Chapter III: Andalusia.5 (3)

On these buildings the highest efforts of Moorish art have been expended. Their structural value is small; the materials, chiefly wood and plaster, lack solidity, being often used for effect only; while architectural rules are constantly violated. But the ingenious disposition of the rooms and their sumptuous ornamentation, whose fairy-like effect is too often marred by decay or by faulty restoration, are unrivalled. The slender marble columns by which the light walls are supported recall the tent-poles of the nomads, while the mural decoration with its arabesques and flourishes reminds one of an Oriental carpet. Very curious too is the ‘stalactite’ vaulting, formed by minute and countless projections of the walls, ranged one above the other without visible support. The Semitic abhorrence of any representation of living beings accounts for the absence of sculpture, but some food for reflection was afforded by the inscriptions with which all the wall-spaces are framed, partly in the venerable Cufic characters (p. 150), partly in Andalusian flowing letters, extolling Allah and the reigning family.

The present low-lying ENTRANCE (_Entrada Moderna_), adjacent to the emperor’s palace, leads into the—

*=Myrtle Court= (_Patio de la Alberca_ or _de los Arrayanes_), which belongs to the Comares palace (p. 80), and derives its name from the myrtle-hedges (_mesas de arrayanes_) around its pond (_alberca_). The court is 121 ft. long and 75 ft. in breadth. At its N.E. end rises the Comares tower (see below); to the S.W. it is overlooked by Charles V.’s palace, which stands about 16 ft. higher. At each end of the court is a beautiful arcade, borne by six slender marble columns and paved with marble; that at the S.W. end, with its upper gallery, open at the top, deserves special admiration. At the N.E. end the arcades terminate in curious niches (Arabic _ar-hanîya_) with stalactite vaulting, once coloured blue.

The first door on the N.W. side of the court leads into the
custodian’s rooms, and the next but one into the _Patio del Mexuar_
(p. 85); opposite the latter door, from the S.E. wall of the court,
stairs (generally closed) descend to the _Baths_ (p. 85). Opposite the
entrance of the palace is a door leading into the _Sala de los
Mocárabes_ (p. 84) and the _Lions’ Court_ (p. 81). The stairs in the
S.W. angle of the court lead into the interior of Charles V.’s palace
(p. 86).

An ornate horseshoe arch at the N.E. end of the court gives access to the ante-room of the Comares Tower, the =Sala de la Barca=, whose barrel-vaulting was destroyed by a fire in 1899. By the entrance are two niches for water-vessels. The wall of the tower is pierced with a superb archway, right and left of which are two other fine niches.

The ruinous =Torre de Comares=, 148 ft. in height, built, it is said, by workmen from Comares, and crowned, with modern pinnacles, contains the—

**=Hall of the Ambassadors= (_Sala de los Embajadores_), a room in two stories, 36 ft. square and 59 ft. high, once the royal reception room. The last meeting of the Moors under Boabdil, before the capitulation of Granada, was held here in 1491. Inscriptions record that Yûsuf I. was the builder. The larch-wood dome of the hall has been compared to the facetted surface of a cut diamond. The immense thickness of the walls is apparent from the depth of the window-niches, each of which affords a different view. The central windows (so-called _Ajimez_, Arabic _khamsîya_) are each divided into two by a slender column. This hall is one of the most richly decorated in the Alhambra.

From the first window-niche on the right in the S.E. wall a passage
leads to the _Peinador de la Reina_ (p. 86) and to the lower floor.

We return to the Myrtle Court and (as indicated above) pass through the Sala de los Mocárabes into the—

**=Court of the Lions= (_Patio de Los Leones_), which owes its name to the _Fuente de los Leones_, a famous fountain borne by twelve lions. The building was begun by Mohammed V. in 1377. The court, 92 by 52 ft., is bordered all round with a colonnade, from which at each end protrudes a superb domed pavilion. The columns are alternately single and grouped. The tasteful elegance of this court, originally shaded by six orange-trees, contrasts strikingly with the showy pomp of the Myrtle Court. The fretwork decoration in stucco looks like carved ivory. Besides the lion-fountain, the court contains, at the ends of the arcade, eight flat marble fountain-basins. The fountains play on a few festival-days only.

The Court of the Lions, whose upper floor contained the women’s apartments, restored in 1907, is adjoined by handsome rooms all round. On the N.W. side is the present ante-room of the court, called the—

=Sala de los Mocárabes=, 72 ft. long, but only 13 ft. wide. The handsome barrel-vaulting in the Renaissance style was added after an explosion of gunpowder in 1614, but remains of the old dome and mural decoration have been brought to light.

The *=Hall of the Abencerrages=, to the S.W. of the Lions’ Court, derives its name from a noble family (p. 75), whose leading members, as the story goes, were beheaded at the fountain in the centre of this hall on account of an intrigue of Hamet, their chief, with king Boabdil’s wife. We note specially the magnificent door of entrance, and the curious way in which it is fitted to the doorposts. The central part of the hall rises in three stories, upon which open two lower alcoves with beautiful toothed arches and coffered ceilings. Over the gallery of the second story eight stalactite pendentives form the transition to the sixteen-sided third story, whose windows diffuse a subdued light. Lastly, the hall is roofed with massive stalactite vaulting.

Adjoining the Hall of the Abencerrages, on the left and right, are the
_Patinillo_ and the _Aljibe_ or cistern.

The *=Sala de la Justicia= (also called _Sala del Tribunal_ or _de los Reyes_), on the S.E. side of the Court of the Lions, is a hall in seven sections, with three arched entrances from the court, each divided by two columns. Between these open sections, which are roofed with lofty domes lighted from above, are two lower chambers. Adjoining the ends and the E. side are side-rooms or alcoves, some of them dark. The whole of this hall, with its honeycomb vaulting and stalactite arches, presents the appearance of some fantastic grotto.

The three larger side-rooms have ceiling-paintings of the early 15th
century. The central picture, which has given rise to the different
names of the hall (‘hall of justice’, ‘hall of the kings’, etc.),
probably represents the first ten kings of Granada, beginning with
Mohammed I., or, according to others, a meeting of council, or a court
of justice. The paintings in the two other alcoves depict hunting and
jousting scenes.

In the central alcove is a Moorish _Trough_ (pila) of 1306, with
curious reliefs of lions devouring stags, of eagles, etc.—The
alabaster _Tombstones_ in the alcove at the S.W. end of the hall are
from the _Rauda_, the dilapidated royal vault of the Alhambra.

Opposite the Hall of the Abencerrages we ascend from the N.E. side of the Court of the Lions by a narrow passage (_pasadizo_) to the—

**=Sala de las Dos Hermanas= (_Hall of the Two Sisters_), which lies in the same axis as the Sala de los Ajimeces and Mirador de Daraxa, two other rooms situated at a higher level. This suite of rooms seems to have formed the winter residence of the ruler’s harem. The chief of these, whose ornamentation is perhaps the most exquisite in the Alhambra, has its name from the two marble slabs in the pavement. In particular we admire the beautiful doors, the mural decoration in stucco, and above all the honeycomb vaulting, the largest of all Arab roofs of the kind.

In a corner of the hall stands the *_Alhambra Vase_ (‘el jarro de la
Alhambra’), 4 ft. 5 in. in height, dating from 1320, and adorned with
enamel, figures of animals (gazelles?), etc.

We next pass through the _Sala de los Ajimeces_, with its ajimeces (p. 83) and fine vaulting (a closed passage on the left leads hence to the Peinador de la Reina and the Patio de la Reja, p. 86), to the—

*=Mirador de Daraxa= (‘entrance-room’). This charming bay has three windows, reaching nearly to the ground and overlooking the Patio de Daraxa (p. 86).

We may now return through the Court of the Lions to the Myrtle Court, and from the N.W. side (as indicated at p. 83) of the latter descend through the _Zaguán_ or forecourt to the =Patio del Mexuar=, lying 13 ft. lower. This is the oldest part of the Alhambra. On the N.E. side of the court is a pleasing _Atrium_, with columns and a horseshoe arch of 1522. The adjacent _Cuarto Dorado_ also has Mudejar decoration of the time of Charles V.

The =Mexuar= (Arabic _meshwâr_, council-chamber), now the _Capilla_, was fitted up as such in 1537–44, but not used as the palace chapel till 1629. During the Moorish period it perhaps served as an audience chamber or law-court, and the gallery as a meeting-place for the council of state.—A modern door leads into the _Mosala_, the Moorish chapel built by Mohammed V., which belonged to the old _Cuarto de Machuca_ (p. 80), now almost entirely occupied by gardens.

Nearly opposite the Christian Chapel in the Mexuar Court is the underground _Viaduct_ leading to the Baths (right) and to the Patio de la Reja.

The extensive subterranean *=Baths= (_Baños_), to the N.E. of the Myrtle Court, in the style of those of ancient Rome (comp. p. 290), date from the time of Yûsuf I. The first room, now freely restored, resembling an Apodyterium, is the _Sala de las Camas_ or _de los Divanes_, with two niches for couches, and is remarkable for its graceful superstructure. The gallery was destined for the singing girls. The chief bath-chamber (_cuartos y sudoríficos_) corresponds to the Tepidarium, and marble baths still exist. The heating apparatus (_calorífero_) has been destroyed.

From the Sala de las Camas we enter the *=Patio de Daraxa= (p. 85), planted with cypresses, formerly the inner garden of the palace, but altered by Charles V. Only the upper basin of the fountain is Moorish. The rooms on the upper floor (_Aposentos de Carlos Quinto_) contain the Alhambra archives.

The small _Patio de la Reja_, with its fountain and four cypresses, so called from its window-gratings, dates only from 1654–55.—The stairs at the N.E. corner lead (left) to the Hall of the Ambassadors (p. 83), and (right) to a new corridor which brings us to the—

*=Peinador de la Reina= (the ‘Queen’s Dressing-room’), on the upper floor of the _Torre del Peinador_ erected by Yûsuf I. The ‘grotesque’ paintings, in the style of the Vatican logge, and the scenes from Charles V.’s expedition to Tunis (p. 323) are by _Julio de Aquilés_ and _Alex. Mayner_.

* * * * *

The *=Palace of Charles V.= (Pl. 17, E, 2; entrance, see p. 83) is a massive square pile of 207 ft. each way and 57 ft. in height, with a heavy rustica groundfloor and an upper story of the Ionic order, terminating in a Doric cornice. The building was designed by _Pedro Machuca_ in the Italian high-Renaissance style, in 1526, and its cost was defrayed out of the tribute paid by the Moors. The only completed parts are the façades, the superb circular colonnaded court, of the Doric order below and the Ionic above, and the main staircase, which was not finished till 1635. The richly sculptured W. and S. portals, executed by many different masters, are specially attractive.

Passing round the S. side of the palace of Charles V., we cross the Plaza de los Alămos to the church of _Santa María_ (Pl. 18; E, F, 2), which stands on the site of the _Mezquita Real_ or Alhambra mosque.

The buildings of the =Alta Alhambra= (p. 79) also present several
features of interest. To the N. of Santa María we cross the Alameda,
pass (on the left) the ruins of the Rauda (p. 85) and the outside of
the Court of the Lions, and then descend to the left to the _Torre de
las Damas_ (Pl. 20; E, 2), a fortified tower of the time of Yûsuf I.,
restored in 1907–8, with a sumptuous interior. Fine view from the
Mirador (p. 87).—A few paces to the E. lies the =Carmen de Arratía=, a
private house with a charming garden (above the gate is the
inscription ‘Mezquita árabe de la Alhambra’). The house contains a
_Moorish Chapel_, also dating from the time of Yûsuf I., with an
elegant mihrâb or prayer-niche.

Farther on in the same direction we come to the _Torre de los Picos_
(Pl. 21; F, 2) and cross a bastion (_baluarte_) to the =Puerta de
Hierro= (Pl. 22; F, 2), restored by the ‘Catholic kings’, which forms
the entrance to the Alhambra from the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. 78).

On the margin of the plateau above this road are four towers, the two
finest of which, time permitting, we may visit under the guidance of
the custodian, who lives in the Torre de la Pólvora. These are the
=Torre de la Cautiva= (Pl. 23; F, 2), the chief room in which vies
with the sumptuous halls of the Alhambra palace itself, and the _Torre
de las Infantas_ (Pl. 24; F, 2), an excellent point of view.

On the S.W. margin of the plateau, beyond the _Torre del Agua_ (Pl.
25; F, 2), where towards evening we have a splendid view of the town,
the Vega, and the Sierra Nevada, is a bastion above which rises the
_Puerta de los Siete Suelos_ (Pl. 26; F, 2). By this gate Boabdil, the
last of the Moorish kings (p. 75), made his final exit from the
Alhambra.

d. The Generalife.

At the foot of the _Cerro del Sol_, to the E. of the Alhambra, about 160 ft. above the Alhambra Hill, rises the *=Palacio de Generalife= (Pl. E, F, 1), once the famous summer residence of the Moorish kings, and now owned by the Marquesa de Campotéjar (p. 77). The name is a corruption of the Arabic _Jennat al-Arîf_, ‘garden of Arîf’, the original owner. According to the inscription it was redecorated by order of Abu’l-Walîd Ismaîl in 1319, but in 1494 it was altered and enlarged by Queen Isabella. The interior is very dilapidated; the ornamentation, which is about half-a-century earlier than that of the chief apartments in the Alhambra, is mostly whitewashed.

We ascend by the Camino del Cementerio, a continuation of the three Alhambra Park routes (p. 81), and by the Cuesta del Rey Chico (p. 78), and ring at the _Outer Gate_ (Pl. 27, F, 2; adm., see p. 74; fee to the porter, also to the gardener): A cypress-avenue leads thence to the N. to the _Entrance_ (Pl. 28; F, 1).

The picturesque COURT is still, as in Moorish times, planted with myrtle-hedges and orange-trees and intersected by a water-conduit. The buildings on the E. side date from the 16th cent.; along the W. side runs a _Colonnade_ with pointed arches, the central door of which opens on a _Mirador_ (Arabic _manzar_, _i.e._ belvedere), which is now a chapel. On the N. side we pass through a five-arched _Gallery_, and then through a three-arched _Portal_ into a quadrangular HALL with two alcoves. Beyond this is a square room with a balcony commanding a splendid view of the Darro Valley. The modern side-rooms are uninteresting.

The *PARK, to the E. of the main building and above it, was laid out in Moorish times. We first enter the _Patio de los Cipreses_, with a gallery built in 1584–6, and shaded with venerable cypresses. A Moorish flight of steps, with grooves for water on the balustrades, ascends to a _Mirador_ (Pl. 29; F, 1), where we enjoy a glorious *View of Granada, the Alhambra, and the valley of the Darro.

A good survey of the Alhambra and of the whole Sierra Nevada is
obtained from the _Silla del Moro_ (Pl. F, 1), a spur of the Cerro del
Sol. It is reached in 12 min. from the Cementerio road (p. 87) by a
path diverging halfway between the gate of the Generalife and the
cemetery, and then crossing a gorge.

11. From Granada viâ Bobadilla to Málaga.

119½ M. RAILWAY in 6–6¼ hrs. (fares 28 p. 90, 22 p. 65, 15 p. 95 c.);
railway restaurant at Bobadilla only (change carr.); views thus far on
the left, afterwards on the right.

From Granada to (76 M.) _Bobadilla_, see pp. 73, 72. The train then continues to follow the _Guadalhorce Valley_.

At (84½ M.) _Gobantes_ begins the *=Hoyo de Chorro=, a ravine, inaccessible before the railway was made, where the Guadalhorce forces its passage through the limestone slate rock of the coast-hills. The train is carried along the left bank by means of tunnels and of high bridges crossing lateral gorges. Little, however, of the grand rocky landscape, or of the interesting construction of the line, is seen from the train on its rapid descent.

Beyond (89 M.) _Chorro_ are seen the first oranges, lemons, palms, and cypresses. On the short run to Málaga we are carried with more startling suddenness than anywhere else in Europe into the midst of an almost tropical vegetation, and finally to the coast-region of sugar-cane, cotton, and bananas (comp. p. 89).

96 M. =Alora= (328 ft.; pop. 10,300), the ancient _Iluro_, lies to the right at the foot of the _Sierra del Hacho_. The ‘huertas’, or garden-like fields, are watered by numerous runlets from the Guadalhorce. Beyond the last tunnel the valley expands. 101½ M. _Pizarra_. To the S. rises the _Sierra de Mijas_.

109 M. _Cártama_. The village, the Roman _Cartima_, lies 2½ M. to the S.W., on the right bank of the Guadalhorce, which was once navigable up to this point. The loftily situated castle is Moorish.

112½ M. _Campanillas_ lies on the stream of that name, which waters the hilly wine-country of _Axarquía_ to the N., and falls into the Guadalhorce. The valley broadens down into the plain, the _Hoya de Málaga_ (p. 89). We now leave the Guadalhorce, which turns to the S.E.; to the S. we sight the Mediterranean.

119½ M. =Málaga.=—ARRIVAL. At the RAILWAY STATION (_Estación del
Ferrocarril_; Pl. A, 5) we find hotel-omnibuses, cabs (see p. 89), and
an ‘omnibus general’ (¼ p.), which last goes to the _Despacho
Central_, or town-office of the railway, by the so-called Puerta del
Mar (Calle de Carvajal; Pl. C, 4).—Travellers arriving by STEAMER pay
for landing ½ p. for each person and ½ p. for each trunk; or a bargain
may be made to convey luggage to the custom-house (Aduana) and to the
hotel for 1–2 p.—The coasting steamers only are berthed at the quay.

HOTELS (comp. p. 51). *_Regina Hotel_ (Pl. a; C, 4), on the N. side of
the Alameda, pens. 12–20 p.—*_Hot. Colón_ (Pl. d; C, 3), Plaza de la
Constitución; _Hot. Victoria_ (Pl. b; C, 4), pens. 6–12 p., _Hot.
Niza_ (Pl. c; C, 3), _Hot. Inglés_ (Pl. e; C, 3), pens. 7 p., _Hot.
Alhambra_ (Pl. f; C, 3), pens, from 7 fr., good, all in the Calle del
Marqués de Larios; _Hacienda de Giró_ (Engl. landlady, Mrs. Cooper),
above La Caleta, with garden, pens. 8–15 p.

CAFÉS. _Imperial_, _Inglés_, and _La Vinícola_, all in the Calle del
Marqués de Larios.—BEER. _Gambrinus_, same street; _Cervecería de
Munich_, Plaza de la Constitución; _Maier_, Pasaje de Heredia, N. side
of same plaza.

CABS. Within the town, and to the E. to Hot. Hernán Cortés (p. 92):
cab with two seats, per drive 1, per hr. 2 p., at night 2 and 2½ p.;
with four seats, per drive 1½, per hr. 2½, at night per drive or hour
3 p. Bargain advisable, also as to luggage.—Outside the town according
to bargain: to _Palo_ (p. 92) about 5, to _San José_ and _La
Concepción_ (p. 92) 8–9 p.—On certain festivals fares are raised.

POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (_Correos y Telégrafos_; Pl. D, 3), Calle del
Cister.

BANKS. _Banco Hispano-Americano_, Calle del Marqués de Larios; _Hijos
de Alvárez Fonseca_, Calle Nueva; _Rein & Co._, Alameda de Carlos Haes
4.

CONSULS. British, _P. Staniforth_; vice-consul, _E. R.
Thornton_.—United States, _E. J. Norton_; vice-consul, _T. R.
Geary_.—LLOYD’S AGENT, _Chas. Farguharson_, Cortina del Muelle 69.

ENGLISH CHURCH in the Protestant Cemetery (Pl. F, 3).

STEAMBOAT LINES. _Hall Line_ (agent, Ign. Morales Hurtado, Alameda de
Colón 13), weekly to Cadiz, Lisbon, and London; _Compañía
Trasatlántica_ (office, Viuda de Ant. Duarte), thrice monthly to
Cadiz; _Transports Maritimes_ (P. G. Chaix, Calle de Josefa de Ugarte
Barrientos 26), on 20th of each month to Gibraltar, Madeira, etc.
(comp. also p. 120 and R. 3); _Navigation Mixte_ (P. G. Chaix), from
Tangier viâ Málaga and Melilla to Oran (and Marseilles), see p. 123;
also _Sloman’s Line_ and others.

ONE DAY. Forenoon: _Alameda_, _Park_ (p. 90), _Harbour_ (p. 90),
_Cathedral_ (p. 91), and view from its tower or from the _Gibralfaro_
(p. 92); afternoon: _Protestant Cemetery_, _Caleta_, and _Palo_ (p.
92).

_Málaga_, the capital of a province and seat of a bishop, one of the oldest and most famous of Mediterranean ports, with 111,900 inhab., lies picturesquely on the last spurs of a circus of hills, 47 M. long, the _Sierra Tejea_, _S. de Alhama_, _S. de Abdalajis_, and _S. de Mijas_, which enclose the broad _Bahía de Málaga_. The inner part of this bay is bounded on the E. by the _Punta de los Cántales_, and on the W. by the _Torre de Pimentel_, near Torremolinos; between these rises the _Gibralfaro_, the castle-hill of Málaga, abutting on the harbour. The coast-line is gradually being extended seawards by the alluvial deposits of the _Guadalmedina_ (Arabic ‘town-river’), whose bed, generally dry (Rambla), separates the old town from the W. suburbs. To the W. stretches the wonderfully fertile _Vega_ or _Hoya de Málaga_, where even the sugar-cane, cotton, sweet potatoes (Convolvulus batatas), and cherimolias (Anona cherimolia) are cultivated. Most famous among the products of this luxuriant region are the raisins (pasas) and the wines of Málaga, which are yielded by the Axarquía (p. 88), to the N.W., and by the Montes de Málaga and the hill of Colmenar, to the N.E., and which are chiefly exported by British and German firms. In the W. suburbs are several sugar, cotton, and iron factories, a rare phenomenon in Andalusia. To the E. are the villa-suburbs, the strangers’ quarter. Málaga is much resorted to as a winter residence, chiefly by British and Spanish visitors, on account of the mildness of its climate, the mean temperature of the three winter months being 55° Fahr.

The HISTORY of Málaga, the _Malaca_ of antiquity, begins with the
Phœnicians (p. 50), who gave the town its name. Down to the time of
Posidonius, the contemporary of Pompey and Cicero, it retained its
Punic character (Strabo III, 4), differing therein from the towns of
Iberian or of Greek origin. The Syrian and other Asiatic merchants who
settled here formed distinct guilds. Although the port was of some
importance in ancient times, it now contains no memorials of either
the Phœnician (except a few coins) or of the Roman period. In 571
_Leovigild_, the Visigoth (p. 69), wrested the town from the
Byzantines. In 711 it was captured by the Moors, who regarded it as an
earthly paradise, and whose Arabic writers vie with each other in
extolling it. After 1246, along with Almería, it became one of the
chief ports of the kingdom of Granada, but its mediæval glory ended
with its conquest by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1487. For centuries
Málaga remained utterly insignificant; but of late, in spite of the
growing competition of Seville and Almería, its trade has improved
considerably.

From the station we follow the tramway line and cross the _Puente de Tetuán_ (Pl. B, 4) to the PASEO DE LA ALAMEDA (Pl. B, C, 4), a promenade ¼ M. long and 138 ft. wide, planted with planes. At its W. end it is adorned with a marble _Fountain_ executed in Genoa in 1560, and at the E. end with a statue of the _Marqués de Larios_. Adjoining this Paseo on the E. is the PLAZA DE ALFONSO SUÁREZ DE FIGUEROA (Pl. C, 4), with a tasteful fountain, which leads to the new—

*=Park= (_Parque_ or _Jardines de Enrique Crooke Larios_; Pl. C-E, 4, 3), planted with six rows of planes and palms and with fine flower-beds. View of the harbour, part of the cathedral, the Alcazaba, and the Gibralfaro.—The _Paseo de Heredia_ (Pl. C, 5, 4) also, to the W. of the harbour, is planted with planes and palms.

The =Harbour= (_Puerto_; Pl. C, D, 4, 5) has been much improved since 1881. The E. pier, with the _Lighthouse_ (Faro; Pl. D, 5), was already built in 1588. On the sand-hills behind the pier a poor suburb has sprung up, called the _Barrio de Malagueta_ (Pl. E, F, 4, 3). On its N. side are the _Plaza de Toros_ (Bull Ring; Pl. E, 3) and the _Hospital Noble_, erected for seamen by Dr. Noble, an English physician.—To the Caleta, see p. 92.

The _Mercado_ (market-hall; Pl. B, C, 4), to the N. of the Alameda, deserves an early morning visit; the fish-stalls also are worth seeing. The horseshoe arch of the chief portal, with the motto of the Nasride dynasty (p. 74), is a relic of the Moorish wharf, the _Atarazana_ (Arabic Dâr as-San῾a, ‘arsenal’ or ‘place of work’).

From the Alameda issues the CALLE DEL MARQUÉS DE LARIOS (Pl. C, 4, 3), the chief business street of Málaga (many cafés) and also a favourite resort of the fashionable and leisured classes. Another important commercial thoroughfare, to the N.E. of the Plaza de la Constitución, is the CALLE DE GRANADA (Pl. C, D, 3), officially called _Calle de Salvador Solier_, from which the Calle de Molina Larios leads to the cathedral.

The *=Cathedral= (Pl. C, D, 3; open 7–11 and 3 to 4.30, in summer 4 to 5.30), a massive edifice, marred, however, by the buildings on the E. side, occupies the site of a Moorish mosque, which was converted in 1487 into the Gothic _Church of the Incarnation_ (Encarnación). The present church, which is built entirely of white limestone, was probably planned by _Diego de Siloe_ (p. 76) in 1538. The building progressed slowly, but in 1554 it already showed the arms of Philip II. of Spain and Queen Mary of England. In 1680 it was partly destroyed by an earthquake, but in 1719 the work was resumed with greater energy. It has, however, never been completed.

The chief W. façade, approached by a fine flight of marble steps and flanked with two projecting towers, rises opposite the Plaza del Obispo in two stories, articulated with Corinthian columns. Corresponding with the three portals are the round-arched windows of the second story. The N. tower, 280 ft. high, has a third story with Corinthian columns, surmounted by an octagon with a dome and lantern. The S. tower, like the central part of the façade, shows only the beginnings of a third story. The portals of the transept also are flanked with towers.

The INTERIOR, with its nave and aisles and two rows of chapels,
measures 377 by 246 ft. and is 131 ft. in height. The transept and the
ambulatory are grandly proportioned. The round arches of the ornate
vaulting are borne by two sets of pillars, one above the other, the
lower being enriched with Corinthian pilasters.

In the nave is the CHOIR, with its admirable stalls (16–17th cent.).
The carved *Statues of saints and other figures are by _Pedro de Mena_
(d. 1693).

In the RIGHT AISLE is the Capilla del Rosario (the 3rd), which
contains a Madonna of the Rosary with six saints, by _Alonso Cano_.—In
the 1st chapel of the AMBULATORY, the Capilla de los Reyes, are
kneeling statues of the ‘Catholic kings’ (p. 75) and an image of the
Virgin which they always carried with them on their crusades.

The CAPILLA MAYOR, designed by _Al. Cano_, is formed by a semicircle
of light detached pillars. The handsome altar, in the form of a domed
temple with four façades, is modern.

The N. TOWER (entered from outside; over 200 steps; custodian 30–40
c.) commands a strikingly picturesque *View.

The _Sagrario_, the parish church to the N.W. of the cathedral, has a rich Gothic N. portal from the older cathedral.

The Calle de San Agustín, passing the _Ayuntamiento_ (Pl. D, 3), leads back to the Calle de Granada (p. 90). At the N.E. end of the latter, on the right, near the Plaza de Riego (Pl. D, 2, 3), rises the church of _Santiago el Mayor_ (Pl. D, 3), built on the site of a mosque in 1490, with a tower whose lower part is still Moorish.

If the traveller is undeterred by dirty streets and begging children, he may ascend from the Plaza de Riego to the S.E. viâ the Calle del Mundo Nuevo to the saddle of the _Coracha_ and the Moorish castle of =Alcazaba= (Pl. D, 3; p. 81), the scanty ruins of which are chiefly inhabited by gipsies. This hill-town, once connected with the Gibralfaro by double walls, probably stands on the site of the earliest Phœnician settlement.

The *=Gibralfaro= (Pl. E, 2, 3; 558 ft.; from _jebel_, mountain, and _pharos_, lighthouse), whose original fortifications date back to the 13th cent., affords an extensive view, ranging to the S., in very clear weather, as far as the Monte Melila in Africa (p. 124). The ascent from the Coracha (p. 91) is fairly easy. Leave to see the castle must be obtained beforehand from the commandant, at the Gobierno Militar, Alameda de Colón 2. The same views may be obtained by walking round the old enclosing walls, but this is fatiguing.

At the foot of the Gibralfaro runs the Avenida de Pries (Pl. F, 3), leading to the villa-quarter of =Caleta= (Pl. F, G, 3), where are several pensions and many superb gardens. (Electric tramway from the Paseo de Alameda to Palo; also steam-tramway from the harbour to Vélez-Málaga.) Immediately on the left is the pretty Protestant cemetery, or =Cementerio Inglés=, founded in 1830 by the British consul W. Mark (usually open). The little _English Church_ here was built in 1891. At the E. end of Caleta, beyond the _Hot.-Restaurant Hernán Cortés_ (Pl. k; G, 3), roads diverge to the left for the _Limonar Valley_ (Pl. G, 2, 1), where lie the residential suburbs of _Limonar_, _Higueral_, and _Miramar_.—We may follow the highroad, which affords charming views, but is generally very dusty, to the fishing-village of _Palo_, 2 M. beyond the Hot. Hernán Cortés.

A delightful excursion may be taken to the beautiful park of the
_Hacienda de San José_, 2½ M. to the N. of Málaga, and to the villa of
*=La Concepción=, a little beyond it. The latter contains an elegant
modern temple with Roman antiquities. The road (carr., see p. 89)
leads from the Plaza de Capuchinos up the Guadalmedina. From the
Cementerio de San Miguel (comp. Pl. D, 1; tramway) walkers may wander
along the water-conduit, halfway up the slope (40 min.), and then
descend the avenue of plane-trees to the left to the highroad.