I have always felt a fascination for history and art, but it was the Alhambra that truly set the course of my life. My name is Miguel Ángel Avilés Tamayo and my path in the world of Andalusian heritage has been a story of passion, effort and dedication.
I was born in Granada and studied Art History at its University. However, it was not enough; I wanted to delve deeper. Therefore, I decided to continue my training with the Master’s Degree in Art History: Knowledge and Protection of Historical Heritage (University of Granada, 2014-2015). During this time, I dedicated my Master’s Thesis to a detailed study on “The vegetal ornamentation of the Qubba Mayor and Mirador de Lindaraja in the Alhambra: forms, analogies and symbolism”, under the supervision of José Miguel Puerta Vílchez, a reference in the field. But my curiosity had no limits. I knew that to fully understand Nasrid art and architecture I had to broaden my perspective. Therefore, I took the Master’s Degree in Arabic and Hebrew Cultures: Al-Andalus and Contemporary Arab World (University of Granada, 2015-2016) where I returned to the Alhambra this time to study the polychromy on the Comares Facade. After this second master’s degree I decided to learn Arabic to better understand the inscriptions and poems that decorate the Nasrid palaces. Today, I am able to recite many of the poems of the Alhambra in their original language, which allows me to convey their beauty and meaning with greater authenticity. In addition, I have taken my passion one step further with the creation of my YouTube channel, “Código Alhambra”
