Nasr, Sultan of Granada

Who was Nasr, Sultan of Granada?

Nasr, full name Abu'l-Juyush Nasr, was a son of Muhammed II al-Faqih and the fourth Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula. Nasr was a child of a Christian concubine.

Like his half-brother and predecessor Muhammed III, he had a refined upbringing and education. He also studied astronomy. On March 14, 1309 he ascended the Granadine throne after he dethroned his brother Muhammed III. Nasr I continued the policy begun by his ancestors and paid tribute to the kingdom of Castile. He is credited with having constructed the Alhambra tower known as the Peinador de la Reina. A hidden staircase descending from the city walls leads to the foot of this tower and to an underground passage out of the Alhambra. During his reign, the Nasrids temporarily lost control of Algeciras, Ronda and Gibraltar. For his losses and troubles, the Moorish aristocracy did not support Nasr I. In 1310 his cousin and brother in-law Abu Said Faraj, the governor of Malaga, rebelled against Nasr I. Almost a year later, the men signed a truce. His nephew by his half-sister Fatima, Abu l-Walid Isma’il, deposed Nasr on February 8, 1314.

He withdrew to Guadix, where he helped the Castilians in their losing battle against Abu l-Walid Isma’il, in 1319. He later suffered a stroke and died on November 16, 1322. He was buried on the southern slope of the Alhambra palace's hillside. The death of Nasr brought the male line of the Nasrid Dynasty to an end and the collateral female line, through his half-sister Fatima, took over.