What Is Written On The Walls Of Alhambra?
Translating some of the Arabic inscriptions in Alhambra, Granada.
When we visited Alhambra, I was in awe of everything around me. But above all, I felt I can relate to the art created centuries ago. I can read the inscriptions. Most of the text was familiar.
Alhambra, like other Muslim historical sites in Andalucia, Spain, is covered in beautiful calligraphy and Islamic geometric art. The texts vary across the walls and rooms. A big proportion of it consists of verses from the Quran or religious phrases and sayings of the prophet Mohamed. But there is also a myriad of love songs, praise for the caliphate(s), and poems about life, beauty, and homeland.
All the photos in this story were taken by me. I’ll only talk about a couple of them focusing on verses from the Quran. It’s clear these verses had great significance to the people living at the time; they still do for the 1.5 billion Muslims on the planet.
Let’s start with the picture above. The first verse at the top is praising those who pray and attend mosques. It lists the virtues of those who remember God and worship him at all times.
The second horizontal line is a whole chapter made of only 3 verses. This is one of Quran’s most significant and concise chapters in the Quran…
