Puerta de Fajalauza

The Puerta de Fajalauza, whose Arabic name roughly means Gate of the Almond Pass, was once the entrance to the highest part of the Albaicín district in Granada. It was built during the reign of Yusuf I as part of the defensive wall that enclosed the area, which at the time was still considered a suburb of the Alcazaba Cadima. The structure you see today consists of a trapezoidal crenellated wall about 9 meters (30 feet) high, with a passage 3 meters (10 feet) wide covered by a brick vault. The gate became famous through several historical events, including the return of Boabdil, the last Moorish king, in 1486, and its possible role as the starting point of the Morisco Revolt of 1568. It also gave its name to the local ceramics industry, since potters' workshops were once located nearby. In the course of the twentieth century, the structure was absorbed into the surrounding urban development, and it now marks the boundary between the Albaicín and Haza Grande neighborhoods, though later alterations have cost it some of its original character.