Granada

Overview

The city of Granadais the capital of Granada province situated in the Andalusia autonomous community in Spain. This city is located at the foot of the mountains Sierra Nevada; it is at a height of 738 M above sea level. Three rivers Genil, Darro and Beiro merge in this city. It takes about an hour to reach Granada from the coast of the Mediterranean. Ski resort Sierra Nevada is located nearby where championships are held. The population of this town is about 240,000.

History

The history of Granada can be traced back to Iberian settlers and hence its history covers the entire millennium. Iberian tribes settled in the district of Albaicn and lived in the period 2000-1500 B.C. The Phoenicians took over the place around 1000 B.C. and remained up to 550 B.C. when the Carthaginians took over and named the place Elibyrge. In 250 B.C. the Roman Empire stepped in and named this place Iliberis; they ruled this place for 7 centuries.


During the 5th century, the decline of Roman Empire began and Visigoths ruled this place. They ruled for 200 years during which period Granada gained a lot of importance and flourished. In the year 711 Muslims overthrew the Visigoths with the help of the local Jewish community.

Climate

The average temperatures in a year are as follows:

Maximum 33.5 C in the month of July

Minimum 1.3 C in January

Art and Culture

1.La Alhambra is a palace cum fortress constructed during the mid 14th century by theMoors. You will find the Islamic grandeur of centuries in this palace.

2.Granada Center was established in 149 when the Catholic monarchs wanted to indicate their presence in the city and is dominated by Gothic, Baroque and renaissance buildings.

3.El Albacin is the part of Granada that has not been affected by the reconquista and is considered as a World Heritage Site.

4.Alhambra Museum.

5.Museum of Fine Arts exhibits collections of sculptures and paintings from the 16th century to the 20th century.

Cuisine

Some of the dishes popular in Granada are as under:

1.Olla de San Antn is a dish made from the ear or head of a pig, bacon, blood sausage and broad beans.

2.Tortilla de Sacromonte is a Spanish omelet that is made from some parts of a bull.

3.Salallas is salted bread.

4.Ajo blanco is a cold almond soup.

5.Espetones are sardines that have been barbequed.

6.Pescato frito is fried fish.

Sports and Entertainment

Popular sports in Granada are Football, Basketball, Bullfights, Skiing and Golf.

Plenty of bars and nightclubs are available in Granada which makes your nightlife lively.

Shopping

Granada has a number of markets, shops and department stores where you can not only purchase local handicraft items, but also other items of value. Some of the local handicraft items that you can shop in Granada are Guitars, ceramics, woven baskets, taracea, embossed leather, etc.