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Granada is one of the most frequently mentioned cities in Spain, and not all the sayings about it are true.
Here are the ones that are actually documented, to whom he said them and in what context. And finally, the most famous of them all, which turns out to be a hoax.
«Give him alms, woman, for there is nothing in life quite like the misery of being blind in Granada.»
It is the quintessential phrase associated with Granada, and it has its own story: it was written by the Mexican poet Francisco de Asís de Icaza after seeing a blind beggar begging near the Alhambra. It is carved into the wall of the Torre de la Pólvora.
«I don’t know if I’ve called this earth beneath my feet »heaven”; if this place down here is paradise, what on earth must the Alhambra be?’
From the Golden Age, and among the few predating romantic tourism.
«On the waters of Granada, only sighs flow.»
Lorca was from Granada and he wrote about his city constantly. Other works of his, equally well-researched:
«Granada is defenceless against the people; for when it comes to flattery, nothing and no one can defend themselves.»
«Granada is a place for dreams and reverie; everywhere it borders on the ineffable… Granada will always be more artistic than philosophical, more lyrical than dramatic.»
«Never in my life have I lived in a more delightful place than this, and I shall never find another to match it.»
And he knew what he was talking about: lived inside the Alhambra in 1829, when the site was half in ruins and occupied by local residents.
«Every city has its own charm. Granada has its own, and that of all the others.»
«You really ought to see the Alhambra and Granada. It’s like something out of a fairy tale; it’s magic, splendour, love; it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.»
«If we had to visit just one city in Spain, it would have to be Granada.»
This is the one Hemingway actually said. There is another quote attributed to him — «a gift from history that stands the test of time» — which does not appear in any source and does not fit with his writing style.
«Nowhere else in the world does the landscape sound quite like it does in Granada.»
The composer He lived in a country house at the foot of the Alhambra, which is now a museum.
«There is no city that, without a touch of madness, / can rival Granada / for the crown of beauty.»
Also hers: «In Granada there are more spells than there are reddish seeds in the fruit found in the valleys.».
«Granada stirs the soul to the point of overwhelming and blurring all the senses.»
«Every curious traveller holds Granada dear to their heart, even if they have never visited it.» — attributed to William Shakespeare
Shakespeare never wrote that. Neither about Granada nor about the Alhambra. He died in 1616 and there is not a single line in his entire body of work that mentions the city.
And yet you’ll find it everywhere: in guidebooks, in compilations and even on official tourism websites. It is one of the most widespread misconceptions about Spanish tourism.
If you’re going to quote someone in a caption, you’d be better off choosing the ones at the top – they do stand up to scrutiny.
The most oft-repeated phrase at the Alhambra was not written by any poet: it is carved into its walls.
"There is no victory except through Allah» — «There is no victor but God»
It was the motto of the Nasrid dynasty, and it is estimated that it appears around 9,000 times carved into the stucco work, arches, columns and plinths throughout the complex.
And there’s more to it than meets the eye: The Nasrids ruled Granada as a vassal kingdom of Castile, paying tribute. The motto served as a reminder that no human victory is definitive, something that was particularly relevant in their situation.
Keep an eye out for it during your visit. Once you recognise it, you start to see it everywhere, and the décor ceases to be mere decoration and becomes a form of text. The clearest example of this is in the Patio de los Leones, the fountain of which has an entire poem carved onto its rim.
If the Alhambra is now a world-famous destination, it owes this in large part to a book.
Washington Irving, an American writer and diplomat, it was established on the site in 1829. At that time, the Alhambra was not a monument: it was a dilapidated building, with families living inside. Irving recorded what its inhabitants told him and published it in 1832 as Tales of the Alhambra.
The book put the monument on the map from Europe and the Americas, and gave rise to romantic tourism in Granada.
His best-known stories:
The venue’s legends, in The Legends of the Alhambra.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. Tickets for the Alhambra are the hardest to get on your own, and the excursion includes the following:
Two options: with tickets and a guided tour of the site, or that of free city, if you’d rather view it from the viewing points and go for a walk on your own.
Before you go, have a look How to visit the Alhambra. And as for the rest, What to see in Granada, where to eat y traditional sweets.
More about the Alhambra: his children’s story, Eight interesting facts y its sources.
«Give him alms, woman, for there is nothing in life quite like the sorrow of being blind in Granada», by the Mexican poet Francisco de Asís de Icaza. He wrote it after seeing a blind beggar begging near the Alhambra, and it is inscribed on the wall of the Torre de la Pólvora, within the complex.
No. The quote «Every curious traveller holds Granada dear to their heart, even without having visited it» is constantly attributed to him, even in official publications, but it does not appear in any of his works. Shakespeare died in 1616 and did not write about the city. It is one of the most widespread false attributions in Spanish tourism.
«Wa la galib illa Allah», which means «There is no victor but God». This was the motto of the Nasrid dynasty and it is estimated to have been carved some 9,000 times into the plasterwork, arches, columns and plinths throughout the complex. It is particularly significant because the Nasrids ruled as a vassal kingdom of Castile.
«If we had to visit just one city in Spain, it would have to be Granada.» This is the quote commonly attributed to him and is widely cited. Another quote attributed to him, describing the Alhambra as «a gift from history that endures through the ages», is in circulation, but it does not appear in any reliable source.
Washington Irving, an American writer and diplomat, took up residence on the site itself in 1829, at a time when the Alhambra was in a state of disrepair and inhabited by local residents. He collected the stories they told him and published them in 1832. The book played a decisive role in raising awareness of the monument in Europe and America.
A great deal, simply because he was from Granada. Among his documented sayings are «On the waters of Granada, only sighs flow» and «Granada is defenceless against people; for against flattery, nothing and no one can defend themselves». One should be wary of his generalised quotes about the Alhambra that circulate without reference to the work from which they are taken.
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