x PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION 



The photographs, several of which were placed 

 at my disposal by Don Rafael Garzon, represent 

 the buildings as they appear to-day ; the drawings 

 were made before the Palace was damaged by 

 the disastrous fire of September, 1890. 



For the historical portions of the description 

 contained in the letterpress I have levied tribute 

 on a variety of. authors. The History of the 

 Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain, by the learned 

 Spanish Orientalist, Don Pascual de Gayangos ; 

 Raphael Contreras' Etude Descriptive des Monu- 

 ments Arabes; Richard Ford's reverent apprecia- 

 tions ; Dr. R. Dozy's history ; Mr. Stanley Lane- 

 Poole's The Moors in Spain; Washington Irving's 

 fascinating writings ; and The Alhambra Album, 

 presented by Prince Dolgorouki in 1829, contain- 

 ing the autographs, poems, and thoughts of 

 succeeding generations of visitors to Granada, 

 these and many others have been drawn upon in 

 the following pages. 



But the multiplicity of my illustrations con- 

 vinced me that if I adhered to my idea of 

 furnishing an amount of letterpress sufficient to 

 " carry "the blocks, I should only end in pro- 

 ducing a book that would tax the physical 

 endurance of my readers by reason of its bulk, 

 and exhaust their patience with a tedious super- 

 abundance of minute descriptive pabulum. I 

 resolved, therefore, to give pride of place to the 



