Calat Alhambra, Second Life

Scale also means that the build is – despite straddling two sims – a little squeezed for space (although the original, built atop a hill, suffered the same problem). The result is that some aspects of the original are missing from the in-world build or slightly altered – but unless you are an Alhambra expert, or are studying images and plans of the original, I’d defy you to notice this. The need to be prim conscious also means that the in-world Alhambra is not as lush in terms of greenery as its real-life counterpart, which Moorish poets referred to as being “a pearl among emeralds” on account of its whitewashed walls being surrounded by rich woodland.

But you can hardly blame the designers of the in-world Alhambra for not squandering prims on woodland alone, and it is not something that detracts from the citadel as you wander through its streets and halls. Nor does it mean there is nothing to see beyond the wall – elements of the Palacio Generalife have also been reproduced here, and should be a part of any visit.

Within the walls of the citadel there is odd slight oddity, and that’s the Mosque – not that Alhambra would have been without a Mosque. Rather, the oddity here is that the Mosque incorporated into Al Andalus Alhambra is in fact modelled on the great Mosque of Cordoba built by Abd ar-Rahman and his heirs.

As there is an active Muslim community associated with Al Andalus Alhambra in Second Life, visitors coming to the Mosque are asked – but not required – to remove their shoes before entering, and there is a small basket outside that dispenses hijab for women to place over their heads if they are so inclined.

While visiting the Mosque I have no problem in respecting both requests, and this time around I also opted to wear something that reflected something of the colour from the era as I walked quietly through the many columns of the Mosque before returning to the courtyard and then to the street.

As well as being able to walk around the citadel, visitors have the option of two other forms of transport: a wearable horse that allows you to ride around the fortress and outlying lands (although not, one would hope, inside the palaces and halls!), and a magic carpet.

The latter will take you on an extensive flying tour of the fortress and the outlying areas, making numerous stops along the say at points of interest while providing a veritable treasure trove of information on Alhambra and the Al Andalus Community Project.The ride is one of the longer guided tour rides I’ve been on in SL – lasting some 20 minutes – and it can be a little choppy in places; but it is very worthwhile and helps you to locate points of interest you might otherwise miss when wandering on your own (particularly those outside the citadel walls). Should you wish, you can always jump off when you reach a particular point of interest, and resume your explorations on foot.

I do suggest you take the time to venture outside the walls and visit places such as the Jardines Nuevos and South Pavilion. However, if you opt to follow the footpath around the south side of the fortress in Al Andalus Generalife, be mindful of the fact that the path strays very close to the region boundary with Gonzaga University to the south (in fact part of the footpath branches into Gonzaga University); the university’s sim appears to be on restricted access, so following tha path too far can have you bouncing around on the sim boundary with a curt warning that you’re not allowed into the destination. That you also pass the doors welcoming you to the Monserrat Abbey, which you can open but not enter, could be a little confusing as well.

I do have two or three minor quibbles with the build; elements of it do seem oddly incomplete – there are places where the bare plywood is visible on end walls of areas otherwise fully textured (such as around the Torre de Comares) – although in fairness, this area might be under reconstruction. If this is the case, I do hope more is done to bring  the Salón de los Embajadores – Hall of the Ambassadors, regarded as the throne room of the palace and which sits within the Torre de Corrares – to life. There are also odd little holes and gaps where prims haven’t been completely aligned – but these are all in places that require a degree of additional exploration to find, rather than poking you in the eye.

Also, given the Moorish love of rich, vibrant colours and their use of silks and hangings (and given Granada’s strong links with the silk trade through the ages), the current selection of pictures on the walls of the Patio de los Arrayanes are, to me, out-of-place and detract somewhat from the build as a whole.

However, these points aside, Al Andalus Alhambra is very much a marvellous work, and well worth the time taken to visit it,and the team behind it are to be congratulated for bringing the citadel to life within Second Life.