Walking through the narrow streets near Granada's cathedral, you'll stumble upon the Alcaicería, a small bazaar that feels like stepping into another era. This isn't the grand market it once was, but there's something authentic about its winding alleys lined with tiny shops selling handcrafted goods.

The original Alcaicería Granada was massive during the Nasrid period, stretching almost 4,600 square meters and housing around 200 shops where silk merchants conducted their trade. The name itself comes from Arabic al-qaysariyya, meaning "the place of the Caesar" – a nod to when Byzantine Emperor Justinian granted Arabs the right to sell silk. It was the beating heart of Islamic Granada's commercial district.

What you see today is actually a 19th-century reconstruction. The original bazaar burned down completely in 1843, and architects rebuilt it in a romantic Neo-Moorish style that captures the essence of what once stood here, though much smaller. The current layout has those characteristic narrow passages, decorative arches with intricate plasterwork, and wooden lattice windows that create beautiful patterns of light and shadow.

The atmosphere is genuinely evocative. You'll find artisans selling traditional Fajalauza pottery with its distinctive blue and green glazes, intricate wooden marquetry work called taracea, and those colorful glass lanterns that seem to glow even in daylight. The shopkeepers still engage in the age-old practice of bargaining, which feels natural rather than touristy here.

During its Islamic heyday, this was a fortified market that locked its nine gates at night, with guards patrolling inside. Dogs were released after hours for security. The Spanish crown maintained this tradition after 1492, keeping it as a protected royal site until 1868.

What strikes me most is how the Alcaicería manages to feel lived-in rather than museumlike. Between the souvenir shops, you'll find bookstores, jewelry workshops, and small bars where locals actually stop for coffee. The cobblestone streets echo with footsteps, and the maze-like layout makes you forget you're just steps from Granada's main cathedral.

If you want deeper historical context, an audio guide can provide more details about the original market's layout and the various crafts that were once produced here. But honestly, just wandering through and observing the craftspeople at work tells its own story about Granada's enduring connection to its Moorish past.