Plaza de Bib-Rambla

The square’s name comes from the Arabic Bab al-Ramla, the Gate of the Sand, because it opened onto the sandy banks of the Darro. Next to the Alcaicería, Nasrid trade had its beating heart here; later the square hosted jousts, bullfights and festivals.

1The bonfire of books

This square saw one of the saddest episodes in the city’s history. Between the end of 1499 and 1501, Cardinal Cisneros, determined to speed up the conversion of the Muslims, had thousands of Arabic books gathered and burned in public; he spared only a few on medicine. The sources do not agree on the exact date or the number of volumes, but the burning itself is well documented.

2The gate of the ears

In one corner stood the Nasrid gate that gave the square its name, attributed to Yusuf I. Locals called it the Arco de las Orejas, the Arch of the Ears. Legend says that the ears and hands cut off from criminals were displayed there. Another version tells that, during some festivities in the seventeenth century, a stand packed with spectators collapsed and someone cut off the victims’ ears to steal their earrings. The City Council demolished the gate between 1873 and 1884, and in 1935 the architect Leopoldo Torres Balbás rebuilt part of it in the Alhambra woods, beside the path you walked earlier today.

An engraving based on a drawing by David Roberts, from around 1830, shows what the gate looked like before it was pulled down.

If you fancy ending the afternoon on a sweet note, churros and chocolate have been served on this very square since the early twentieth century; and if you prefer tapas, calle Navas is two minutes away.

3What to look for

• The Fountain of the Giants, with Neptune on top.
• Calle Arco de las Orejas, which keeps the gate’s name.
• The cathedral tower, above the rooftops.