Corral del Carbón facts for kids
The Corral del Carbón is a really old and special building in the city of Granada, Spain. It was built way back in the 1300s! Its first name was al-Funduq al-Jadida, which means "the New Inn" or "New Warehouse".
This building is super important because it's the only one of its kind left from the time when Muslim rulers, called the Nasrids, governed Granada. It was a funduq, which was like a big inn and storage place for merchants and their goods. Think of it as an ancient shopping mall and hotel all in one! It's located near where the Cathedral is today, which used to be the city's main mosque.
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A Look Back in Time
The exact year the Corral del Carbón was built isn't known, but experts think it was in the early 1300s. It was a busy place where merchants from other cities could stay and store their goods, like grain. Most of these old merchant inns were simple, but the Corral del Carbón was special. It was said to belong to the wives of the Nasrid sultans, so it looked much grander than others.
It was built right next to the city's main market, called the qaysariyya (now known as the Alcaicería). A small bridge connected the building to this market.
What Happened After the Conquest?
In 1494, after the Christian rulers took over Granada, the building was given to a man named Juan de Arana. After he died, it was sold and became a corral de comedias, which was a theater! People would gather in the courtyard to watch plays. The inside of the building was changed to fit the theater audience.
Later, in the 1600s, it became a place where many families lived. The ground floor was used to weigh and store coal. This is how the building got its current name, Corral del Carbón, which means "Courtyard of Coal."
Saving the Building
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the building was in bad shape. In 1918, it was declared a "National Monument" to protect it. Finally, in 1928, a famous architect named Leopoldo Torres Balbás helped the government buy the building. Many families living there had to move out so the building could be saved.
Torres Balbás then led a big project to restore the building from 1929 to 1931. They removed many newer parts and fixed the roofs and floors. The building was restored again in 1992 and its facade (the front part) was cleaned in 2006.
What the Building Looks Like
Even though the inside of the building has changed over time, its basic shape is still the same. It has a nearly square central courtyard with a three-story gallery around it. In the middle of the courtyard, there's a stone basin that used to be a fountain.
The Amazing Entrance
The most striking part of the Corral del Carbón is its huge entrance. The doors are set inside a large arched space called an iwan. This type of grand entrance was common in ancient buildings in places like Egypt. You can see a similar style at the Gate of Justice in the Alhambra.
The decorations on the front of the building are truly Nasrid, or Moorish, in style. Around the archway, you'll see beautiful patterns with many-lobed arches and carvings. Above the arch, there's a horizontal band with an Arabic inscription from the Qur'an. There are also decorative plaster panels with intricate patterns. The entrance is topped with a typical wooden eaves supported by brackets, which was common in old Spanish and Moroccan architecture.
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The decoration above the archway of the entrance, including the Kufic inscription
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The decoration around the archway of the entrance iwan
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The muqarnas vaulting above the entrance
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Remains of decoration in the vestibule of the building
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The central courtyard
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The water basin and fountain at the center of the courtyard
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What It's Used For Today
Today, the Corral del Carbón is a popular place for tourists to visit in Granada. It's also home to the offices of the City of Granada Orchestra and the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada. Sometimes, it's used for different cultural shows and events.
Images for kids
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Aspect of the Corral del Carbón in the 19th century, drawing by David Roberts
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View of the building's facade circa 1900, in a state of disrepair
See also
In Spanish: Corral del Carbón para niños
