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Albaicín and around
El Albayzín (Albaicín or El Albaicín) is a district of Granada. This district, and the surrounding gypsy caves of Sacromonte, are holdovers from Spain's Medieval Moorish past. The Albaicín once flourished as the residential section of the Moors, but it fell into decline when the Christians drove them out. El Albaicín is located on a hill facing the Alhambra and there are dramatic views of this area from the palace's famous rose gardens. This beautiful district was declared a world heritage site in 1994, along with the more famous Alhambra.
This narrow labyrinth of crooked streets escaped the fate that befell much of Granada, being torn down in the name of progress. Some monuments and highlights in El Albaicín include the remains of an Arab bath complex, Granada's archeological museum, and the church of San Salvador, built on the remains of a Moorish mosque, and the convent Santa Isabel la Real. The Church of San Salvador is located on the site of the Great Mosque of Granada, almost directly in front of the church of San Juan de los Reyes which its original minaret dating from the Nasrids in the 13th century.
From el Albaicín, precious views of the Alhambra, of the city and the fertile plain can be contemplated, for example, the viewpoints of San Nicholas and San Cristóbal. Also, from el Albaicín you'll seee the Royal Chancellery, Real Cancillería, a renaissance building with baroque elements. The Albayzin contains some original Moorish houses and a wide-range of restaurants, including several streets whose eateries are inspired by North Africa.
The Sacromonte neighbourhood is famous by its caves, in which the gypsies continue celebrating every night their flamenco songs and dance celebrations. Here the traditional zambra was born, as well as native dances and songs like the mosca or the capucha. The main monument of the Sacromonte is its Abbey, where relics and testimonies of the first Christians of Granada are conserved and, among them, the first bishop of the city: San Cecilio. If you want to know the history of Sacromonte, you must visit the Centre of Interpretation of the Sacromonte.
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