Alhambra Palace

Editorial Headline When I arrived in Granada in 2018, and as is my habit whenever I visit a place for the first time, I went to an antique shop, seeking my lost item on an old map of this Andalusian city, or an ancient key to one of its old houses. What attracted me in Granada went beyond the "Alhambra" to include the entire historic city. I did not succeed in acquiring something from Granada at a price that suited me; but the shop owner drew my attention to a tile dating back to one of the palaces in Toledo. Its name was "Fernando," and I was amazed by his encyclopedic knowledge of archaeological antiques. I was impressed, so I bought it. From Granada, my obsession with collecting tiles in all its variations began; including the "Zellij" mosaic tile that developed in Andalusia and the Maghreb; and from there, it headed west to Portugal, where it was influenced by the aesthetics of Chinese ceramics, an influence that the Dutch transferred across the oceans. A journey in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, led me to acquire one of the tiles collected by an artist named "Antonio" from dilapidated palaces. It had no significant monetary value except for his painting on it, which infused it with a contemporary spirit through his oil colors. Sicily has nine UNESCO World Heritage sites belonging to the Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture; including churches adorned with Arab decorations and inscriptions in Kufic script, created by Arab craftsmen during the Norman rule, which was characterized by tolerance. Returning to Granada, where the cover story of this issue discusses one of the most important Andalusian cultural productions: the Alhambra. This historic monument not only represents aesthetic and architectural values but also philosophical dimensions that touch the human soul. The Alhambra is Granada’s crown jewel, the last stronghold of the Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula, and its pride that defied time to remain throughout the centuries a source of inspiration for both Arab and Western literature. Let us go on a tour of its corridors, courtyards, and gardens! In this issue, you will read about: Alhambra The American Ibex Crisis Reproductive Revolution Primitive "Modern" Tribes