Puerta Elvira (Gate of Elvira), Granada

The Puerta de Elvira, or Gate of Elvira, once formed the main gate into the city and had a garrison attached to it in order to defend the city. It was built in Moorish times by Yusuf I to protect the Muslim-ruled city from invaders. The city was conquered by the Catholic monarchs shortly after, with a procession marching through the gate to symbolise the victory. Centuries later, Napoleonic troops invaded Granada and destroyed the gate and adjacent fort. Only the archway remains, leading many Granadinos to refer to the structure as simply ‘the arch of Elvira’.

One of many fine examples of Arabic architecture in the city, the Puerta de Elvira has often caused confusion on account of its name. It was once thought that the Moors christened their newly claimed city Elvira in the 8th century, based on the Roman name for Granada – Iliberis. Historians now believe that the Moors called the region around Granada by this name, and also a city which lay to the west, that has all but disappeared. As medieval town gates were universally named after the town they led to, rather than the town they stood in, it is thought that this gate led to another city, known as Elvira. Granada was first known under this name when it was a Jewish citadel, prior to the Moorish invasion.