A L H 



"Sm. The leaves are faid to be of a hot di7nij» natiive, 

 and the natives ule the flowers as a purgative, one hand- 

 Til of wliich, boiled in water, fuffieet for a dofe. Lc- 

 niiTv. 



ALHAMA, in Crography, a pleafant town of Spain, in 

 th« province of Granada, lituate in a narrow valley betwixt 

 \\\^\\ and ver\ lleop mountains ; and having warm baths and 

 liiedieinil waters tliat arc niueh frequented. It was taken by 

 the Moors, after a gallant defence, in 14S1, and fiinen- 

 Jered to the pillage of the Chiillian foldicrs, who, befides 

 jiillaging an ininieiifc quantity of gold and jewels, made 

 llaves of^oco of the inhabitants. It in about 25 miles fouth- 

 weil of Ciranada, and 2S iiorth-eaft of Malaga. N. lat. 36° 

 59'. W. long. 3"' 26'. 



Alhama, ii alfo a town of Spain, in Cordova, near the 

 Sierra Morena, nine leagues well of Cordova. 



A L HA MA is alio a fmall town or village of Spain, in Ara- 

 gon, celebrated for its medicinal waters. 



. Ai. HAMA, a river of Spain, which runs into the Ebro, 

 near AUaro. 



• A\.H.'i.Mk la Si'fa, a town of Spain, in Granada, fituate 

 on the river Almeria, ten miles north-north-weft of Al- 

 meria. 



■ ALHAMIiRA, a town of Spain, in Aragon, fevcn 

 miles north of Teruel. 



' Alhambra is alio a river of Spain, which joins the 

 Guadalquivir at Teruel. 



' Alhambra, one of the four wards of the ancient city of 

 Granada, fo called by the Moors from the red colour of its 

 materials, Alhambra fignifying a red houfe; and by the Spa- 

 niards la Sierra del Sol, becaufe, by its elevation on a high 

 mountain, it is expofed to the rifing fun. The inhabitants 

 confiil of the defcendants of the ancient Moors. In this dii- 

 tridl are two palaces, one built by the Moors, the other by 

 Charles V. and Philip II. The lirft, which is very large, is 

 environed with wails, towers, and baftions ; and both com- 

 mand, by th^ir eminence, an extenfive and delightful profpetl. 

 Above the old Moorifh palace is the magnificent and beauti- 

 ful houfe of Xeneralife, wliich was alfo built by a Moorifh 

 prince ; and on the top of the mountain Hands a church de-' 

 dicattd to St. Helena. The Moorifli palace, according to 

 the defcription given of it by Swinburne in his Travels, ap- 

 pears to have been a moft magnificent and aftonilhing edi- 

 Jice. The court to which you are firft admitted, called the 

 Commnna, or ilel Mefucar, i. e. the common batliJ, is an 

 oblong fquare, with a deep bafon of clear water in the mid- 

 dle, into which is a defcent by two flights of marble fteps, and 

 having on each fide a parterre of flowers and a row of orange 

 trees. A periftyle, paved with marble, runs round the court, 

 and the arches are fupported by pillars, in a ftyle different 

 from all the regular orders of architecture ; and the ciehng 

 and walls are incrufted with llucco fret-work. In every 

 divifion are Arabian fentences of different lengths, denoting 

 " there is no conqueror but God ;" and " obedience and 

 honour to our Lord Abouabdoidah." The cielings are gilt 

 or painted, and the colours ilill retain their frelhncfs ; the 

 iower part of the walls is Mofaic, difpofcd in fantaflic knots 

 and feftoons. The porches rcfemble grotto-work ; and 

 that on the right-hand opens into an otiagon vault under the 

 emperor's palace, which forms a whifpering-gallery, commu- 

 nicating between the offices of both honfcs. Oppoiite to the 

 door by which you enter into the Communa, is another 

 leading into the quarto ilc los kones, or apartment of the lions ; 

 which is an oblong court, 100 feet long, and 50 broad, en- 

 compafTed by a colonnade, feven feet broad on the fides, and 

 ten at the end. Two porticoes or cabinets, about 15 feet 

 fquare, projeft into the court at the two extremities. The 

 fquare is paved with coloured tilej, and the colonnade with 



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white marGlc. 'The walls are covered to the height of five 

 feet from the ground with blue and yellow tiles, placed chc- 

 querwife. Above and below is a border of fraall efcutcheons, 

 enamelled blue and gold, with an Arabian motto on a bend, 

 fignifying, " No Con(iueror but God." Tiie columns that 

 fupport the roof and galleiy are of white marble, very /len- 

 der, fantallieally adorned, and irregularly difpofed. The 

 cieling of the portico is much more highly tinilhed thaa 

 that of the Communa. The capitals are of various defigii>. 

 Amidll the varieties of foliages, grotcfques, and tlrange or- 

 naments, there does not occur the flightcll reprefentation ot 

 animal life. About each arch is a large fquare of ara- 

 befques, furrounded with a rim of characters tliat are gene- 

 rally quotations from the Koran. Over the pillar is another 

 fcjuare of beautiful filligree work ; and higher up is a kind 

 of wooden cornice, enriched with carving as much as the 

 llucco below. Over this projedls a roof of red tiles, which 

 disfigure this beautiful fquare, and which has been lately- 

 added when the Alliambra was repaired. In iNIoorilli timcj 

 the buildings were covered with large painted and gla/.ed 

 tiles, fome of which Hill remain. In the centre of the court 

 are twelve ill-form-ed lions muzzled, bearing upon their backs 

 an enormous bafon, out of which riles another of fnialler 

 fize. When the pipes were kept in order, a volume of water 

 was thrown up, which, falling into the bafon, paifed through 

 thcfe lions, and was diicharged out of their mouths into a 

 larger refervoir, communicating by channels with the jets 

 d'eaux in the apartments. Tliis fountain is of white marble, 

 adorned with felloons and Arabic dillichs, to this purpofe. 

 " Seeft thou not how the water flows copioufiy like the 

 Nile?" " This refembles a fea walhing over its fhores, 

 threatening fhipwreck to the mariner." " This water runs 

 aliundaiitly to give drink to the lions." " Terrible as the 

 lion is working in the day of battle." " The Nile gives 

 glory to the King, and the lofty mountains proclaim it." 

 " This garden is fertile in delight ; God takes care that 

 no noxious animal fliall approach it." " The fair priiicefs 

 that walks in this garden, covered with pearls, ornaments its 

 beauty fo much, that thou mayeft doubt whether it be a 

 fountain that flows, or the tears of her admirers." Beyond the 

 colonnade, and on its fouth fide, is a circular room ufed by the 

 men as a place for drinking coffee, &c. And it was rcfrcfhcd 

 in fummer by a fountain. The form of this hall, the ele- 

 gance of its cupola, the cheerful diftribution of light from 

 above, and the cxquifite manner in which the ilucco is de- 

 figned, painted, arid finifhed, exceed all powers of defcrip- 

 tion. In this delightful fcene, it is laid, Abouabdoulah af- 

 fembled the Abencarrages, and caufed their heads to be 

 ftruek off into the fountain. At the head of a court are two 

 rooms, which are fuppofed to have been tribunals, or au- 

 dience chambers. Oppofite to the Sala de los Abencarrages 

 is the entrance into the Torre de las dos Hermatias, or the 

 tower of the two fifters, fo denominated from two \er\ beiiu- 

 tlfnl pieces of marble laid as flags in the pavement. This 

 gate exceeds all the reft in profufion of ornaments, and in 

 beauty of profpefl, which it affords through a range of 

 apartments, where a multitude of arches terminate in a large 

 window open into the coimtiy. In a gleam of iunihine, the 

 variety of tints and lights thrown upon this enfilade are un- 

 commonly rich. The fiiit hall is the concert-room where 

 the women fat ; the muficians played above in four balco- 

 nies. In the middle is a jet d'eau. The marble pavement 

 is much admired for both the fize of the flags and evennefs 

 of the colour. The two filters, which give name to the 

 room, are flabs meafuring 15 feet by 7f, without flaw or 

 ftain. The walls, to a certain height, are mofaic, and, 

 above, are divided into neat compartments of flucco. The 

 cieling is a fretted cove. For prcferving this vaulted roof, 

 7 and 



