GRANADA. 



and to the NW and N., by that of Jaen. It lies between But the aftonilhing fertility and wealth of this country 



56' 20' and ?8 N lat and between 5' 5' and i' 30' W. paffed away with its old inhabitants, and were fucceeded by 



lon<r • and contains about 661,600 inhabitants. This pro- a deplorable degree of indolence, poverty, and mifery. _ 

 vince has three fea-ports on the Mediterranean ; dz. that of Granada, or Grniada, the capital of the province 



Amunccar defended by three forts of little importance ; above defcribed, and an archbifhop's fee, is a large 



that of Almeria, wliich was celebrated under the Arabs ; city, which was entirely built by the Moors m tlie tenth 



and that of Mala<ra, now tlie moil flouriniing and moll century; and in 1235, after having previoufly belonged to 



frequented -Its pnncipal towns are Granada, the capital, the dominions of the kings of Cordova, it became the 



Malaea Almeria, Guadix, MotrH, Murbella, Velez-Ma- capital of a new empire, and foon acquired great celebrity 



o„' .^T ^^ , T • o_„.-„ \? :. XJ,,.S,-^ A ti _ ui l-lii> MMnrifli ^nnnl^ T'liis; town, vvhlch 111 a fllort tlFTie 



spulation, wealth, and 

 buildings, became, in 

 _ _ e and l.ill bulwark of 



dtr" Brava'ta/ 'Mar^iaiir Ahnancara, Aguas, Culebras, the autliority of the Moors in Spain. We have already 

 and' Guadalete. This province is very mountainous ; its given an account of its furrender to the Catholic kings, 

 chief mountains being the following, t'vz. the Sierra Ver- At that period it was three leagues in circumference, its 

 raella or Vermcja, i.e. red mountain, fo called from the co- nmiparts were defended by 1030 towers; its walls mclolcd 

 lour of the foil, the Sierra de Filabrc, the Sien-a de Bujo, 70,000 honfes, and a population of 400,000 inhaliitants. It 

 the Sierra Blanquilla, or white mountain, denominated from had an army of 6o,coo men ; and the number tliat defended 

 its appearance at a dillancq, and the Sierra de Javal-Cohol, its ramparts in 1491 and 1492 amounted to 100,000. It 

 The Sierra Nevada is a gnuid and beautiful mountain fitua- was proteded by two fortreifes, each of wlucli was large 

 ted nearly. in the centre of tlie province : it takes its name enough to contain 40,000 men. 



from the fnow that remains on it tlirough the year. It is Tins town ilands on two hills, at tlie end of the plaia 

 very lofty, can be fcen at a very great diltance, and is well called Vega de Granada, near the Sierra Nevada, on the 

 known to' mariners, who difcover it far out at fea. The banks of the Darro which runs through it, and of the 

 Sierra Alpuxara, hkewife in this province, is formed by the Xenil which bathes its walls. The two fortieses jull men- 

 contiguity of feveral lofty mountains, and generally called tioned are on the fummits of the hills on eitlier fide, thus 

 the Alpuxaras. Thefe afforded a retreat to a conhderable commanding the town, which itfelf commands the beautiful 

 number of Moors driven from Granada, who remained adjacent country ten leagues round ; and its fituation is de- 

 there 120 years, till their total expulfion from Spain. The lightful. The plain, at the extremity of which it ilands, 

 Sierra de Ronda lies on the fouthern and eailern part of is fomewhat iloping ; its diameter is from nine to ten leagues, 

 the province of Granada ; ftretching N. and E. in that of audits circumference 30: on the N. it is bounded by the 

 Seville, and running S. towards the ftraits of Gibraltar. Sierra Nevada and the mountains of Elvira, and on the 

 Granada, although mountainous, contains plains of confi- other fides by fucceffive and varied ampliitheatres of hills 

 .derable extent, and pleafant valleys abounding in fprings. agreeably planted with vines, olives, mulberry, lemon, and 

 Granada, as a part of AndaUifia, was firll known to the orange trees, &c.; it is watered by five rivers, interfefted 

 Phccnicians and then to the Carthaginians, who were ex- by various canals, fupplied from limpid rivulets with a 

 pelled by the Romans ; and they alfo were expelled, in the number of fprings ; and it is covered with meadows, forells 

 fifth century of the Chriilian era, by the Vandals; and the of oak, woods of orange-trees, orchards, fugar-c-anes, corn, 

 Goths, led by Euric, afterwards took poffelTion of the flax, and in ihort all kinds of fruits and vegetables, 

 country. The Arabs entered Spain by Andalufia in the Granada was formerly divided iito four quarters, vix. 

 year 7 1 1 ; and after the battle of Xeres, which decided its Granada, Alhambra, Albayzin, and Antiquerula. Of 

 fate, as well as that of Spain, it belonged to the caliphs of thefe, the tirft, or Granada, is the handfomell, moft im- 

 Uamafcus, and then to thofe of Bagdad ; till at length portant, mofl agreeable, belt built, and bell inhabited part 

 Abdal-raliman, or Abderame, a prince of the blood-royal of the town. It occupies the commencement of the plain, 

 of the Ommiades or Almohades, feized on the throne of and a part of the vallies between the two mountains ; it i6 

 Spain in 755. In the year 1027 the empire of the Moors cmbellilhcd with a number of fountains, lar-ge gardens, 

 in Spain was difmembered ; and in 1 221 the kingdom of handfonie fquares, and fine buildings: it is inhabited by 

 Granada was diifolved. Soon after this period, vi^. in 1236, the nobility, clergy, magiftracy, and the richelt of the ci- 

 Mahomed Alamir, or Alhamar, founded anew the kingdom tizens ; and the principal markets are fituated in it. Tiie 

 of Granada ; and his defcendants preferved for about 2i quarter of Alhambra, properly fpeaking, is only a great 

 centuries the throne, which he tranfmitted to them. It was fortrefs fituated on a mountain, called Sierra del Sol, or 

 referved for Ferdinand V. and Ifabella his queen, to give mountain of the fnn ; it was the refidence of the kings, 

 the lail blow to the power of the Moors, by depriving them whole palace ftill poneffes great beauties. (See the defcrip- 

 of the kingdom of Granada at the end of the 15th century, tion of it under Ai.ii.\.\iiil!A.) The q larter of Albayzin 

 The capture of Malaga, Aug. i8th 1487, facilitated the refembles a f.mxbourg raifed on a hill, where v,-as formerly 

 fiege of Granada, the capital of the province, into which a fort, which commanded and proterted the town, from 

 the Moors had collected tlieir whole force. They were at- whicli it is feparated by a rampart. It contains about 40O: 

 tacked in 1491, and after a fiege of upwards of a year, the houfes. Antiquerula has the appearance of another faiix- 

 town was obliged to furrender to the Catliolic armies; and bourg built upon the ])lain ; it was pei)plcj by fettlers from 

 thus in 1492 the Mooiifli empire in Spain terminated. The Antequera, and is at pretent chiefly inhabited by dyers and 

 extent of Granada at this time was 70 leagues long and 30 filk weavers. Among the numerous fquares of (Jranada 

 broad; it contained, as it is faid, 32 great towns, 97 fmaller we may fpecify as the handfomell. El Caiiipo, in wliich is a 

 ones, upwards of 2000 boroughs and villages, and 3,000,000 holpitnl ; the Plaza Mayor, which is Ipacioii.'-., and ufed for 

 of inhabitants. The^revenue derived from it amounted an- public Ihows, particularly the bull-fealis ; and the J)i\aram- 

 iiually' to 700,000 ducats; and gold and filver abounded bla, embelliflied by a beautiful jalper fountain, and by the 

 iiiore in this kingdom than in any other country of Europe, two line edifices of the Alcu.\cria, whicli was ufcd by ttie 



Moors 



