Vino'' (Wine Gate) ran the ''Calle Real'' (Royal Street) dividing the Alhambra along its axial spine into a southern residential quarter, with [[mosque]]s, [[Turkish bath|hamams]] (bathhouses) and diverse functional establishments, and a greater northern portion, occupied by several palaces of the nobility with extensive landscaped gardens commanding views over the Albaicín.<ref name="Salmerón_IV">{{harvp|Salmerón Escobar|2007|loc=IV. Formation and spatial perception}}</ref>

The rest of the plateau comprises a number of earlier and later Moorish palaces, enclosed by a [[Defensive wall|fortified wall]], with thirteen defensive towers, some such as the ''Torre de la Infanta'' and ''Torre de la'' ''Cautiva'' containing elaborate vertical palaces in miniature.<ref name="Salmerón_IV"/> The river Darro passes through a ravine on the north and divides the plateau from the Albaicín district of Granada. Similarly, the Sabika Valley, containing the Alhambra Park, lies on the west and south, and, beyond this valley, the almost parallel ridge of Monte Mauror separates it from the Antequeruela district. Another ravine separates it from the Generalife, the summer pleasure gardens of the emir. Salmerón Escobar notes that the later planting of deciduous elms obscures the overall perception of the layout, so a better reading of the original landscape is given in winter when the trees are bare.<ref>{{harvp|Salmerón Escobar|2007|loc=VI. The Alhambra that survives}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 850
| image1            = Alhambra general plan (numbered).png
| caption1          = Layout and important features: 1) Alcazaba; 2) Puerta de las Armas; 3) Puente del Cadí; 4) Torres Bermejas; 5) Plaza de los Aljibes; 6) Puerta del Vino; 7) Puerta de la Justicia; 8) Palace of Charles V; 9) Mexuar courtyards; 10) Mexuar main hall; 11) Comares Palace; 12) Palace of the Lions; 13) Lindaraja Courtyard; 14) Peinador de la Reina; 15) Partal Palace; 16) Palacio del Partal Alto; 17) Rawda mausoleum; 18) Church of Santa Maria; 19) Baths of the Mosque; 20) Palace of the Abencerrajes; 21) Palace of the Convent of San Francisco; 22) Torre de los Picos; 23) Torre de la Cautiva; 24) Torre de las Infantas; 25) Torre del Agua; 26) Puerta de los Siete Suelos; 27) Generalife Palace
| image2            = Alhambra 2015 004.jpg
| caption2          = Close-up plan of the Nasrid Palaces (from 1889):
{{legend|#f9f89e|Mexuar (main hall)}}
{{legend|#ce878b|Comares Palace}}
{{legend|#7eca8a|Palace of the Lions}}
{{legend|#8590f9|Courtyard of Lindaraja}}
| align             = center
}}