{"id":74801,"date":"2023-02-17T13:17:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T12:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitanddo_1790.test\/?p=74801"},"modified":"2026-09-30T23:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:06:27","slug":"8-curiosities-about-the-alhambra-of-granada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/8-curiosities-about-the-alhambra-of-granada\/","title":{"rendered":"8 interesting facts about the Alhambra in Granada"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"product\"><div class=\"product\">\n<p>Eight things about the Alhambra that <strong>hardly anyone notices<\/strong>, and which can make a difference to your visit if you know about them in advance.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the most surprising one: <strong>There are two museums inside, and they\u2019re free<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>1. There are two museums inside and there\u2019s no admission charge<\/h2>\n<p><strong>They are both at the Palace of Charles V<\/strong>, and here\u2019s what almost nobody knows: <strong>Entry to the palace, its courtyard and the Alhambra Museum is free of charge<\/strong>. There\u2019s no need to buy a ticket to enter the venue.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Museum of the Alhambra<\/strong>, on the ground floor. Hispano-Muslim art featuring <strong>original objects from the Alhambra itself<\/strong>: pottery, carved wood, plasterwork. It helps us to understand what the palace looked like when it was complete.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Granada Museum of Fine Arts<\/strong>, on the upper floor. <strong>It is the city\u2019s most important art gallery.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you\u2019ve got a bit of spare time, or if you\u2019re heading to the venue without a ticket, it\u2019s well worth a visit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h2>2. The palace that took 425 years to get a roof<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"The Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra, Granada\" class=\"wp-image-74795\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-6.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Palace of Charles V, square on the outside and circular on the inside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This story is one of the best about the monument.<\/strong> Charles V had a Renaissance palace built here, and commissioned the plans from <strong>Pedro Machuca<\/strong>, who had studied in Rome.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The timeline, which is a magnificent mess:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>1533:<\/strong> Work is set to begin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1550:<\/strong> Machuca dies. His son Luis takes over and builds the circular courtyard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1568:<\/strong> the Moorish rebellion in Granada <strong>fifteen years for construction works<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1619:<\/strong> The tall colonnade in the courtyard is now complete.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1637:<\/strong> Everything is abandoned. <strong>Homeless.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>1923:<\/strong> Torres Balb\u00e1s begins its recovery.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1958:<\/strong> Prieto Moreno finally covers it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Four and a quarter centuries out in the open.<\/strong> And it\u2019s still not quite finished: <strong>Only the south and west fa\u00e7ades are fully decorated<\/strong>, and the interior sculpture scheme was never realised.<\/p>\n\n<h3>The diagonal line trick<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Take a look at this \u2013 it\u2019s an extraordinary design detail.<\/strong> Machuca divided the palace <strong>into two halves along an imaginary diagonal<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Half the Emperor<\/strong>, with the western fa\u00e7ade in good condition <strong>Doric<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Half the Empress<\/strong>, with the south-facing fa\u00e7ade at <strong>Ionic and Corinthian<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Each half had its own staircase<\/strong>, and the two <strong>they all gathered right in the chapel<\/strong>: the place where the couple met. Architecture as a metaphor for marriage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The data:<\/strong> square of <strong>63 metres on each side<\/strong> and 17.40 metres high, with a <strong>a circular courtyard measuring 30 metres<\/strong> surrounded by <strong>32 Doric columns<\/strong>. It was <strong>the first circular courtyard in a European royal palace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>3. The social classes never mixed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"The interior of the Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra\" class=\"wp-image-74796\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-3.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>They shared the same building but never saw each other.<\/strong> The Alhambra had <strong>separate routes<\/strong> depending on who you were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>classroom tour<\/strong>, of the sultan and his family.<\/li>\n<li>The one from <strong>scribes and administrators<\/strong>, who were heading for the official areas.<\/li>\n<li>The one from the <strong>service staff<\/strong>, with its own corridors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>And this explains something that is puzzling when you visit:<\/strong> those corridors that seem absurd, the doors set at odd angles, the strange changes in level. <strong>They aren\u2019t just whims<\/strong>: they were there to ensure that no one crossed paths with the wrong person.<\/p>\n\n<h2>4. The Alhambra is a real sundial<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Sunlight on the walls of the Alhambra\" class=\"wp-image-74797\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-1.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This is told as a legend, but it isn\u2019t one.<\/strong> The assembly is oriented in such a way that <strong>You can tell the time by the shadows in the rooms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The key moment is midday:<\/strong> at around midday, <strong>The Alhambra is split in two<\/strong>, half in the sun and half in the shade. Some people describe it as the world\u2019s largest sundial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s not folklore: it\u2019s design<\/strong>, and is recognised as an astronomical instrument.<\/p>\n\n<h2>5. The walls aren\u2019t decorated: they\u2019re covered in writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Arabic inscriptions on the walls of the Alhambra\" class=\"wp-image-74798\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-4.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">What looks like a geometric ornament is actually text.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What you think is a drawing is actually Arabic text:<\/strong> verses from the Qur\u2019an, blessings and <strong>poems by the court poets<\/strong>, particularly from <strong>Ibn Zamrak<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And there are venues that describe themselves as follows:<\/strong> Some of the verses refer to the very space in which they are inscribed, so the building <strong>is presented to visitors in writing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The motto repeated thousands of times and the poems, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/mejores-frases-de-la-alhambra\/\">The inscriptions of the Alhambra<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>6. A defensive tower which is a palace on the inside<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The Tower of the Princesses<\/strong>, on the ramparts, it looks like just another watchtower. <strong>Inside, it\u2019s a different story:<\/strong> a small palace with a central hall and rooms decorated around it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And its name comes from a legend by Irving:<\/strong> the three princesses \u2014 Zayda, Zoraida and Zorahaida \u2014 who had been locked up there by their father. We tell the story in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/legends-of-the-alhambra\/\">The Legends of the Alhambra<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>7. The twelve lions are not all the same<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"The fountain in the Patio de los Leones at the Alhambra\" class=\"wp-image-74799\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/curiosidades-alhambra-granada-5.jpg 1640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>They look like twelve copies, but they aren\u2019t.<\/strong> They differ in their faces, jaws, coats, tails, and even <strong>in size and weight<\/strong>. It is believed that they were carved <strong>a number of different artists<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A fun game to play with children:<\/strong> Spotting the differences keeps them engaged whilst looking at the monument\u2019s most famous image.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As for what they symbolise, be careful what you read.<\/strong> Various theories are circulating \u2014 the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the four rivers of paradise \u2014 but <strong>none of them have been proven<\/strong>. The one that has the most support today is the simplest one: <strong>they are the guardians of the sultan\u2019s power<\/strong>, in keeping with the poem written on them.<\/p>\n<p>The details can be found at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/curiosities-of-the-lions-patio-la-alhambra-granada\/\">Interesting facts about the Patio de los Leones<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/fountains-of-the-alhambra-of-granada\/\">the fountains of the Alhambra<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>8. It\u2019s called \u00abla roja\u00bb, though it\u2019s not entirely clear why<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Alhambra comes from <em>al-Hamra<\/em>, \u00abLa Roja\u00bb<\/strong>, whose full name is <em>al-Qal\u2019a al-hamra<\/em>, \u00abthe red castle\u00bb. As for the reason, there is <strong>three explanations<\/strong> and none of them are closed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The colour of the walls<\/strong>, made of earth and lime compacted with reddish clay, which turns orange at sunset.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The founder\u2019s nickname<\/strong>, <strong>Muhammad I ibn al-Ahmar<\/strong>, \u00abel Rojo\u00bb.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The torches:<\/strong> It is said that work on its construction went on through the night and that, when lit up, it looked red from a distance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>And here\u2019s a fact that takes you by surprise:<\/strong> Some people maintain that <strong>During the Nasrid period, it was whitewashed<\/strong>. The red we see would have appeared later.<\/p>\n<p>To explain it to the little ones, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/the-history-of-the-alhambra-for-children\/\">The story of the Alhambra for children<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>See them in person<\/h2>\n<p>We are a local tour operator based in M\u00e1laga with over 50 years\u2019 experience organising trips around Andalusia. <strong>Tickets for the Alhambra are the hardest to get on your own<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Before you go, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/como-visitar-la-alhambra-de-granada\/\">How to visit the Alhambra<\/a>. And for the rest of the day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/what-to-see-in-granada\/\">What to see in Granada<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/where-to-eat-in-granada-the-best-places-of-tapas\/\">where to eat<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n<h3>Is entry to the Alhambra Museum free?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Both the Alhambra Museum, on the ground floor of the Palace of Charles V, and access to the palace itself and its circular courtyard are free of charge and do not require a ticket for the historic site. On the upper floor is the Granada Museum of Fine Arts, the city\u2019s most important art gallery.<\/p>\n\n<h3>How long did it take to build the Palace of Charles V?<\/h3>\n<p>Work began in 1533 and the building remained roofless until 1958 \u2013 that is, for more than four centuries. Work was interrupted for fifteen years due to the Moorish rebellion of 1568, was abandoned completely in 1637 and did not resume until 1923, under Leopoldo Torres Balb\u00e1s. It remains unfinished to this day: only the south and west fa\u00e7ades are fully decorated, and the interior sculptural programme was never carried out.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Why does the Palace of Charles V have a circular courtyard?<\/h3>\n<p>It is a work of the Classical Renaissance based on the shapes of the square and the circle, through which Pedro Machuca sought to evoke Imperial Rome. It was the first circular courtyard in a European royal palace: it measures 30 metres in diameter and is surrounded by 32 Doric columns, set within a square building with sides measuring 63 metres.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Why is the Alhambra called \u00abthe red one\u00bb?<\/h3>\n<p>The name \u00abAlhambra\u00bb derives from the Arabic \u00abal-Hamra\u00bb, meaning \u00abthe red one\u00bb, from the full name \u2018al-Qal\u2019a al-hamra\u2019, meaning \u2018the red castle\u2019. There are three unresolved explanations: the reddish hue of its earth and lime walls, the nickname of its founder Muhammad I ibn al-Ahmar, \u2018the Red\u2019, and the tradition that it was built at night and, by torchlight, appeared red from a distance. Some even maintain that during the Nasrid period it was whitewashed.<\/p>\n\n<h3>What do the twelve lions on the fountain symbolise?<\/h3>\n<p>This has not been proven. The zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel and the four rivers of paradise have all been suggested, but no hypothesis has conclusive support. The most widely accepted interpretation is that they represent guardians of the sultan\u2019s power, which is consistent with the poem by Ibn Zamrak inscribed on the fountain\u2019s basin.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Is it true that, at the Alhambra, people from different social classes did not mix?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. The complex had separate routes: the court route, reserved for the sultan and his family; the route for scribes and administrators leading to the official quarters; and the route for the service staff. This layout explains the many corridors, angled doors and changes in level that seem baffling today, but which actually served to prevent different groups from crossing paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/8-curiosities-about-the-alhambra-of-granada\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Granada\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/granada\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Interesting facts about the Alhambra\"}]},{\"@type\":\"ItemList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/8-curiosities-about-the-alhambra-of-granada\/#curiosidades\",\"name\":\"Eight interesting facts about the Alhambra in Granada\",\"numberOfItems\":8,\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Two free museums at the Palace of Charles V\",\"description\":\"The Alhambra Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, with free entry to the palace and its courtyard.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A palace without a roof for 425 years\",\"description\":\"Construction began in 1533 and it was roofed in 1958, following its abandonment in 1637.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Machuca\u2019s diagonal line\",\"description\":\"The palace is divided into the Emperor\u2019s half and the Empress\u2019s half, with staircases leading to the chapel.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Journeys divided by social class\",\"description\":\"The court wing, the administrative wing and the service wing, without intersecting.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"A real sundial\",\"description\":\"The device allows you to tell the time by the shadows; at midday it is split in two.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"Walls covered in writing, not decorated\",\"description\":\"Verses, blessings and poems by Ibn Zamrak; there are rooms that describe themselves.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":7,\"name\":\"The Tower of the Princesses\",\"description\":\"A defensive tower on the outside and a small, ornate palace on the inside.\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":8,\"name\":\"The Twelve Unequal Lions\",\"description\":\"They differ in their faces, jaws, coats, size and weight: works by various artists.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"LandmarksOrHistoricalBuildings\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/8-curiosities-about-the-alhambra-of-granada\/#carlosv\",\"name\":\"Palace of Charles V\",\"description\":\"A Renaissance palace designed by Pedro Machuca. 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Some even maintain that during the Nasrid period it was whitewashed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What do the twelve lions on the fountain symbolise?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"This has not been proven. The zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel and the four rivers of paradise have all been suggested, but no hypothesis has conclusive support. The most widely accepted interpretation is that they represent guardians of the sultan\u2019s power, which is consistent with the poem by Ibn Zamrak inscribed on the fountain\u2019s basin.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is it true that, at the Alhambra, people from different social classes did not mix?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. The complex had separate routes: the court route, reserved for the sultan and his family; the route for scribes and administrators leading to the official quarters; and the route for the service staff. This layout explains the many corridors, angled doors and changes in level that seem baffling today, but which actually served to prevent different groups from crossing paths.\"}}]}]}<\/script>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eight things about the Alhambra that hardly anyone notices, and which can make a difference to your visit if you know about them in advance. Let\u2019s start with the most surprising one: There are two museums inside, and they\u2019re free. 1. There are two museums inside and there\u2019s no admission charge They are both at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":74800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[676],"class_list":["post-74801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visit-and-do","tag-grenade"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}